Grodno Yeshiva

Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah
ישיבה שער התורה
Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah; ישיבה שער התורה
	The yeshiva's building today, currently a hotel
Location
	Grodno; Belarus
Information
Religious affiliation(s)	Orthodox Judaism
Established	1914 or 1916
Closed	1939
Dean	Shimon Shkop
Enrollment	200+ students

Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah – Grodna,often referred to as theGrodna Yeshivaor simply asGrodna,was anOrthodoxJewishyeshivain theBelarusiancity ofGrodno,then underRussianrule. Founded during World War I,Shimon Shkopbecamerosh yeshiva(dean) in 1920.

History

Early years

The yeshiva was founded in either 1914^[1]or 1916, formed with the enrollment of yeshiva students who were displaced from the ongoingWorld War I.^[2]Refael Alter Shmuelevitz (father of RabbiChaim Shmuelevitz), was appointed asrosh yeshiva(dean),^[3]andYosef Leib Nenedikwas the yeshiva's firstmashgiach ruchani(spiritual supervisor).

Shimon Shkop

In 1920, at the urging ofYosef Shlomo Kahaneman,as well as the encouragement ofYisrael Meir Kagan(the Chofetz Chaim) andChaim Ozer Grodzenski,Shimon Shkopbecame rosh yeshiva.Shlomo Harkavybecamemashgiacharound this time. As part of his job, he was supposed to give studentsmussar(rebuke) when they did something wrong. However, as opposed to directly approaching a student and rebuking him for a specific act, he would simply talk about that type of wrongdoing with another person while in earshot of the student.^[4]Shraga Feivel Hindis, a son-in-law of Shkop, assisted his father-in-law in running the yeshiva.^[5]

Thehasmadah(diligence in Torah study) in the yeshiva was well known, with the average student studying fifteen hours each day. The most diligent students, called the "Lions of Grodno" (Yiddish:Ariyos fun Grodno) were capable of learning for eighteen hours a day. Among the "lions" were Moshe Zaretsky andYisrael Zev Gustman,future rosh yeshiva inRamailes.The two both used stay in thebeis medrash(Torah study hall) for months, immersed in Torah learning. The yeshiva schedule was rigorous, withshacharisat 7 a.m. and nightseder(learning session) finishing at 1 a.m.^[6]

The yeshiva was divided into two schools: theyeshiva ketanafor younger students and theyeshiva gedolahfor older ones. Chaim Shmuelevitz gave ashiur(class) in theyeshiva ketana.Shkop gaveshiurfor theyeshiva gedolahwhich would sometimes last over two hours long. Under his leadership, the yeshiva grew to over 200 students.^[2]

Disbandment and legacy

After the Soviet Unionoccupied Poland in 1939,the yeshiva disbanded and fled toVilnius.Shkop wasn't healthy enough for the journey, so he remained in Grodno, where he died soon after.

The yeshiva was reestablished inQueens,New York under the same name,Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah,and led byZelik Epstein,a grandson-in-law of Shkop.^[1]Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman opened another iteration of the yeshiva inAshdod,Israel, as a branch of hisPonovezh Yeshiva.

Notable alumni

Zeidel Epstein,rosh mesivtaatRabbi Jacob Joseph Schoolandmashgiach ruchaniatTorah Ore
Yisrael Zev Gustman,rosh yeshiva of the Ramailes Yeshiva
Aryeh Leib Malin
Tzvi Markovitz[he],rabbi inRamat Ganand rosh yeshiva of theKarlin-Stolinyeshiva inJerusalem
Eliyahu Mishkovsky[he],rosh yeshiva ofKnesses Chizkiyahu
Shmuel Rozovsky,rosh yeshiva of the Ponovezh Yeshiva
Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz,rosh yeshiva ofMir
Naftali Wasserman, son ofElchonon Wasserman
Zev Wein, rabbi of Beth Hamedrosh Hagadol Kesser Maariv in Chicago, and father ofBerel Wein

References

^^a ^bZakon, Rabbi Nachman (June 2003).The Jewish Experience: 2,000 Years: A Collection of Significant Events(Second ed.). Shaar Press. p. 166.ISBN 1-57819-496-2.
^^a ^bKrohn, Rabbi Paysach(January 2007).Traveling with the Maggid.Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. p. 203-207.ISBN 978-1-4226-0229-4.
^"Rabbi Shimon Shkop".Eilatgordinlevitan.com.RetrievedAugust 9,2020.
^Page, David (January 2017).Rav Gustman(First ed.). Mesorah Publications, LTD. p. 53.ISBN 978-1-4226-1859-2.R' Shlomo Harkavy, theMashgiachof Grodno, gave...mussarin the Grodno style, by speaking not to...[the student] directly, but rather in front of him.
^"Letter by Rabbi Shraga Feivel Hindis – Son-in-law of Rabbi Shimon Shkop".Kedem-auctions.com.Kedem Auction House.RetrievedAugust 16,2020.Rabbi Shraga Feivel Hindis (1878-1936), eminent son-in-law of Rabbi Shimon Shkop as well as his assistant in managing the yeshiva in Grodno.
^Page, David (January 2017).Rav Gustman(First ed.). Mesorah Publications, LTD. pp. 44–45.ISBN 978-1-4226-1859-2.

[Zakon-1] Zakon, Rabbi Nachman (June 2003).The Jewish Experience: 2,000 Years: A Collection of Significant Events(Second ed.). Shaar Press. p. 166.ISBN 1-57819-496-2.

[Krohn-2] Krohn, Rabbi Paysach(January 2007).Traveling with the Maggid.Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. p. 203-207.ISBN 978-1-4226-0229-4.

[3] "Rabbi Shimon Shkop".Eilatgordinlevitan.com.RetrievedAugust 9,2020.

[4] Page, David (January 2017).Rav Gustman(First ed.). Mesorah Publications, LTD. p. 53.ISBN 978-1-4226-1859-2.R' Shlomo Harkavy, theMashgiachof Grodno, gave...mussarin the Grodno style, by speaking not to...[the student] directly, but rather in front of him.

[5] "Letter by Rabbi Shraga Feivel Hindis – Son-in-law of Rabbi Shimon Shkop".Kedem-auctions.com.Kedem Auction House.RetrievedAugust 16,2020.Rabbi Shraga Feivel Hindis (1878-1936), eminent son-in-law of Rabbi Shimon Shkop as well as his assistant in managing the yeshiva in Grodno.

[6] Page, David (January 2017).Rav Gustman(First ed.). Mesorah Publications, LTD. pp. 44–45.ISBN 978-1-4226-1859-2.

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