Rav Eliav Miller director of Lev Shomea: “He had a remarkable individual approach. Each bochur felt as though he took up his own space in the Rosh Yeshivah’s world.” (Photos: Eli Cobin)

T

hursday night 22 Tammuz: In the beis medrash in Yeshivas Ohr Elchanan in Jerusalem the undercurrent of energy and chizuk that has overtaken the yeshivah in recent months is palpable. Since the diagnosis of Rav Moshe Mordechai Chodosh the beloved rosh yeshivah the talmidim continue hour upon hour with renewed resolve knowing that the Rosh Yeshivah is in his apartment just a few feet away from the study hall.

The door opens. “The Rosh Yeshivah is here!” students exclaim in whispered excitement. Rav Moshe Mordechai enters the beis medrash and asks to speak. A late-night sichah is unusual — but then again the whole situation is unusual and the talmidim cluster around to hear their rebbi’s words.

“It says that Bnei Yisrael went out to fight one thousand to each mateh” he began emotionally. “The Midrash says that they sent one thousand and then another thousand so that while they were fighting they would see the difficult situation and would daven for Klal Yisrael. Because actually seeing the difficult situation in front of you awakens you to daven.” The meaning of his words was clear to all the bochurim. Yet in a flash the Rosh Yeshivah reverted to speaking about the current sugya and soon despite the late hour the bochurim were deep in conversation trying to reconcile the differences between Rabi Yochanan and Rabi Chanina in Maseches Gittin.

Several decades have passed since Rav Meir Chodosh and his son Rav Moshe Mordechai greeted the Belzer Rebbe yblch”t. They were the torchbearers of Slabodka and until last week Rav Moshe Mordechai carried the tradition to a new generation.

The ris’cha d’Oraisa the fire of learning Torah burned bright in the Jerusalem night and before the talmidim could reach the answers to the Rosh Yeshivah’s questions Rav Moshe Mordechai concluded with a promise: “B’ezer Hashem next week you’ll get the answers.”

But it was a promise the Rosh Yeshivah couldn’t fulfill. Last Wednesday 28 Tammuz instead of learning in the zechus of a refuah for their rebbi the talmidim were following his mittah.

Rav Moshe Mordechai Chodosh was born in Jerusalemin 1940 into the line of Slabodka nobility. His father was Rav Meir ztz”l the renowned Chevron mashgiach who as a young boy came from the town of Partich and sat stubbornly in the Slabodka beis medrash even after being told that the yeshivah was not for boys his age. He did not budge though sleeping in a hallway and eating stale bread. It didn’t take much time until this young masmid became the prized talmid of the Alter of Slabodka eventually moving to Eretz Yisrael with the yeshivah where he developed into a remarkable pedagogue as mashgiach in Chevron Ateres Yisrael and Ohr Elchanan.

On his mother’s side Rav Moshe Mordechai was the grandson of Rav Yosef Zundel Hutner (Eishishoker) of Volozhin and the great-nephew of Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein rosh yeshivah of Knesses Yisrael in Slabodka and later in Chevron.

For generations of Chevron talmidim the home of the venerated mashgiach Rav Meir Chodosh wasn’t just near the yeshivah — it was the yeshivah. Never locked the small Chodosh kitchen featured a cookie box that was never empty and a full samovar and teapot. And the bochurim came — to eat something to speak with the Mashgiach or his rebbetzin to soak in the warmth of home.

Having been raised in a home that was a living breathing remnant of the great yeshivos Rav Moshe Mordechai himself was a mirror to that golden era and to the unique path of chinuch his own father received from his forebears. “Catch a bochur doing good” Rav Moshe Mordechai would quote his father. “See him in his finest moment and always identify him as such. That’s really him!”