Rav Yeruchom Levovitz (; – 1936), also known by his hundreds of students simply as The Mashgiach, was a famous

mashgiach ruchani A mashgiach ruchani (; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im''), sometimes mashgiach for short, is a spiritual supervisor or guide. They are usually a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yesh ...

and baal mussar (Jewish Ethics) at the Mir Yeshiva in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Early life

R' Yeruchom Levovitz was born in 1875 (5635 in the Jewish calendar) in Lyuban, in present-day Minsk Region,

(near

Slutsk Slutsk is a town in Minsk Region, in central Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slutsk District, and is located on the Sluch (Belarus), Sluch River south of the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 59,450. Geography ...

) to Avraham and Chasya Levovitz. He received his education in the

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

s of Slobodka and Kelm. He was a disciple of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, and Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv of Kelm.

Mir Yeshiva

R' Yeruchom was the spiritual leader of the Mir Yeshiva in Belarus from 1910 until the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and then again from 1924 until his death in 1936. His disciples were said to have followed his every word, never doing anything that they "felt" he would not want them to do. Most of the leaders of the yeshivas of inter-war Poland were Levovits's disciples. They would come on occasion to visit him and seek his advice. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, much of orthodox Jewry in Europe was wiped out, along with their many yeshivas (Jewish schools of higher learning). One of the only yeshivas to survive as a whole body was the Mir Yeshiva, which managed to escape to

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and then on to America.

Disciples

Some of R' Yeruchom's better known disciples include Simcha Zissel Halevi Levovitz, Avrohom Levovitz, Chaim Shmulevitz, Dovid Povarsky, Isser Yehuda Malin, Aryeh Leib Malin, Abba Berman,

Zelik Epstein Zelik Epstein, also known as Zelig Epstein (full name Aharon Zelig Epstein) (July 10, 1914 – August 3, 2009), was a prominent Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah-Grodno, a private Talmudical institution in Kew Garden ...

, Shimon Schwab,

Shlomo Wolbe Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe (August Wilhelm, 1914 – April 25, 2005) was a Haredi rabbi born in Berlin in the early part of the twentieth century. He is best known as the author of ''Alei Shur'' (), a musar classic discussing dimensional growth as it pe ...

, Zeidel Smiatcky, Aryeh Leib Bakst, Chaim Wysoker, Binyomin Zeilberger, Nachum Partzovitz. His many discourses and lectures are preserved for posterity in the following sefarim: "Daas Torah," "Daas Chochma U'Mussar," "Shvivai Daas," and "Sifsai Daas on Pirkei Avos" which are a staple of many yeshiva libraries today, as well as many Orthodox Jewish households. He died on the 18th of

Sivan ''Sivan'' (, from Akkadian ''simānu'', meaning "season; time") is the ninth month of the civil year and the third month of the religious year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of 30 days. ''Sivan'' usually falls in May–June on the Grego ...

in the year 1936 at the age of sixty-three. He is buried in the town of

Mir, Belarus Mir (; ; ) is an List of urban-type settlements in Belarus, urban-type settlement in Karelichy District, Grodno Region, Belarus. It is situated on the banks of Miranka River, about southwest of the capital, Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population ...

. His grave site (recently rebuilt by his family) is a common destination for the many Jewish tourists who visit the decimated cities of pre-war eastern Europe.

Rebuilding in America

Most of R' Yeruchom's family escaped the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

s and made it to America where they were pioneers of the rebuilding of Orthodox Jewry in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. His son, Rav Simcha Zissel Halevi Levovitz, was the founder of a

in Boro Park, Brooklyn, and was responsible for publishing the writings of his father, as well as publishing the writings of Rav

Simcha Zissel Ziv Simcha Zissel Ziv Broida (; 1824–1898), also known as Simhah Zissel Ziv or the ''Alter of Kelm'' (the Elder of Kelm), was one of the foremost students of Yisrael Salanter and one of the early leaders of the Musar movement. He is best known as ...

, the Alter of Kelm. His son-in-law Rav Yisroel Chaim Kaplan, former

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

in Brisk, Lithuania, came to America and served as rosh yeshiva in Beth Medrash Elyon in Monsey, NY. Ten of his talmidim convened to open Yeshivas Beis HaTalmud. Rav Leib Malin served as the rosh yeshiva until his death, when the leadership of the yeshiva passed to Rav Chaim Wysoker.

Works

His shmuessen (discoursed on ethics and improving character) were published posthumously by his students - mainly by his son Rav Simcha Zissel, in Daas Chochma U’mussar, and Daas Torah. After Rav Simcha Zissel's passing, his son Rav Yisroel continued his father's work and published Sifsei Da'as and Da'as Zekanim on Avos, Shivivei Da'as on Mo'adim, and just this year Da'as Binah on the Haggadah.

Rav Yeruchom - the Light of the Torah World

"The Light of the Torah World" is a biography available for purchase online.

References

Rav Yerucham Levovitz – the mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva
at www.famousrabbis.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levovitz, Yeruchem Haredi rabbis in Europe Mashgiach ruchani 1873 births 1936 deaths Musar movement Lithuanian Haredi rabbis Mir mashgiach ruchanis People from Mir, Belarus