This article originally appeared in Yated Neeman. We abbreviated it because of its length. As we enter the Yahrzeit of the revered Rosh Yeshiva and founder of Yeshiva Ner Yisrael of Baltimore, the Yated presents highlights of his life as told by his talmidim. We thank the talmidim who shared with us their oral and written memories of the Rosh Yeshiva.
Rav Ruderman was born on Shushan Purim in 5660 (1900) in Dolhinov, a small shtetl near Vilna. He was born late in life to his parents, Rav Yehuda Leib and Sheina, the first son after six daughters. Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, Rav Ruderman’s illustrious cousin who is named after the same person, related a fascinating story about how Rav Ruderman got his name. A year before his birth, an elderly, childless Jew named Reb Yitzchok assured Rav Yehuda Leib that he would have a son and made him promise to name the child Yitzchok. Thinking that it was unlikely that he would have a son, Rav Yehuda Leib half-jokingly agreed. A year later, when his son was born, his mother wanted to name him Yaakov after her father. A shaila was asked and the psak was that he be given both names: Yaakov Yitzchok.
Rav Yehuda Leib was a melamed. Rav Ruderman often stated that his father knew Shas with Tosafos well, but even though he may have eclipsed his father in learning, he did not even approach his level of avoda and Yiras Shomayim. Rav Yehuda Leib recognized his young son’s prodigious talents and encouraged him to learn. The child was awakened early to learn a blatt before davening and was rewarded for every daf memorized. As a result, he mastered Seder Noshim and Nezikin before his bar mitzva.
Shortly before his bar mitzva, Rav Yehuda Leib took him for a berocha to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Sholom Ber. The Rebbe was so impressed that he blessed the boy that he should grow to be an odom godol. The Rebbe wanted the youth to learn in Lubavitch, but Rav Yehuda Leib chose instead to send him to Slonim.
The young illui from Dolhinov soon developed a remarkable reputation. At that time it was customary for Slabodka talmidim to seek exceptional bochurim to join Slabodka. The future Chevron Rosh Yeshiva Rav Yechezkel Sarna, who was already one of the Alter of Slabodka’s closest talmidim, convinced the young genius to join Slabodka. That decision was undoubtedly a watershed in his life.
It was in the middle of World War I when Rav Ruderman joined Slabodka when it was in the city of Minsk after it had fled eastward, away from the approaching German Army. In Minsk, he merited meeting the revered Godol HaDor, Rav Chaim Brisker. It seems that Rav Chaim discerned tremendous potential in the young illui and realized that he would need special care to withstand wartime difficulties. Toward that end, unbeknown to Rav Ruderman, Rav Chaim arranged for a certain wealthy Yid to provide him with extra money so that his learning would not be adversely affected by hunger. Only after Rav Chaim’s passing in 1918, when the support ceased, did Rav Ruderman become aware of Rav Chaim’s role in caring for him.
The Alter also displayed an enormous amount of affection toward the youngster. He assigned Rav Yechezkel Sarna to serve as his eltere bochur.
Rav Ruderman learned with tremendous hasmoda, but he was completely unable to keep to sedorim of the Yeshiva. The Alter gave him latitude to learn in his own way as long as he achieved the pre-set goals. It was decided that he would attempt to complete Shas that winter. Rav Ruderman would take long walks during which he would review Gemoros and Sedorim by heart. He was well on the way to reaching his goal when the Alter received a telegram shortly after Sukkos advising of the petira of Rav Yehuda Leib. Not wishing to interfere with his talmid’s learning regimen, the Alter chose not to tell him the terrible news. Only after Pesach, when he had achieved his goal, was he informed of his father’s passing. The Alter remarked that the completion of Shas would be a far greater zechus for his father’s neshoma than all the recitations of Kaddish that he missed.
