This article originally appeared in Yated Neeman, Monsey NY. and is reprinted here with their permission
by D. Sofer
At a meeting of prominent Charedi activists a chairman once announced, "Our next speaker is Rav Tzvi Shraga, head of Chinuch Atzmai, who will address you in the name of his 40,000 students."
When Rav Tzvi Shraga ascended the podium, he quietly protested. "You are mistaken. I have come to speak not only in the name of those 40,000 children, but also in the name of the legions of children who don't yet belong to Chinuch Atzmai."
To Rav Tzvi Shraga nothing was impossible - even in the early days of Israeli statehood, when the Charedi world seemed to be fighting a losing battle, -- he confidently foresaw a day when every Jewish child would receive a Torah true education.
"A Divine spark is embedded in every Jewish child the moment he is born," he once told Rav Aharon Suraski. "Every mechanech must arouse that hidden, perhaps dormant spark, and infuse it with life."
ROOTED IN HOLINESS
Rav Tzvi Shraga Grossbard was born in Visan, Lithuania, in 1916 (5677). His father, Rav Aharon Zev, an outstanding talmid of the Chofetz Chaim, had one goal in life - to raise his children to be ye'rai Shomayim and lamdonim. Rav Aharon's wife, Meita, was a unique woman, whose love of Torah inspired not only her children, but also all of Visan's Jews.
In those days, Visan's one melamed had the near impossible task of single-handedly teaching all the town's boys in his one-room cheder. To accomplish this he would teach one age group per hour while the rest of the boys reviewed their studies in local homes. The system worked well during the week, but on Erev Shabbos housewives found it next to impossible to prepare for Shabbos, while hosting schoolchildren at the same time. The only woman in Visan willing to overlook this problem and host children even on this busiest day of the week was Meita Grossbard.When Tzvi Shraga was still a youngster, his father was brutally beaten to death by Lithuanian thugs because he refused to inform on a fellow Jew. Bereaved, and with three orphaned sons, Meita refused to be crushed and devoted herself to her children's Torah education as enthusiastically as before.
At the age of nine Tzvi Shraga joined Yeshivas Sha'arei Torah in Grodna where, despite his tender age, he soon became one of its leading students. His devotion to Torah was so unbreakable that he didn't leave yeshiva even for his brother's bar-mitzvah. When his uncle, Rav Abba Grossbard, stopped off in Grodna on his way home from the bar mitzvah, he asked young Tzvi Shraga why he had missed the occasion.
"It never dawned on me to close my Gemara for such a thing," replied the youth.
This hasmada remained Rav Tzvi Shraga's hallmark his entire life. Years later, while directing the bustling Chinuch Atzmai offices, he could often be found poring over seforim in his private office.At age 14, Rav Tzvi Shraga entered Grodna's yeshiva gedola and formed a close bond with the famed Rav Shimon Shkop. Afterwards, he became one of Rav Boruch Ber Lebowitz's select students in Yeshivas Kaminetz, and at the beginning of the Second World War he studied for a year and a half under Rav Daniel Movshovitz in Yeshivas Kelm.
ESCAPE FROM DEATH
In 1941 (5702), at age 25, Rav Tzvi Shraga left Europe for Eretz Yisroel. His boat was crowded with so many refugees fleeing the Nazi death machine that people were forced to sleep on the deck. Rav Tzvi Shraga couldn't bear this. With typical chesed he gave his bunk to a teenage boy, while he himself slept on deck.
In Eretz Yisrael, Rav Tzvi Shraga joined the Lomza yeshiva in Petach Tikvah headed by his uncle, Rav Abba Grossbard, and after his wedding in 1943 (5704), he delivered shiurim there. Afterwards Rav Tzvi Shraga founded the Yesodei HaTorah yeshiva ketana in Tel Aviv that ultimately produced many prominent talmidei chachamim and roshei yeshiva.Rav Tzvi Shraga also became the head of Tel Aviv's beis mussar and developed a strong friendship with mussar giant, Rav Eliyahu Dessler who was then spiritual mashgiach of the Ponovezh Yeshiva. The two men studied b'chavrusa each week in Rav Tzvi Shraga's home.
Rav Dessler was quoted saying that Rav Tzvi Shraga was a living embodiment of the mussar ideal depicted by Rav Yisroel Salanter and he offered him the official position of mashgiach at Ponovezh. But, with typical humility, Rav Tzvi Shraga refused.
In 1955 (5716), Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman encouraged Rav Tzvi Shraga to found Ponovezh's yeshiva ketana, which became the prototype of most subsequent yeshivos ketanos in Eretz Yisroel. Rav Tzvi Shraga also helped found and direct the Grodna yeshiva.
CHINUCH ATZMAI
At this point in his life, Rav Tzvi Shraga felt a complete sense of fulfillment - his entire life was now devoted to teaching Torah and transforming youngsters into true talmidei chachamim. But then an incident occurred that changed the course of his life forever. Rav Zalman Sorotzkin, the revered founder and director of the Chinuch Atzmai, was niftar, leaving Chinuch Atzmai bereft.
Chinuch Atzmai, an independent Torah school network had been founded in the early years of the State of Israel for two reasons. First, the country's Torah schools were in dire financial straits and on the verge of financial collapse. The only way to solve their problems was to establish an independent network to operate under one roof.
Second, the government wanted to create a two stream educational system, secular and religious that would have lumped the Charedi and Mizrachi schools together. This was something the gedolim vehemently opposed.A major battle against the state ensued, headed by Rav Zalman Sorotzkin, the famed Lutzker Rav, and supported by major gedolim including the Chazon Ish; Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer; the Admor of Belz, Rav Aharon Rokeach; the Admor of Gur, Rav Yisroel Alter and the Admor of Vizhnitz, Rav Chaim Mayer Hager, and Rav Aharon Kotler.
The Chinuch Atzmai network they created eventually included Beis Yaakov elementary schools for girls, junior high schools and Talmudei Torah. While most charedi families sent their daughters to the Beis Yaakov schools, the Talmudei Torah were geared mainly for outlying communities, immigrant families, or families with a weaker commitment to Torah.In those days, the Chinuch Atzmai already had 20,000 students and the gedolim began searching for a Torah figure great enough to replace Rav Sorotzkin.
Inevitably, they chose Rav Tzvi Shraga Grossbard. But he wished to remain rooted in Torah study his entire life and turned down their offer even after a special delegation including Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky and the Kopycznitzer Rebbe, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel, came to Eretz Yisroel to beg him to change his mind. In 1966 (5727), the Gerrer Rebbe pleaded with him to relent and take over the reins of Chinuch Atzmai. Later that year Rav Shach visited him at his home and declared, "I refuse to leave until you promise to accept the position. Am Yisrael needs you!"
At last Rav Tzvi Shraga relented. But one obstacle remained - Rav Kahaneman still refused to release Tzvi Shraga from his position in Ponovezh. Once more the gedolim got involved until even Rav Kahaneman was forced to give in. "Fine," he said, "I'm releasing Rav Tzvi Shraga for one year!"
In 1967 Rav Tzvi Shraga Grossbard finally became the director of Chinuch Atzmai and he remained at its helm for twenty-five years.To attract more students to the system, Rav Tzvi Shraga combined Chinuch Atzmai's religious curriculum with general studies that competed with the best offered by government schools. This was in contrast to traditional chadorim where barely an hour or two was devoted to secular subjects. Rav Tzvi Shraga succeeded so well that in subsequent national standardized tests, Chinuch Atzmai students scored higher than anyone else.
DIRECTING CHINUCH ATZMAI
Like the head of any organization, Rav Tzvi Shraga now had to spend hours each day dealing with the humdrum problems of hiring and firing, fund raising, construction and expansion. But he never lost sight of Chinuch Atzmai's ultimate goal - to be the greenhouse that nurtured the tender saplings destined to be the mighty oaks of future generations. Due to his intensive mussar approach to life, Rav Tzvi Shraga was adept at forestalling all controversy and ill-will inside Chinuch Atzmai. Every action of his was based on the teachings and examples of his illustrious teachers - Rav Shimon Shkop, Rav Boruch Ber, and the great mussar teachers of Kelm.
For example, he once felt that his grueling schedule had become absolutely unbearable and almost decided to resign. But then he had second thoughts. "What would Rav Shimon have said about such a resignation?" he thought to himself. "Surely he would have reminded me of my purpose and shlichus in life."
Although Rav Tzvi Shraga could not realize his personal aspiration of 'shiv-ti be'vais Hashem kol ye-mai cha-yai," he did manage to transform Chinuch Atzmai into a beis Hashem and, in despite his hard work, Rav Tzvi Shraga's mind was never far from his sefarim.
"Many of the Chinuch Atzmai meetings were heated, to say the least," Rav Tzvi Shraga's deputy recalls. "But when Rav Tzvi Shraga entered such meetings and launched into a discussion of his constant companion, the sefer "He'emek Davar," all the arguments would subside."Rav Shach once referred to Rav Tzvi Shraga as a living sefer Torah and used to visit him every motzei Shabbos in his home.
MAN OF ACTION
Contrary to the saying that when all is said and done, more has been said than done, Rav Tzvi Shraga was a man of action who promptly anthoroughly executed every one of his plans, whether for the public or for private people.
He was once scheduled to catch a 7 PM flight back to Israel from America and changed his reservation for an earlier one. When asked why he had gone to all that trouble he replied: "I came on a specific mission to collect funds. Now that my mission's complete I must go home where other tasks await me."
Rav Tzvi Shraga's days were an endless whirlwind of activity. He would visit schools and tested students all the way from Kiryat Shimone in the distant north to Dimona in the far south. Meetings used to drag on into the wee hours of the morning, sometimes in his own kitchen.During the Six Day War, when the fate of the whole country hung in the balance, Rav Tzvi Shraga understood that the country's future hinged on the success of Torah. He spearheaded a fund raising dinner abroad and in just one day, raised $400,000.
WHO'S THE GUEST?
Rav Tzvi Shraga's chesed extended not only to great public works but to the private individual as well. Every person approaching him for advice and help was warmly received and promptly aided. He used to treat his guests so royally that Rav Chaim Zaitchik once said it was difficult to figure out who was the host and who was the guest.
LAST DAYS OF GREATNESS
During the last year of his life, Rav Tzvi Shraga fell seriously ill and had to be hospitalized. On the 13th of Cheshvan 1993 (5754) he returned his pure soul to his Maker.Upon learning of Rav Tzvi Shraga's petira, Rav Shach immediately rushed to the hospital and when asked why he hadn't waited for the mitta to reach Bnei Brak, he replied, "My soul and Rav Tzvi Shraga's soul are deeply linked."
In his hesped, Rav Shach said: "Tens of thousands of talmidim, will deeply miss Rav Tzvi Shraga. He was the rosh yeshiva of 40,000 students whom he maintained and supported with great effort and kindness. His dedication and supreme efforts for Chinuch Atzmai were a labor of sanctity."Rav Tzvi Shraga's levaya was attended by thousands and stirring hespedim were delivered by many gedolim. Finally the levaya proceeded to Har Hazeisim where yet another facet of Rav Tzvi Shraga's sterling character was revealed when it was discovered that he had purchased a burial plot next to that of his uncle, Rav Abba Grossbard and not next to his mother's plot in Bnei Brak.
"Rav Abba had no children and there is no one to say kaddish over him," Rav Tzvi Shraga explained years earlier. "But now when my sons come to recite kaddish over me, they will say kaddish over Rav Abba as well."With his petira, Klal Yisrael lost one of its most dedicated leaders and mechanchim. Today, the Chinuch Atzmai caters to more than 75,000 students. These are Rav Tzvi Shraga's "grandchildren," not to mention the tens-of-thousands of Chinuch Atzmai graduates and their tens-of-thousands of Torah true descendants.
May his memory be a blessing.