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Student Displays Rogachover’s Handwritten Postcards

At the Oholei Torah Hey Teves book fair, a student stood in the middle of the ballroom with a display of postcards that his great-grandfather received from the Rogachover Gaon, Reb Yosef Rosen of Blessed Memory, as answers to his Talmudic questions.

Mendel Heller is in the Eighth grade in Oholei Torah. His grandfather, Reb Yechiel Gutvirth, was a renowned Torah scholar. Whenever he came across a question in the Talmud that was too perplexing for him to answer, he would send a letter to the Rogachover asking for an explanation.

The Rogachover would respond to each and every one with a remarkable explanation. He would write the answers on a postcard, filling any empty space on the card with writing – even on the margins of the card – and mail it back. Mendel had four such postcards on display, giving his fellow students an opportunity to see the Rogachover’s actual handwriting.

Every few minutes, another teacher would come by with a group of students, and hear a fascinating presentation on the life and works of the Rogachover Gaon.

“Do any of you know who the Rogachover Gaon was?” Mendel begins as the boys gather around his table.

The Gaon was a Torah Genius who was born in Rogachov but later moved to Dvinsk, in modern day Latvia, where he served as Rov for the Chassidic community. The Rogachover himself was from a family of Kapust Chassidim (A branch of Chabad Chassidus stemming from one of the Tzemach Tzedek’s children).

The Lubavitcher Rebbe Received his Smicha from the Rogachover, and would refer to him as “the Sar (Master) of Torah.”

Mendel lifts up an old photo of the Rogachover; “Can anyone tell me what is unique about this photo?” he asks; a few boys call out: “his hair is very long.”

“Would you like to know why the Rogachover Ga’on had long hair?” continues Mendel, “it’s because he was so busy learning Torah, he didn’t even have the five minutes it would take to get his hair cut.

“Others would say, humorously, that the Rogachover had so much Torah in his head, it couldn’t be contained inside and spilled out into his hair – so it couldn’t be cut. Some would even say that he was a Nazir, a man who separates himself from worldly matters and dedicates himself to Hashem.”

“The Rogachover had a very unique way of answering questions: he would read about twenty letters with various questions, then he would put them all in his pocket and begin writing the answers to each question one by one.”

“Perhaps these postcards were also written in such fashion,” muses Mendel.

Also on display were Reb Yechial’s Chidushei Torah, which are printed in two volumes called “Kisvei Yechiel.”

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16 Comments

  • Where are all the other pics?

    It was beautiful!!!! As a mother I was very impressed with the whole book fair experience. Mendel Heller was wonderful, BH!!
    Rabbi Dovid Kievman was outstanding in communicating with the children. There was a magninificent chinese auction and bookfair and frbrengen- Bzchus Shalom Mordichai Halevi Ben Rivkah that really are all worthy of mention- I am very surprised that Crown Heights.info didnt put any of the other pictures or beautiful things that happened at the book fair.

  • Observation

    notice how they write the “Lubavitcher Rebbe” i was wondering when speaking to Lubavitch kids who have only one Rebbe why he would feel the need to say the lubavitcher Rebbe and not just Rebbe

  • Go Mendel Heller!

    beautiful article!!! Hellers- tons of nachas!! Would love to see everything else that happened by the book fair.

  • Milhouse

    As far as I know there is no evidence that the Rebbe had smicha from the Rogachover.

  • a little history

    i heard that the Rogatchover Goan did not cut his hair because it pained him to cut it.He was so refined that even cutting his hair felt like cutting ones skin.

  • pta mother

    tThankyou Chanie Garelik and Esty Heller for organizing this event it was beautiful.

  • nnnnf

    Reb Mendel Heller is also a very famous Magid Maishorim in the Kollel Minyan every shabbas!!!! all are welcome to come tot he shul and see Reb Mendel daven and say toras….

  • The Barber

    A Little History: That’s a nice story. But hair has no nerve endings. No human being experiences physical pain from hair cutting. Sorry. Try again.

  • Zhvil

    9: irrespective of that, that was what the man felt. Kedusha knows no boundaries.

  • Uncle from Florida

    Mendel we are so proud of you! I would like you to this show at our Chabad House!

  • The Barber

    Please. The Rogochover was a gaon because he was the “Sar of Torah.” It belittles the Rogochover to spread bubbe maises. I think he grew hair like that because he wanted to grow peyes, but in his part of Russia at his time it wasn’t safe to walk around with “peyes” so he let all his hair grow. Or maybe he just liked it. One thing for sure is that like every other bosor va`dom his hair had no feelings. Maybe he had unusual skin sensitivity, and that would be a medical reason not because of spiritual refinement. You should not talk narishkeit about the Sar of Torah.

  • BEAUTIFUL

    HOW BEAUTIFUL FOR A CHILD TO GIVE OVER INFORMATION OF GREAT VALUE. WELL DONE YOU SHOULD CONTIUNE TO BE PROUS OF YOUR HERITAGE.