Maran Rav Gershon Edelstein Celebrates 100th Birthday

Maran Rav Gershon Edelstein, rosh yeshiva of Ponovezh Yeshiva, turned 100 years old today, 2 Iyar.

The rosh yeshiva was born 2 Iyar/April 18, 1923 in the town of Shumyatch, near Smolensk, in the Soviet Union, a son of Rav Zvi Yehuda and Miriam (Mobshovich) Edelstein. Rav Zvi was rov of Shumyatch. His father, Rav Yerachmiel Gershon Edelstein, after whom Maran Rav Gershon is named, was the author of Ben Aryeh on Shas. Rebbetzin Miriam’s father, Rav Mordechai Shlomo Mobshovich, was rov of Malstovka (Krasnopillia).

Rav Gershon learned Torah from Rav Zalman Leib Estolin. Following his mother’s illness with typhus, he was sent with his younger brother, Rav Yaakov, to his aunt, Rebbetzin Rivka Tzvia Paz, in the city of Klimovich, where they learned Torah with Rav Mordechai Eliyahu Shneur.

In the month of Nissan 5694 (March–April 1934), his father succeeded in obtaining a permit to leave for Eretz Yisroel and asked his sons to return to their home in Shumyatch. At that time, his grandmother, Rebbetzin Reizel, ran the household and raised the brothers, so that their father could study Torah. In Iyar (April–May), Rav Zvi and his family travelled on the Novorossiysk ship from Odessa to Palestine, arriving on Lag Ba’omer. The family traveled to Yerushalayim.

In Elul 5794 (1934), after several months of wandering between relatives, their father settled in Ramat Hasharon. Since there was no religious school in Ramat Hasharon, Rav Gershon’s father studied with his sons at home, sitting on orange crates due to lack of furniture. They studied Gemara with Rosh and Rif, and, by some of the masechtos, also with Tur and Beit Yosef.

In 5795 (1935) their father was elected to be rov of Ramat Hasharon.

In Elul 5784 (1935), the sons were sent to the Lomza Yeshiva. They arrived at the yeshiva on the 1st of Elul, having travelled on foot from their home to Petach Tikva, where the yeshiva was, and did not know that the zeman had started the day before. The mashgiach, Rav Avraham Abba Grosbard, said he no longer had room for them. The secretary of the yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Zalman Mozes met them and invited them to sleep in his house until beds were found for them in the Yeshiva in the beginning of Cheshvan. At the behest of their father, they joined Rav Shmuel Rozovsky’s shiur.

A year later, their father married again and asked them to come home, as the rebbetzin now took care of the house and they could study Torah full-time. The brothers returned to their study schedule with their father. In the winter of 5704 (1943-1944), when the Ponevezh Yeshiva was established, Rav Shmuel Rozovsky, who was appointed rosh yeshiva, asked their father that they should join the group of the yeshiva‘s founders. Rav Gershon and Rav Yaakov were among the first six talmidimin the yeshiva, which was then located in the Ligman Shul in Bnei Brak. The yeshiva bochurim would sleep in rooms rented for them in the city; the two young brothers lived in the house of Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, who rented the only bedroom in the home to Rav Rozovsky.

The founder of the yeshiva, Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the Ponovezher Rov, appointed Rav Gershon to teach Holocaust refugee talmidim who had come to the Botei Avos orphanage, and in 5706 (1945-6) he was appointed to give shiurim to the young talmidim at the yeshiva.

In 5708 (1947-8), he married Rebbetzin Henya Rochel, daughter of Rav Yehoshua Zelig Diskin, rov of Pardes Channa, and in the same year he was appointed by the Rov as rosh mesivta of the yeshiva.

Rav Gershon was close to the Chazon Ish. After the passing of his father on the 20th of Cheshvan 5711 (1950), he hesitated whether to take over the role of rov of Ramat Hasharon. However, since he already held a position in the yeshiva and in light of his wife’s refusal to uproot from Bnei Brak, the role was assigned to his brother Rav Yaakov instead. Thus, Rav Gershon remained in Ponovezh, ultimately becoming rosh yeshiva.

After the petirah of Maran Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, the head of Degel HaTorah, Rav Gershon became the joint new leader alongside Maran Rav Chaim Kanievsky.

{Matzav.com Israel}