Rabbi Baruch Dov Povarsky, often referred to as Rabbi Berel Povarsky, is the

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

of the

Ponevezh Yeshiva Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced as Ponevitch Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פוניבז׳), is a yeshiva founded in 1908, and located in Bnei Brak, Israel since 1944. The yeshiva has over three thousand students, including those of affiliated insti ...

in Bnei Brak, Israel, alongside Rabbi

Gershon Edelstein Gershon Edelstein (born 18 April 1923) is ''rosh yeshiva'' of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, president of the Vaad Hayeshivos, and the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah party in Israel. He is widely considered to be the Gadol Hador by the Litvish co ...

Biography

Rabbi Povarsky was born in 1931 in

Kletsk Kletsk ( be, Клецк, Klieck, originally known as ''Klechesk'', russian: Клецк, pl, Kleck, ) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus, located on the Lan River. In 2015 it had 11,237 inhabitants. History The town was founded in the 1 ...

, the son of Rabbi Dovid and Chaya Tzipporah Povarsky. When he was three months old, the family moved to Baranovich where R' Dovid became a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

in Yeshiva Ohel Torah-Baranovich and joined its affiliated ''

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

.'' During this period, Baruch Dov learned in the city's local ''

cheder A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...

''. In 1941, escaping the Nazi-Soviet threats in Baranovich (then part of Poland), the Povarskys escaped to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

, Lithuania together with thousands of other refugees. From there, they emigrated to Israel, where R' Dovid was soon appointed rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. In Israel, he learned in Yeshivas Ohr HaTalmud and Yeshivas Achei Temimim, and in 1943, for a short stint in the Chevron Yeshiva. However, shortly after becoming rosh yeshiva in Ponevezh, R' Dovid brought his son to learn there. Rabbi Baruch Dov Povarsky began teaching in the Ponevezh Yeshiva in 1953, and after the death of the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach, he became rosh yeshiva.

Works

*''Bad Kodesh'' *''Bad Kodesh al HaTorah'' *''Shiurei HaGRaBaD Povarsky''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Povarsky, Baruch Dov Rosh yeshivas Israeli Rosh yeshivas Ponevezh Rosh yeshivas Israeli Orthodox rabbis Haredi rabbis in Israel 1931 births Living people Rabbis in Bnei Brak