ב"ה
Where are the Rogatchover’s original Talmud and Rambam books today?
The Rogatchover’s daughter, Rebbetzin Citron, who lived in Eretz Yisroel (her husband was Rabbi Yisroel Abba Citron of Petach Tikva) decided after her father’s passing that she had to rescue his manuscripts, which she was afraid would be lost. She made a special trip to Dvinsk for this purpose. She was unable to take the manuscripts with her since the authorities wouldn’t allow it, so instead she worked together with Rabbi Yisroel Alter Safern-Fuchs (her father's devoted student and successor) and photographed the manuscripts on microfilm and sent them to Rabbi Fuchs’ granduncle, R. Zvi Hirsch Safern, in New York. There were 7000 handwritten pages! They copied all the Gemaras and Rambams on which the Rogatchover had jotted his notes. This was in addition to other manuscripts as well as responsa. They were moser nefesh to save the Rogathchover’s writings. Sadly, both she and Rabbi Fuchs, who had been designated by the Rogatchover to serve as Rav after him, were killed in the Holocaust, but they managed to save the Rogatchover’s priceless writings. The Rogatchover's library (containing the originals) has disapeared since the Germans conquered Dvinsk in 1941.
Deciphering the manuscripts from the microfilms we have today requires a lot of work. It calls for people who are very familiar with his teachings to be able to figure out his handwriting and the contents of his commentaries.
How did it get to Rabbi Menachem Kasher?
The treasure remained for years with Rabbi Yisroel Alter Safern-Fuchs’s relatives in the Bronx gathering dust. Mrs. Y. Leah Safern whose husband received and stored the writings in his home before he died, made unsuccessful attempts to interest people in them. She had just about given up when her son mentioned the microfilms to Rabbi Menachem Kasher during a chance meeting in Peoria, Illinois. With the help of Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin, president of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Kasher established a foundation at the University for the publication of the Rogatchover’s writings. Some of the honorary presidents for the Machon (institute) were Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung and Rabbi Mordechai Pinchas Teitz.
What has been published thus far?
The Rogatchover’s chiddushim on tractates Bava Kama, Bava Metzia, Sanhedrin, Horiyos, Eduyos, and Mesechtos Ketanos. There is also Tzafnat Paneach on Torah, and of course on the Rambam as well as some responsa’s.
Where can someone interested in learning the Rogatchover’s commentaries find some of these books?
These books are all long out of print. Therefore it is almost impossible to purchase or find any of the books mentioned above.
What is there left to decipher, comment and print from the Rogatchover’s writings?
The work is not yet completed; many letters from the Rogatchover await publication, among them annotations of the Rogatchover on most of the Talmud and additional writings which can be collated into a commentary on the entire Talmud. Of the 7000 microfilms of commentaries which were sent out of Dvinsk, there remains approximately 5000 - 6000 pages which need to be deciphered and interpreted before they can be printed and shared with the rest of the world. Most of these pages consist of the Rogatchover’s commentaries on the Talmud.
Why has the work of deciphering and printing these commentaries stopped if it was never completed?
Rav Kasher passed away in 1983. His son, Rav Moshe Kasher, took over the Machon but then passed away shortly thereafter (5 months later), as did his son-in-law Rabbi Dr. Aaron Greenbaum who next took over the Machon (they both passed away within a year of Rabbi Menachem Kasher’s passing). After the passing of Rabbi Dr. Aaron Greenbaum, the Machon slowed down drastically until it finally closed down. Since then the project of deciphering and printing the Rogatchover’s work has been held up.
What else can be said about the Rogatchover’s manuscripts?
The Rogatchover closely guarded his writings. As is known, his chiddushim on the Rambam only go up until Hilchos Trumos, on account of a robbery in which his manuscripts were stolen. He was very distressed by this and from then on, he did not let anybody look at his writings. He said that his bread had been stolen from him.
The Rogatchover’s teachings are incredible, and the public is still not aware of this. Our goal is to bring the Rogatchover’s chiddushim and explanations to the Torah world and b’nei ha’yeshivos. We plan on publishing his commentaries on the Talmud and other topics of his Torah so that someone who is learning a sugya, can study what the Rogatchover has to say on the topic.
Is anybody else working on deciphering the Torah of the Rogatchover?
It is very sad to say that there is hardly anybody who’s working on the Rogatchover’s Torah, especially since the Machon closed. Unfortunately, there have been serious obstacles to the spreading of the amazing teachings of the Rogatchover.
As far as deciphering the handwritten manuscripts, what makes the work so difficult?
Today, with modern technology, it’s much easier to decipher. The manuscripts on microfilm are tiny and need tremendous work to decipher. Aside from that, the Rogatchover’s way of writing is extremely concise, and one must be extremely knowledgeable in his Torah and his way of thinking.
What is so unique of the Rogatchover’s approach?
The Rogatchover’s approach was to examine everything through the Torah. For any matter that came or was brought to him, he tried to penetrate to the halachic essence, whether it was a large matter affecting all Jews or a limited matter, an event that occurred, whether it was a spiritual matter; in all the ways (halichot) of the world, he saw only Jewish laws (halachot).
Rabbi Teitz, who knew the Rogatchover very well wrote that “It is not within the power of a man’s pen to describe the gigantic character of the genius of the ages, the Rogatchover, and we have not even an inkling of the extent of his greatness. There were several people who tried to estimate his height, but they did not succeed. The Rogatchover remains hidden, wrapped and concealed, secret from everyone”.
There are several things however that are unique to the Rogatchover. One is his brilliance. There are topics that no other commentators dealt with. There are many instances where all the commentators on Shas (Talmud) or Rambam move forward without commenting on a particular teaching, and only the Rogatchover stops to comment. This is quite remarkable!
A second quality, aside from the vast scope of his Torah, is that often the Rogatchover takes one point and uses it throughout Shas, proving how everything is derived from that one point. We have never seen the likes of such genius.
How many responsa’s did the Rogatchover write?
Rav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz estimated that the number of responses the Rogatchover sent was between forty to fifty thousand! He recalls that the Rogatchover knew and remembered every response: the questioner, the question, the time and content of his answer. Many writings were lost during the war years but through G-d’s kindness a considerable portion were saved.
The Rogatchover’s daughter, Rebbetzin Citron, who lived in Eretz Yisroel (her husband was Rabbi Yisroel Abba Citron of Petach Tikva) decided after her father’s passing that she had to rescue his manuscripts, which she was afraid would be lost. She made a special trip to Dvinsk for this purpose. She was unable to take the manuscripts with her since the authorities wouldn’t allow it, so instead she worked together with Rabbi Yisroel Alter Safern-Fuchs (her father's devoted student and successor) and photographed the manuscripts on microfilm and sent them to Rabbi Fuchs’ granduncle, R. Zvi Hirsch Safern, in New York. There were 7000 handwritten pages! They copied all the Gemaras and Rambams on which the Rogatchover had jotted his notes. This was in addition to other manuscripts as well as responsa. They were moser nefesh to save the Rogathchover’s writings. Sadly, both she and Rabbi Fuchs, who had been designated by the Rogatchover to serve as Rav after him, were killed in the Holocaust, but they managed to save the Rogatchover’s priceless writings. The Rogatchover's library (containing the originals) has disapeared since the Germans conquered Dvinsk in 1941.
Deciphering the manuscripts from the microfilms we have today requires a lot of work. It calls for people who are very familiar with his teachings to be able to figure out his handwriting and the contents of his commentaries.
How did it get to Rabbi Menachem Kasher?
The treasure remained for years with Rabbi Yisroel Alter Safern-Fuchs’s relatives in the Bronx gathering dust. Mrs. Y. Leah Safern whose husband received and stored the writings in his home before he died, made unsuccessful attempts to interest people in them. She had just about given up when her son mentioned the microfilms to Rabbi Menachem Kasher during a chance meeting in Peoria, Illinois. With the help of Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin, president of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Kasher established a foundation at the University for the publication of the Rogatchover’s writings. Some of the honorary presidents for the Machon (institute) were Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung and Rabbi Mordechai Pinchas Teitz.
What has been published thus far?
The Rogatchover’s chiddushim on tractates Bava Kama, Bava Metzia, Sanhedrin, Horiyos, Eduyos, and Mesechtos Ketanos. There is also Tzafnat Paneach on Torah, and of course on the Rambam as well as some responsa’s.
Where can someone interested in learning the Rogatchover’s commentaries find some of these books?
These books are all long out of print. Therefore it is almost impossible to purchase or find any of the books mentioned above.
What is there left to decipher, comment and print from the Rogatchover’s writings?
The work is not yet completed; many letters from the Rogatchover await publication, among them annotations of the Rogatchover on most of the Talmud and additional writings which can be collated into a commentary on the entire Talmud. Of the 7000 microfilms of commentaries which were sent out of Dvinsk, there remains approximately 5000 - 6000 pages which need to be deciphered and interpreted before they can be printed and shared with the rest of the world. Most of these pages consist of the Rogatchover’s commentaries on the Talmud.
Why has the work of deciphering and printing these commentaries stopped if it was never completed?
Rav Kasher passed away in 1983. His son, Rav Moshe Kasher, took over the Machon but then passed away shortly thereafter (5 months later), as did his son-in-law Rabbi Dr. Aaron Greenbaum who next took over the Machon (they both passed away within a year of Rabbi Menachem Kasher’s passing). After the passing of Rabbi Dr. Aaron Greenbaum, the Machon slowed down drastically until it finally closed down. Since then the project of deciphering and printing the Rogatchover’s work has been held up.
What else can be said about the Rogatchover’s manuscripts?
The Rogatchover closely guarded his writings. As is known, his chiddushim on the Rambam only go up until Hilchos Trumos, on account of a robbery in which his manuscripts were stolen. He was very distressed by this and from then on, he did not let anybody look at his writings. He said that his bread had been stolen from him.
The Rogatchover’s teachings are incredible, and the public is still not aware of this. Our goal is to bring the Rogatchover’s chiddushim and explanations to the Torah world and b’nei ha’yeshivos. We plan on publishing his commentaries on the Talmud and other topics of his Torah so that someone who is learning a sugya, can study what the Rogatchover has to say on the topic.
Is anybody else working on deciphering the Torah of the Rogatchover?
It is very sad to say that there is hardly anybody who’s working on the Rogatchover’s Torah, especially since the Machon closed. Unfortunately, there have been serious obstacles to the spreading of the amazing teachings of the Rogatchover.
As far as deciphering the handwritten manuscripts, what makes the work so difficult?
Today, with modern technology, it’s much easier to decipher. The manuscripts on microfilm are tiny and need tremendous work to decipher. Aside from that, the Rogatchover’s way of writing is extremely concise, and one must be extremely knowledgeable in his Torah and his way of thinking.
What is so unique of the Rogatchover’s approach?
The Rogatchover’s approach was to examine everything through the Torah. For any matter that came or was brought to him, he tried to penetrate to the halachic essence, whether it was a large matter affecting all Jews or a limited matter, an event that occurred, whether it was a spiritual matter; in all the ways (halichot) of the world, he saw only Jewish laws (halachot).
Rabbi Teitz, who knew the Rogatchover very well wrote that “It is not within the power of a man’s pen to describe the gigantic character of the genius of the ages, the Rogatchover, and we have not even an inkling of the extent of his greatness. There were several people who tried to estimate his height, but they did not succeed. The Rogatchover remains hidden, wrapped and concealed, secret from everyone”.
There are several things however that are unique to the Rogatchover. One is his brilliance. There are topics that no other commentators dealt with. There are many instances where all the commentators on Shas (Talmud) or Rambam move forward without commenting on a particular teaching, and only the Rogatchover stops to comment. This is quite remarkable!
A second quality, aside from the vast scope of his Torah, is that often the Rogatchover takes one point and uses it throughout Shas, proving how everything is derived from that one point. We have never seen the likes of such genius.
How many responsa’s did the Rogatchover write?
Rav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz estimated that the number of responses the Rogatchover sent was between forty to fifty thousand! He recalls that the Rogatchover knew and remembered every response: the questioner, the question, the time and content of his answer. Many writings were lost during the war years but through G-d’s kindness a considerable portion were saved.
