A year after the passing of Rav Gershon Edelstein ztz”l, his son-in-law Rav Dovid Levy opens a page into this giant of spirit

Photos: Mattis Goldberg, Shuki Lehrer, Mishpacha archives

Throughout the ten decades of his life, Rav Gershon Edelstein ztz”l was thrust into many roles and responsibilities, ultimately taking on the burden of leadership for the entire yeshivah world. But even as he dealt with Klal Yisrael’s toughest scenarios, he never abandoned his primary post as a rebbi for shiur alef teenage bochurim.

It’s been a year since last Shavuos night, when Rav Gershon — who had turned 100 the month before — was taken to Mayanei Hayeshua Hospital after suffering a heart attack. In Ponevezh, the learning was paused to say Tehillim for the Rosh Yeshivah’s recovery, while in the hospital, the doctors were able to stabilize his condition. When Yom Tov was over, the news spread through the Torah world, but while the eyes of the public were all worriedly focused on the Rosh Yeshivah’s frail health, he continued his regular daily schedule: The next day, from his sickbed, he even delivered his regular chaburah to the meishivim who explain the shiur to the younger talmidim. He spoke for nearly seventeen minutes, and despite wearing an oxygen mask, the Rosh Yeshivah was as clear and lucid as ever.

Three days later, he was taken from This World, and the sense then was — and still is — that an era had ended.

His was the story of quiet force, of influence without fanfare. It’s the story of a gadol hador who spent close to eight decades saying shiur to 17-year-olds — and whose words were so compelling, whose relationships so enduring, that alumni in their forties or fifties would crowd into the room to keep learning. It’s the story of a rebbi who demanded proficiency in Shas, yet showed his charges how to achieve it with serenity; a centenarian who had total mastery of Torah, yet who could connect to the heart of a young bochur.

A year later, we’re at the home of Rav Dovid Levy, Rav Gershon’s son-in-law and successor as rosh yeshivah in Ponevezh, and for many years, his right-hand man. We catch Rav Dovid at home in between delivering chaburos in his modest dining room, but when it comes to sharing stories about one of the giants of spirit whom we had living among us, time seems to stand still.

“One of the things that characterized my father-in-law most — his nature, his thoughts and his conduct — was his yishuv hadaas,” Rav Levy tells Mishpacha. “It didn’t matter if it was about plowing through a sugya in Shas, or making the trek up a long hill to reach his destination. ‘You always go slowly and calmly’ — was his mantra, the secret of his life. That’s how he always conducted himself. Menuchas hanefesh, inner tranquility, was his guiding light, and he tried to imbue it in his countless talmidim. For him, menuchas hanefesh was actually a condition for growth and elevation.”

Many wonder how the rosh yeshivah of the vaunted Torah citadel of Bnei Brak, the final word of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and the elder gadol of a generation, found the tools to relate to the 17-year-olds of the 21st century. But those who attended his daily shiur describe a scene both exalted and down-to-earth, a rebbi who had within close to a century of Torah learning, yet who was always excited to hear a curious teenager’s question or suggestion. Despite the titles and the heavy burden of authority he held, during that daily shiur Rav Gershon was simply their teacher.