The Legacy of the Mashgiach

The thought-provoking teachings of Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Mir and Ponevez
Edited by Rabbi Alter Y. Gartenhaus and Rabbi Tzvi M. Gartenhaus
(310 Pages)Publisher: Artscroll, 2009

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The talmidim of Rav Yechezkel Levinstein zt'l, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Mir and Ponevez, knew that they had before them a "living Sefer Torah." By watching the Mashgiach live his life of emunah and uninterrupted Torah study, and, particularly, by hearing his sichos, the lectures which electrified and inspired them, they could reach for the greatness that their beloved teacher had achieved.

In The Legacy of the Mashgiach those who did not merit to personally learn from Rav Chatzkel can absorb his teachings and get a glimpse of one of the towering mussar personalities of recent years, a gadol whose every action and word, whose very being exuded yiras Hashem.

The Legacy of the Mashgiach gives us a chance to "hear" Rav Chatzkel's life-transforming sichos. The thirty-one sichos included in the book were given at many different times and places: in pre-war Lithuania, in Japan and Shanghai, and in Eretz Yisrael. What unites them is Rav Chatzkel's remarkable depth of Torah knowledge, his unyielding faith, and his vivid understanding of Hashem's goodness. These sichos are a representation of authentic Torah and mussar tradition; reading them links us tightly to the eternal chain of mesorah.

The Legacy of the Mashgiach includes a biographical portrait of Rav Chatzkel, written by a talmid who accompanied him through most of the travels of his eventful life. We read of his extraordinary spiritual strength and devotion to the teachings of mussar and we gain a new perspective on our own everyday cares and concerns.

As we marvel at Rav Chatzkel's life and deeds, as we pore over his profound words, we realize that we have been left a priceless inheritance, a legacy that will last eternally.