(Rosh Yeshiva Ponovezh Letze’irim, author of Minchath Yehudah, 1913-2011). Autograph Letter Signed, in Hebrew.

LEFKOWITZ, MICHEL YEHUDAH.

5th Tishrei

Bnei Brak

1996

Response (written beneath the original inquiry) regarding the possibility of Rabbi Aharon-Leib Shteinman being the Gadol Hador whose Da’ath Torah prevails in all situations.

An historically important letter. A Rosh Yeshiva (name erased) writes to Rav Lefkowitz. “Up to this time the opinion of Rav (Eliezer Menachem Mann) Shach is the Da’ath Torah of our generation from which we may not move to the right or left for he prevails outweighing all others - even if there were differing opinions from the great rabbis in Jerusalem. However I have now heard that Rabbi Shteinman has been crowned as the final decisive arbitrator in any dispute between all rabbis. Does this not contradict that we should follow Rav Shach?” Rabbi Lefkowitz here replies: “There is no question - I say he [i.e. Rabbi Shteinman] is uniquely the one and whoever runs away from honor, such honor pursues him. For there is no doubt that his [i.e. Rabbi Shteinman’s] entire focus is for the name of heaven.” At the time, the two most authoritative rabbis of Jerusalem were R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (1910-2012) and R. Shmuel Auerbach (b. 1931) - who each differed from Rabbi Shteinman (b. 1912) on certain Halachic and political principles. Rav Lefkowitz advises his correspondent here that he not follow the rabbis of Jerusalem, but focus his attention upon the authority of Rabbi Shteinman of Bnei Brak even though, as the questioner writes, “there are other great rabbis in Jerusalem…”