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About Rabbi Hersh Leib Levinson
In 1883 the Chofetz Chaim took on his son-in-law Rabbi Hersh Levinson as an assistant to help carry the burden running the Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Radin.
Zvi Hirsh was born in Volozhin in 5623 (1863). He married the daughter of Chafetz Chaim and became his assistant in the Radin Yeshiva.
When World War I broke out, the Yeshiva heads were plagued by a dilemma: Should the yeshiva remain in Radin, which meant falling under German rule, or should it flee to Russia, which involved many dangers, especially during wartime?
When the situation grew critical, some students consulted the Chofetz Chaim's son-in-law, Rav Tzvi Hirsch Levinson, who thought that the Goral HaGra, a special lottery involving various combinations of pesukim, should be used to determine the yeshiva's future. The startling reply he received was, "With my staff I crossed the Jordan, and now I have become two camps."
After receiving this reply, the Chofetz Chaim, Zvi Hirsh, and a large group of students fled to Russia. Some students, though, had to remain behind in Radin, because the citizenship papers they possessed made it highly dangerous for them to transfer to Russia.
While the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Levinson and Rav Naftali fled to Russia, Rav Moshe remained with those students who had stayed behind in Radin, seeing to all their needs. He was assisted by Rav Yosef Leib Nendik, who served as mashgiach.
They moved from Radin to Smilowitz, while the cannons of the First World War raged. The events of World War One had an impact on the life of the yeshiva, which was nonetheless like an island of daled amos shel halocho in the vast ocean of blood and tears.
One of the students, Ephraim Leibowitz, who had come from Memel (a city on the German border), was suspected by the Russians of espionage on behalf of Germany. According to the emergency regulations, all German citizens had to appear before the authorities, who would then transfer them to Eastern Russia or to Siberia.
In the yeshiva of the Chofetz Chaim, at that time, there were three students with German citizenship. Out of pity, the yeshiva's administration ignored their citizenship and its requirements, even as it feared the repercussions of their being in the yeshiva illegally.
After the fast of the 17th of Tammuz 5675 (1915), calamity occurred. In the middle of the night, agents of the KGB, accompanied by police from Lida and Vilna, raided the home of Reb Leib Matlis, the brother-in-law of the Chofetz Chaim, where their suspect lived.
During the search, a precise sketch of the blueprint of the fortress in Kovno was "found" among Leibowitz's belongings, on a piece of paper which had been maliciously stuck into the student's pocket by one of those very secret police. The threat of death loomed over the student. He was expected to be put to death within no more than a day or two.
With much effort and money, his trial was postponed. Many efforts were also made which were finally successful in releasing Reb Leib Matlis from the prison in which he had been detained for a number of weeks as an accessory.
The boy's family came to plead with the Chofetz Chaim not to be angry at him, and not to curse him. The Chofetz Chaim replied that he never curses anyone. It was two years later that they learned that Leibowitz was in a prison in Panze, and that his trial was about to take place. It was precisely on Shemini Atzeres 5677 (1916) that a letter arrived with the news that Ephraim Leibowitz was about to be tried.
The following day, Simchas Torah, when the Saba Kadisha was called up to the Torah, he banged on the table and burst out into tears. "Ribono shel olom," he cried. "Why do you let your sons suffer so? The Torah which Ephraim studied with great hasmodoh is before You, and now he is suffering terribly, even though he has committed no crime."
Those present cried, while the Chofetz Chaim asked his son-in- law to calm them, saying, "It's Simchas Torah today." After the davening, the Chofetz Chaim sent a special messenger to the well known lawyer, Oscar Gruzenberg of St. Petersburg, who was famous as one of Russia's greatest jurists. Gruzenberg had achieved his fame in some of the biggest criminal trials of his time. In the Jewish world, he became known for his defense of Beilis. Gruzenberg, a Jew who barely knew about Yiddishkeit, tended toward the radical left, and was far from the Jewish experience. Along with this, he was a humanist, and was thus always among the first to take the side of the downtrodden, and as was natural in those times, they were often Jews who suffered from pogroms, expulsions, blood libels and more.
This time, however, Gruzenberg refused to take the case. He was afraid to become involved in a trial which was being held in the wartime atmosphere of hostility to Jews and Judaism.
Upon hearing the reply, the Chofetz Chaim decided that he himself would go to see Gruzenberg . In time, it was related that Gruzenberg asked the Chofetz Chaim if he could personally testify that the accused was completely innocent of espionage. The Chofetz Chaim replied that he was certain of this, and that the very fact that a man as old as he had come all the way from Shomiatz to St. Petersburg for that purpose, should be proof enough of his own conviction.
"Rabbi," Gruzenberg said with emotion. "I'm pretty young. But if you have the energy and vigor to make such a dangerous trip then we, who lack such a feeling of responsibility, should be considered old."
Then to his wife he said, in Russian: "In our times, when life has so little value, would a Russian notable be willing to embark on such a dangerous journey, just in order to save a single young boy, who isn't even his relative?"
Gruzenberg apologized for a moment, and left the room. "He's a good person," the Chofetz Chaim told those who had come with him. "It's a pity he isn't oriented towards avodas haBorei. If only he had been educated in a yeshiva . .. "
Gruzenberg returned and announced that he could not accept the defense of the young man. "I don't feel brave enough to stand before a military court at this point," he said. "I called a friend, non-Jewish lawyer, who agreed to accept the case. He also thinks that it's best that the defending lawyer be a Christian and not a Jew."
The trial was held in Vitebsk in Teves 5677 (1917), before a military tribunal which was made up of three Russian generals. The entire procedure of the trial is an amazing story. Among the witnesses were HaRav Elchonon Wassermann, Reb Tzvi Hirsch Levinson, the son-in-law of the Chofetz Chaim, and the Chofetz Chaim himself. Throughout the trial, the defense related accounts of the sterling character of the Chofetz Chaim, in order to illustrate the extent of his ethical level.
Even when the reliability of the stories was questioned by the judges or the prosecution, the defense insisted that it is not only the story itself which proves the point, but even the fact that such a story is even told about him, even if it is not precise.
The prosecution, for its part, explained that although the honesty and sincerity of them Zidovski Rabinn was not in doubt, all this still did not prove the innocence of Leibowitz who, in his wily manner, had deceived his mentors.
The accused was sentenced to death, but out of consideration for his age, the sentence was commuted to twelve years in prison, with hard labor. The accused fainted in fear, and from the observer's benches, wails were heard. The students who left the court were shocked. They also didn't know how to convey this to the Chofetz Chaim.
Some advised telling him that Leibowitz had been sentenced to only two years in prison. Reb Yechezkel was the one who broke the news to the Chofetz Chaim, telling him that Leibowitz had not been sentenced to death but to six years in prison. It is related that the Chofetz Chaim ordered Reb Yechezkel to lock the door of the room.
Agitated, he looked to and fro, and when he saw that there was no one else there, he whispered to Reb Yechezkel: "What makes them certain that they will continue to rule for even six more months?"
Two months passed, and Kerenski and his revolutionary government took over the reins of government, while Czar Nikolai was deposed and, a short while later, assassinated. This was on the 22nd of Adar, 5677 (1927)!
Ephraim Leibowitz, the "Jewish spy," was freed along with other political prisoners, thanks to the efforts of Gruzenberg, and the yeshiva community.
In Brisk it was said that R' Chaim Soloveitchik had commented on this story: "The Chofetz Chaim deposed Nikolai." Reb Yechezkel took the remaining secrets to his eternal rest.
Both yeshivos suffered greatly during this period. In Russia, Just as they were to return to Radin the Chofetz Chaim suffered the great loss of his beloved son-in-law Rav Tzvi Hirsh. He passed away in the year 5681 (1921). Source
About צבי הירש לוינסון (עברית)
מרת שרה. נישאה להגה"צ ר' צבי הירש לוינסון מוואלאזין. נולד בערך תרכ"ד, ולמד בישיבה בראדין. החתונה התקיימה בתרמ"ו, ומאז הפך ליד ימינו של חמיו. ניהל את עניני הישיבה, וביוזמתו נבנה בנין גדול עבור הישיבה (עד אז שכנה בבתי כנסת בעיירה), ונתרבו הספסלים. היה צדיק תמים, ואיש קדוש. ר' הירש נפטר בשנות גלותם ברוסיה עקב מלחמה"ע הראשונה, בעיר סנאווסק, בי"ח שבט תרפ"א. ילדיהם: א. הרב ר' יהושע ליב לוינסון. נולד בערך תר"ן. נישא לפרומה ליבא, בתו של ר' יעקב משה ספיר, עליו ועל צאצאיו נכתב כבר בעבר כאן. נולדו להם שמונה ילדים, ארבעה בנים: צבי הירש, חיים אברהם, אהרן יצחק, נפתלי, וארבעה בנות: אסתר פריידה, רחל, זלאטה, פערל. ב. דוברושה. נישאה להרב ר' אליעזר זאב [%D7%91"%D7%A8 בנימין] קפלן. היה אחיו של ר' ישראל חיים קפלן, חתנו של ר' ירוחם ליבוביץ, המשגיח ממיר. ילדיהם: פריידה, וצבי הירש. שרה לוינסון, וכל צאצאיה, ניספו בשואה האיומה. רובם בהריגות שבוצעו ליהודי ראדין, הבן ר' יהושע ליב במחנה דכאו, בשנת תש"ד. הי"ד!
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Rabbi Hersh Leib Levinson's Timeline
| 1863 |
1863
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Valozhyn, Minsk Province, Belarus
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| 1917 |
November 4, 1917
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| 1921 |
January 27, 1921
Age 58
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Snovsk, Chernihivs'ka oblast, Ukraine
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| ???? |