Most of what I learned from Rav Gifter was from the times I heard him speak publicly or read his published material. Rav Gifter was a fiery speaker, with both exceptional content and powerful delivery in three languages: English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. But first, a small introduction to his unusual development as a gadol baTorah.
Rav Gifter was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1916, then, as now, not
known as a citadel of great Torah scholarship. When he was young, his family
moved to Baltimore, where he began his basic studying with Rav Michael
Forschlager, zt”l, one of the
greatest gedolim ever to grace the American continent, as attested to by Rav
Aharon Kotler, zt”l, as well as by my
Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yaakov
Ruderman, zt”l, and many others.
After completing his basic learning in Baltimore in an era when extensive
Torah learning was unheard of, Rav Gifter went to yeshiva for the first time in his life in New York and then in
Lithuania, where he excelled at the yeshiva in Telz.
In the late 1930s, Rav Gifter married his rosh yeshiva’s niece, and shortly thereafter, they traveled to
the United States so that his new wife could meet his family. While they were
in Baltimore, World War II broke out, making it impossible for them to return
to Europe, which is what saved their lives. Rav Gifter and his wife were now
stuck in Baltimore with no plans and no livelihood.
Rav Ruderman arranged for him to give a shiur in Ner Israel to an
exceptional, small group of brilliant and aspiring talmidim. And, eventually,
Rav Gifter assumed a rabbinic position in Waterbury, Connecticut.* When the
Telz yeshiva was reestablished
in the Cleveland suburbs, Rav Gifter joined the yeshiva staff and remained affiliated with the yeshiva, both in Eretz Yisrael (in the neighborhood
known as Telz-Stone) and in the United States, until his passing 55 years later.
I learned several things from Rav Gifter.
Hakaras Hatov
Rav Gifter had an incredible quality of hakaras hatov,
demonstrating appreciation. I do not know how many times I heard the tremendous
hakaras hatov (gratitude) he
had to my Rosh Yeshiva for arranging
for him to give a shiur in the yeshiva.
Other people might say, “It was a great coincidence. Rav Ruderman had a small
group of highly talented talmidim who needed a magid shiur, and I
arrived just at the right time.” Rav Gifter always graciously expressed his
appreciation for this opportunity, notwithstanding that, by my calculation, he
probably did not hold the position for more than a year or two, at most.
Being a Talmid
As great a gadol baTorah as Rav Gifter became, he always
considered himself a talmid of the gedolim from whom he had
learned; he continued correspondence with them for decades after he no longer
saw them. He also saved all the letters, even when he later moved to Eretz
Yisrael, and then when he was forced to return to the United States. I have
seen correspondence in Torah between him and Rav Forschlager from when Rav
Gifter was in New York, in Lithuania, and in Cleveland, spanning many decades,
only ending when Rav Forschlager passed on in 1958.
Similarly, I have seen Rav Gifter’s correspondence with Rav Mordechai Pogramansky,
a rebbe of his from his days in Europe, who escaped to Switzerland from the
inferno of Europe. And I am aware that he told over much Torah that he learned
from his rebbeim, such as Rav Moshe Soloveichek in New York and those in
Europe.
Mechanech
Above all, the greatest lesson I learned from Rav Gifter is what a golden
opportunity it is to teach Hashem’s Torah to His children. As I heard Rav
Gifter say on many occasions, every mechanech is a member of a very
special club, the president of which is Hashem Himself, the ultimate melamed
Torah le’amo Yisrael, as we recite daily. This message, which I have shared
with others countless times, has remained imbued within me and has become part
of my very personality.
The Gemara (Yoma 35b) lists three great people who
underwent serious challenges and still succeeded in becoming great Torah
scholars. Hillel’s success despite his incredible poverty proves that poverty
is not an excuse for not becoming a gadol baTorah. The tanna, Rav
Elazar ben Charsum, who was kohein gadol for many years, achieved
fabulous greatness as a Torah scholar, despite being as wealthy as Rockefeller.
He disproves the notion that overseeing a huge business portfolio precludes one
from developing as a talmid chacham. Yosef Hatzadik demonstrates
that attractive looks do not contradict becoming a great tzadik nor a
great gadol baTorah.
In the same vein, Rav Mordechai Gifter demonstrated that growing up in America,
bereft of any opportunities to develop in Torah learning, did not provide an
excuse for not becoming one of the gedolei Yisrael.
* On a personal
and seemingly coincidental note, while in Waterbury, he was the mesader
kiddushin for the parents of a mechatenesta of mine
