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Rav Aryeh Leib Bakst Zatzal (1915-2004))
His Yahrtzeit is on Tuesday, 14 Teves
Rav Leib Bakst was born in the Lithuanian town of Daltish in to Rav Yaakov Yehoshua Hy”d, the town rov who had close ties with Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky zt”l.
In his youth he gained renown as the illui of Daltish and at the age of nine his father sent him to study under Rav Yaakov Neiman in the city of Lida, where he merited to see the Chofetz Chaim zt”l.
When he reached the age of bar mitzvah, Rav Grodzensky, recognizing his exceptional talents, sent him to study at the illustrious Yeshivas Mir. Despite his tender age, the rosh yeshiva, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel zt”l, took a liking to him and encouraged him greatly. He also grew and flourished under the wings of the Mashgiach, Rav Yeruchom Levovitz zt”l and later under Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l, who showed much fondness for him.
Later R’ Aryeh Leib followed Yeshivas Mir to Vilna, where he attended shiurim given by Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz and the Brisker Rov, Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik zt”l. He joined the yeshiva in its wanderings to Japan and Shanghai, and later he would often recall the omol HaTorah of these periods. In spite of the terrible news that, except for his older brother Dovid who was with him at the yeshiva, his entire family had perished, he immersed himself in study.
In 5706 (1946) while still in Shanghai HaRav Mordechai Rogov– rov of Sainy, Lithuania, the nephew of HaRav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, the author of Ateres Mordechai and a talmid of Yeshivas Volozhin and Yeshivas Mir–chose R’ Aryeh Leib to marry his daughter.
After the war they traveled to the US where HaRav Bakst accepted a position as a rosh yeshiva in Detroit. He changed the whole face of the city and guided outstanding talmidim along the path of Torah, sweeping them off their feet with the fervor and love of Torah ingrained in him. In his mussar talks he passed onto his talmidim the way of life he acquired from his rabbonim.
He served as a rosh yeshiva for over fifty years and as a beacon of light for the Jews of the Detroit and his talmidim, many of whom became exceptional talmidei chachomim who cleaved to him and the joy and love of Torah coursing through his veins.
(From Matzav.com)
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