Part V: The Changing of an Era: Rav Yitzchok Hutner's relationships with Gedolim in Israel

• Published date: 08 September 2022
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

Four of my recent articles in Arutz Sheva

-The Changing of an Era: Remembering Rav Yitzchok Hutner's Disciples (Aug 2, 22),

-The Changing of an Era, Part II: Rav Hutner's Disciples (Aug 8, 22),

-Remembering Rav Yitzchok Hutner's Relationships with Gedolim in America (Aug 17, 22) and

-The Changing of an Era: Rav Yitzchok Hutner and the Gedolim in the Mandate of Palestine (Aug 29, 22)

dealt with the relationships Rav Yitzchok Hutner (1906–1980) had with his own disciples, his mentors as well as with his contemporaries. This article will cover Rav Hutner's relationships with some of the Gedolim (great rabbis) who either moved to Eretz Yisrael before 1948 or later, after 1948, to the modern state of Israel. Like Rav Hutner they were all European born and eventually moved, and made Aliyah, to Eretz Yisrael/Israel, and some like Rav Hutner, between their time in Europe and Israel, spent considerable time in America.

Rav YItschak Hutner zts"l Courtesy

Rav Hutner first came to Eretz Yisrael from Eastern Europe in 1925 as a nineteen-year-old yeshiva student of the newly founded Chevron (Hebron) yeshiva and he stayed until 1929 when he returned to Europe. Rav Hutner returned to Eretz Yisrael from 1933 to 1934 when he moved to Brooklyn, NY, USA and by 1936 he was employed by Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn eventually becoming its main Rosh Yeshiva while he still kept up long distance relationships with Gedolim in Eretz Yisrael both before and after 1948.

After spending about thirty years away from Israel, by the early 1960s he began a slow but inexorable process of making trips back and forth to Israel with the aim of building his own yeshiva in Jerusalem and settling there, although until the very end of his life he commuted during each year between Brooklyn where he was still the senior Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and Jerusalem where he eventually founded his own Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok and Kollel devoted exclusively to Torah learning in Israel. It was continued by his son law Rav Yonoson David after Rav Hutner's 1980 passing and burial in Jerusalem.

The following list is not meant to be exhaustive in any way because during his time spent in Israel, as when he was in Europe and America, Rav Hutner met with a wide array of rabbis and even ordinary Jews who either he sought out or sought him out, so it would take a far more encyclopedic effort to list all the Gedolim (great rabbis), rabbis and ordinary people Rav Hutner spent quality time with in Israel.

In a previous article we focused on Rav Yitzchok Hutner's relationships with three major Gedolim who lived in Eretz Yisrael before the state of Israel was established in 1948:

Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (1865–1935) first Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and revered icon of Religious Zionism who established its hashkafic (halakhic worldview) principles.

Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel (1849–1927) known as the Alter [Elder] of Slabodka;

Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1848–1932) co-founder of the Edah Hacharedis;

This article focuses on others:

* Rav Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz Zt"l (1878–1953) known as the Chazon Ish the name of his magnum opus on Torah, Halakha and Talmud. It is strange that although it is said that Rav Hutner never met with Rav Karelitz personally, nevertheless when Rav Karelitz passed away in Bnai Brak, Israel in 1953 it is told that Rav Hutner came into the main Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlinbais medrash (main Torah study hall) in Brooklyn where he was the Rosh Yeshiva and declared that "the Gadol HaDor (greatest of the generation) has passed away" and instructed everyone to sit on the floor as a sign of mourning, something that had never been done for anyone prior to that and was only copied for when Rav Hutner himself passed away in 1980.

Rav Hutner very ceremoniously said Kaddish (prayer for departed) on Rav Karelitz's Yohrtzeit (day of death) every year after Rav Karelitz passed away in 1953 a tradition that is still kept up in the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin where Rav Hutner was the Rosh Yeshiva. Rav Hutner would also encourage some of his own top disciples to name their newborn sons "Avrohom Yeshaya" for Rav Karelitz who had died childless.

While Rav Hutner was close with the Rav Moshe Soloveitchik (1879–1941) wing of the Brisker dynasty he had a more contentious rivalry with Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik (1886–1959) and in this too he found an ally in Rav Karelitz for "As a youth, Karelitz was sent to study under Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk. He did not take to the Brisker method of study, and later it became clear that he actually opposed it." (Wikipedia). Rav Hutner would encourage his top students to endeavor to study the works of the Chazon Ish, considered a difficult task even for accomplished Talmudists. Other favorable connections between Rav Karelitz and Rav Hutner was that they were both great admirers of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863–1940) the most authoritative rabbi in Vilna, Lithuania before the Holocaust, who together with Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, who was Rav Hutner's mentor in British Palestine, encouraged and helped Rav Karelitz to move to Erezt Yisrael in 1933 where he lived until his passing in 1953.

After Rav Kook passed away in 1935,, he contnued to be strongly identified as the main rabbi symbolizing the Torah outlook of Religious Zionism while Rav Hutner was strongly identifying...