Reb Yeruchem

By Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein
From the Targumim Series – Subscribe to the Series

Rav Yerucham Halevi Levovitz (1873-1936) was known simply as “The Mashgiach,” for the profound influence he had on hundreds of students during the 37 years he held that position in the Mir. He had an outsize influence upon many of the greats who supervised the rebuilding of Torah after the Holocaust.

His personality was most greatly shaped by two giants of interwar Europe: Rav Simcha Zisel Ziv, and the Alter of Slabodka. Both stressed the complexity of the forces within the inner man, and paying careful attention to the words of Chazal to extract their essential messages, rather than treat them as springboards for derush.

R Yerucham’s shmuessen, which he delivered four times a week, were not fire-and-brimstone harangues, but analytic and deep shiurim on the meaning of Torah verses and maamarei Chazal. He very often focuses on nothing “more” than the real intent of Rashi. The effect, however, was even stronger than the fire-and-brimstone variety. His words almost always pack a punch, and are not for the weak of heart.

The selections are taken almost exclusively from the six volume set on the parshah.

As in years past, the intent of this series is not so much to educate as to get readers hooked and addicted to the author’s thought so that they will pursue it on their own.