Four decades on, Rav Mendel Kaplan’s lessons still resonate

Photos: Moshe Benoliel, Family Archives, Nachman Wolfson, Daniel Goldstein, The Gottesman Family

Four decades have passed since Rav Mendel Kaplan passed away, but time hasn’t dulled the memories for his talmidim, who carry his lessons, his mussar, and his smile deep within

The landscape of the yeshivah world is dotted by thousands of “Philly talmidim.”

That’s what they’re called, the simple title conveying nothing other than the location of the yeshivah where they spent their formative years.

It’s their tone of voice — one of unadulterated pride — that conveys the deeper meaning.

They speak of their rebbeim always, not with nostalgia but with a sense of current relevance.

A prism of awe streaks their features when they reflect on the fiery passion of Rav Elya Svei ztz”l, and their shoulders lower ever slightly, humbled by the mere evocation of Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlita.

But when they mention Rav Mendel Kaplan, they smile. It’s a youthful smile, like the impression he stamped into them when they were eighteen years old remained etched in place.

They never left his classroom.

And in a sense, neither did he.

A constant paradox ran through Rav Mendel’s entire life. He was European born and bred, a scion of the greatest roshei yeshivah of the prewar era, yet he had the most distinct understanding of American culture and its nuances. When he took his first teaching job in the early 1940s in Beis Medrash L’Torah of Chicago (later to move to Skokie), he barely knew English. Yet his talmidim loved him and remember him as the most relatable, perceptive rebbi.

He was a deeply serious person, having absorbed the influence of the greatest baalei mussar, yet he had a phenomenal sense of humor.

He endured many difficulties throughout his 72 years while he truly seemed to be the happiest man on Earth.

Worlds interlaced seamlessly in the life of Rav Mendel Kaplan.

And that might be how, two nights before Pesach 5745 (1985), he passed away in his sleep, with no prior indication of waning health.

He simply stepped from one world into the next.

In the 40 years that have passed since, story after story has emerged, each one peeling back another layer that concealed the depth of the man who captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of young, budding yeshivah bochurim.

A close talmid named Reb Sruly Greenwald did the world a great service by collecting scores of these stories and lessons, and working closely with Rav Mendel’s eldest son Rav Yeruchem Kaplan ztz”l, a Torah and mussar personality in his own right, compiling them into a book titled Rav Mendel and His Wisdom, published by ArtScroll/Mesorah in 1994. It has maintained its popularity throughout the 30 years since its initial debut — another testament to the magical relevance of Rav Mendel’s life and teachings. But comprehensive as the book is, untold stories continue to emerge. Somehow, in the lens of hindsight, every move he made and every statement he uttered was a moment of ringing profundity.

And these moments live forever. Now, 40 years later, a sampling of these students share how their beloved rebbi continues to teach them, each and every day.