Refael Reuvain Grozovsky

Reuvain Grozovsky was born in Minsk in 1896 to Rabbi Shimshon Grozovsky the leading Dayan of Minsk and grew up with his family in Minsk. Later he continue is study under his father in law, Reb Baruch Lebovitz. He moved with his father in law to Kamintz to continue the yeshiva there. His father in law was the one who trained him to become a scholar. He had two sons and two daughters. He studied in the yeshiva Knesset Yisrael under Nosson Tzi Finkel. During his young age he began his campaign to The third thought was just to go to any country that lets Jews enter. All these approaches were devastating to the Yeshivas in Russia. Minsk was a center for all of these opinions. Rav Grozovsky was against all of these opinions.save the Torah. In the Jewish community there were three schools of thoughts. The first approach was to end the Czar's reign and stop antisemitism so that Jews will part of the general society. The second thought was to leave and to go to Eretz Yisrael to live there, the Zionist movement. The third thought was just to go to any country that lets Jews enter. All these approaches were devataing to the YEshivas.Rav Grozovsky tried to have students go to Yeshivas. He done by bringing lots of recruits with him to Slobodka. In 1919, the Rav Grozovsky married the daughter of Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz. Then he moved to the Vilna suburb of Lukishuk. One might assume that a Rosh yeshiva would live comfortably, but this was not the case for Rav Grozovsky. In fact he (his wife) had to sometimes borrow money from his students. He shared an upstairs aparDuring the World War Two he escape with group of talmidim and arrive in the west cost. When he arrived at New York he joined Aharon Kotler and Avraham Kalmanowitz in leading Vaad Hatzalah's efforts to save as many people from the Nazis as possible. This included lobby and fundraising. Much of this went unrecorded. In the process he brought out 110 members of the Kameitz community. The main point of about Rav Grozovsky teaching was things and options have to studied to the fully and then dismissed outright without arguments. You have to analyze anything before you dismiss it for example if you have something you think is not going to work don't dismiss it ride away. When he was teaching he would ask himself what his students would get out of his shiur. He would give the big picture instead of many details that had nothing to do with the shiur. In a way Reb Grozovsky is like Avraham and his successors are like Yitzchak. How is this so? tment with his wife's parents. He did this because he wanted to be close to his father-in-law. When World War I broke out Reb Moshe Mordechai called for Rabbi Grozovsky to relocate the yeshiva in Minsk. He got there in a week. Many students cThis is so because when Avraham was in Charan he converted lots of people. But Yitzchak taught them about the fear of Hashem and the numbers dwindled. This is why when Yaakov went down to Egypt he only brought 70 people with him. Reb Grozovsky was extremely active in Agudath Yisrael affairs. He did seek to make open sessions. But he preferred to work behind the scenes. He was so concerned about Israel that he read every magazine or newspaper about Israel. One Thursday night a student came back to return something he borrowed form Reb Grozovsky. He found the table covered with Israeli newspapers. One time he had a student translate an article about Israel in the Life ame to listen to his Shiurim. In admiration for his knowledge and work, Reb Baruch offered his daughter's Magazine for him from English so he knew some information about Israel. As results of his knowledge, in May 1951 Reuvain organized a protest about sending refugee kids to nonreligious (secular) kibbutz. Yaakov Michoel Jacobs wrote a book about the famous gadol haRav Kamenetzky(see for more information Bemechitzas Rabbeinu: Hagaon Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt"l (In Hebrew Only)) in this book there a description how Grozovsky is viewed by other gedolim. When older bachorim of older Torah Vodaath asked Rav Kamensetzky if they should go to the meeting with Grozovsky. Kamenetzky said to them that if you miss a Shiur about Gemara you can hear it again however if you miss a Shiur about life, R. Grozovsky give it once, so you better be there. Another anecdotal, is when talmidim of the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum Tz"l wanted to praise him they mentioned that even Rav Grozovsky respect the Satmar Rabbe. During his last six years Reb Grozovsky was half paralyzed and yet many leading rabbinical .Reuvain Grozovsky always asked himself before he would give a Shiur what his students would learn from the shiur. He always analyzed things before he dismissed them. He was very humble and modest. aders visited him and listen to his opinions.¹