This past Monday 3 Av, thousands of bnei Torah,
headed by roshei yeshiva and rabbonim, accompanied the gaon
and tzaddik, HaRav Simcha Zissel Halevi Levovitz zt"l
on his last earthy journey. He was a vestige of dor
dei'ah, the son of the Mashgiach, HaRav Yeruchom of Mir
ztvk"l, and was 93 at the time of his
petiroh.
HaRav Simcha Zissel HaLevi Levovitz was born in 5668 (1908)
in the Lithuanian town of Ozovnet. At the time of his birth,
his father HaRav Yeruchom was the menahel ruchani of
the yeshiva of Kelm, and would return to his home only on
holidays.
In his youth, HaRav Simcha Zissel studied in the best
yeshivos of that time -- Grodno, Telz and Brisk -- becoming
among those yeshivos' finest students, and in particular
becoming close to Maran the Rov of Brisk. With the outbreak
of the Second World War, he immigrated to America. In
America he married the daughter of HaRav Naftoli Carlebach
zt"l.
After his marriage he founded a yeshiva in Boro Bark, from
which he produced an entire generation of students. For over
fifty years he taught and studied Torah, and published his
father's writings and those of the great mussar
geonim, whose ways he embodied and whose approach to study
he followed.
He was an outstanding talmid chochom, well versed in
every aspect of the Torah. For scores of years he dedicated
himself to the task of publishing his father's works, in the
form of the many volumes of Daas Chochmoh Umussar,
which truly enlightened the world with his father's wisdom.
He knew his father's teachings by heart and felt that
publishing those works was his main purpose in life.
At the levaya, HaRav Shlomo Wolbe said that he owed
HaRav Simcha Zissel a deep debt of gratitude. "There wasn't
a day in which I didn't study those seforim. The
introductions to each volume, were themselves like books,"
HaRav Wolbe said.
For years he served as the rosh yeshiva of the Boro Park
yeshiva, where he taught many students, some of whom who
were literally saved spiritually on his merit. These
students were deeply attached to him for years and today
many of them hold Torah positions in Eretz Yisroel and the
United States. He was the head of the entire Levovitz
family, and saw to the needs of all of Rav Yeruchom's
offspring, carrying the burden of the family on his broad
shoulders.
Recently he fell ill and did not recover. His levaya
in the United States was attended by a massive throng
which accompanied him to the airport. When the aron
arrived at the Mirrer yeshiva in Jerusalem, it was met
by thousands of bnei Torah and his students, headed
by roshei yeshiva and rabbonim. Hespedim were
delivered by: HaRav Shlomo Wolbe, HaRav Boruch Dov Povarsky,
one of the roshei yeshiva of Ponevezh and HaRav Yeruchom
Kaplan, the niftar's nephew. At the closing of the grave,
his nephews, HaRav Tzvi Kaplan and HaRav Naftoli Kaplan
delivered hespedim.
He is survived by three sons and one daughter. His sons are:
HaRav Yeruchom, HaRav Yisroel and HaRav Osher Michoel. His
son-in-law is HaRav Avrohom Moshe Faivelson. His entire
family, including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
are following in his footsteps.
