Rav Ruderman would show talmidim a letter that he received from the Steipler Gaon in 5719 (1959). The Steipler sent him a letter requesting financial assistance for printing the first volume of his magnum opus Kehillas Yaakov. In the letter, the Steipler wrote that he had seen and learned Rav Ruderman’s sefer Avodas HaLevi that he had written in his youth and it features “wonderful chiddushim on the most difficult areas of the order of Kodshim”. In the letter, the Steipler encourages Rav Ruderman to write more such seforim. After showing the letter to the talmid, Rav Ruderman said, “I have enough chiddushim to write ten more volumes of Avodas HaLevi, but I am now writing leibidige seforim, living seforim, my talmidim.”
The Rosh Yeshiva continued, “Teaching takes full concentration, as the Gemora teaches that only if a Rebbe is similar to a Maloch should one seek to learn Torah from him. We know that a Maloch cannot do more than one shelichus, one job at a time. Teaching talmidim preoccupies me so completely that I cannot sit and write seforim.” Indeed, the Rosh Yeshiva invested tremendous effort into teaching and shaping each talmid.
The Rosh Yeshiva established thousands of talmidim. Among them, hundreds became Gedolei Torah and Marbitzei Torah who continue his legacy and illuminate the Torah world with their shiurim and chiddushei Torah. Although of course, there was a special focus on establishing talmidim who would become Torah giants in their own right, the Rosh Yeshiva understood the individual character of each talmid and encouraged them, each in his own way, to make Torah a central part of their lives.
