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5 Iyar 5759 - April 21, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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HaRav Yehuda Leib Bogatch, zt"l

by Betzalel Kahn

On erev shevi'i shel Pesach, the sad news of the petirah of R' Yehuda Leib Arye Bogatch, author of the important work, Hegyon Libi, reached Jerusalem's residents. His levaya was attended by gedolei Torah, roshei yeshiva, talmidei chachomim, and hundreds of students and admirers, who came to pay him a final tribute despite the brief time available to them on erev yom tov. He was 64 years old at the time of his petirah.

HaRav Yehuda Leib Bogatch was born in Lida, a city near Radin, in 5694 (1934). His father, a student of the Chofetz Chaim and HaRav Naftoli Trop, was a pious and humble person. In 5695 (1935), the family moved to Eretz Yisroel and settled in Sha'arei Chessed. In this illustrious neighborhood, he absorbed love of Torah, yiras Shomayim and good character traits.

As a child, he studied in the Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah, and every week he would be tested by HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, who was very fond of him and held him in high esteem. In the Chevron yeshiva, where he later studied, he was well known for his rare hasmodoh and deep analytic ability. He also studied in the Slobodke yeshiva in Bnei Brak for a brief time, where he became very attached to HaRav Yechezkel Abramski, remaining close to him for many years, even becoming one of the most intimate frequenters of his household. While in Slobodke, and throughout his entire life, he was considered the ari shebachabura

After his marriage to Chava, the daughter of R' Shimon Hutner, he moved to Petach Tikvah, and studied in the Shevet MiYehuda kollel, headed by HaRav Ephraim Borodianski.

In 5722 (1964), he was appointed rosh yeshiva of the Nechalim yeshiva tichonit, and afterward taught in the ITRI and Chadera yeshivos. Wherever he taught, he inspired his students to devote themselves to Torah study. His many students relate that it was he who instilled them with genuine ahavas Torah and yiras Shomayim, and he who enabled them to savor the Torah's sweetness, and to study Torah in a correct manner.

Through the years he remained in close contact with his students, participating in their simchas and sharing their problems. His loving and understanding attitude toward them granted them the strength to remain loyal to the genuine yeshiva way.

The niftar was the author of the important work, Hegyon Libi on various topics in Shas. This sefer is outstanding in its clear style and in-depth analysis of all of the finer aspects of the sugyos it presents, and merited the ardent recommendations of gedolei haTorah, among them HaRav Simcha Zissel Broide.

He was niftar with a good name, after a prolonged illness. Brief talks were delivered at his levaya, because of the holiday. The first to speak was HaRav Yisroel Gans, the rav of Kiryat Mattersdorf, where the niftar resided. HaRav Gans spoke with pain about the heart of the author of Hegyon Libi which was stilled, and bemoaned the loss of a talmid chochom who graced the neighborhood, describing the niftar's immense humility, which was an integral part of him.

The niftar's cousin, HaRav Moshe Mordechai Chodosh, the rosh yeshiva of Or Elchonon, spoke about the tremendous esteem in which HaRav Yehuda Leib had been by the students of the Chevron yeshiva when he had studied there. He noted his greatness and the exemplary trait of hakoras hatov both he and his wife displayed whenever anyone inquired about his well-being.

His relative, HaRav Yitzchok Yeruchom Borodianski, the menahel ruchani of Kol Torah, stressed that speaking about such so great a talmid chochom constitutes kevod hamoed.

He is survived by his mother and his wife, whose devotion to him over the years was exemplary. He is also survived by his sister, the teacher Rebbetzin N. Kolar, as well as by sons, a daughter, and grandchildren, all of whom are following the Torah course he charted for them while he was alive.


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