Over the years the yeshiva underwent many difficulties, moving from one place to another before finally coming to occupy its own current premises on Rechov Rashi in the Mekor Boruch neighborhood. By the way, there is a meaning to the arrangement of the windows in the beis medrash. There are thirteen windows — the gematria of echod — on each side, together making twenty-six, which is the gematria of Hashem's Name.
Among the yeshiva's first talmidim in the Old City was HaRav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt'l. An earthquake in Yerushalayim in 5627 (1927) slightly damaged the yeshiva's building but it remained there until 5708 (1948), when fighting broke out prior to the departure of the British. Haganah fighters took up a position on the roof of the yeshiva from where they were able to fire on the Jordanians.
When the Old City fell to the Jordanians shortly thereafter, the conquering Jordanians set fire to the building with all the seforim and furniture inside, contrary to all international rules and laws. The yeshiva tried unsuccessfully to reclaim the building following the liberation of the Old City in 1967. The Machon Yerushalayim publishing house now occupies the renovated building at number one Rechov Gal'ed, and only a plaque commemorates the yeshiva that was once situated there.
Despite all its travails the yeshiva remained intact. It relocated at first to the Katamon neighborhood together with many other Jewish refugees from Old City. To this day there is a beis haknesses named Shaar HaShomayim in the building that the yeshiva occupied on Rechov Amatzia.
With growing tensions on the Jordanian border the yeshiva moved again to the Beis Yisroel neighborhood, learning in the building that now houses the shtieblach. In 5718 (1958), following the intervention of Rabbi Menachem Porush, the yeshiva moved to temporary premises on Rechov Rashbam.
One of HaRav Chaim Leib's sons, HaRav Refoel Auerbach zt'l, assumed leadership of the yeshiva after his father's petiroh and tried to fulfill his father's testament that it move into a large, spacious building of its own. With the help of Rabbi Reuven Saron, negotiations were entered into with the owners of the present building on Rechov Rashi and with another of the yeshiva's foremost supporters, Rabbi Pinchas Hoffman. The deal was eventually settled and the building was bought for the yeshiva.
When the supporter returned to Eretz Yisroel several months later he paid a visit to HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt'l, another of HaRav Chaim Leib's sons, who worked to strengthen the yeshiva all his life and served as its president for many years. He was stunned to hear the following from Reb Shlomo Zalman:
"My brother Reb Refoel passed away exactly thirty days after the building was purchased. Those thirty days were among the happiest of his life. For years he had been deeply worried that he might pass away before managing to fulfill his promise to our father to build a home for the yeshiva. With the contract signed and the purchase completed his promise to our father zt'l was fulfilled and he `returned in peace to Father's house' (see Bereishis 28:21)."
