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.
