Posted on 11/24/19
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 24, 2019 – It is now the sixty first year since the P’tira of the great Gaon HaRav Michoel Eliezer HaCohen Forshlager ztzk”l ,who was referred to as the ‘Gaon of the Gaonim’ by the heads of Machon Yerushalayim. Following successful publication and reprinting of the biographical work Michoel B’Achas and the re-issue of Toras Michoel, which contains sixty four of Rav Forshlager’s chidushim on Inyanei HaShas, we decided to publish his writings Al HaTorah.
Toras Michoel, was published by the Yad HaRav Herzog in Jerusalem over fifty years ago. When the head of the Machon realized, that this was not just the work of some minor frum yid who happened to have an amazing library, he was forced to hire several major Torah geniuses to properly do justice to the sefer. At that time, the Torah world was relatively small consisting of several Roshei Yeshivah and their top students as well as parts of the Chasidische world, which was also in a phase of re-building.
The editor, chosen for the task, HaGaon Rav Berel Kreuzer, ZT”L, said that his amazement with this Gaon grows with each successive day. He wrote this to the head of Yad HaRav Herzog saying: “Before us are the writings of a Gaon Olam … he compares favorably to the legendary Gaon of Rogetchov (HaRav Yosef Rosen), ZTK”L.” When challenged about this statement, Rav Kreuzer refused to retract even a single word! In fact, when the sefer was first published, it created a major stir in the Torah world, particularly in Eretz Yisrael, where many of the G’dolim were saying that they didn’t believe that such a great Gaon existed.
The work on this new volume began over ten years ago. I was fortunate to be asked by a representative of the Yad HaRav Herzog Foundation, which at the time was located in the Bayit VaGan neighborhood of Jerusalem to be the guardian of the Kisvei Yad of Rav Forshlager. Shortly after acquiring them, I began work on deciphering the handwriting, which was no mean task. Rav Forshlager had difficulty with his vision his entire life, and this probably contributed to the problems in legibility. In any case, I am proud to say that most of what appears in the new volume derived from the product of this work.
Most of his chidushim in Al HaTorah are from the first three volumes. The rest of these chidushim are scattered throughout the remaining forty two plus volumes. Rav Forshlager wrote all of these volumes in his home, working tirelessly for several hours a day during the last ten to fifteen years of his life. All of these manuscripts were written and bound here in Baltimore, and this is why this is an especially great Simcha of which the entire community should be proud.
HaRav Benzion Bergman, Shlit”a, once again, worked tirelessly gathering and editing the computerized writings, getting the rest deciphered as well as locating individuals both in the U.S. and Israel who could assemble the works in a coherent readable fashion so that the average Torah Jew could derive benefit from it. He spent the last few years going through their work editing and correcting. Additionally, he included a short Biography of Rav Forshlager in the Introduction, as well as several pages of explanation as to how the work was assembled from the manuscripts. Finally, he handled the difficult task of raising funds to actualize the project.
This sefer represents the first new chidushim of this great Gaon to be published in over fifty years. As already mentioned, the copies shipped to America have already sold out. Consequently, new printings have been scheduled as well as for Michoel B’Achas and Toras Michoel, both of which are currently unavailable. Also, the English biography of Rav Forshlager should be at the printer by his Yahrzeit (Marcheshvon 15).
The main funding was provided by HaRav Nosson Michoel Leiner, Shlit”a, who became extremely close to Rav Forshlager during his formative years in Ner Yisroel and has always remained close to him in spirit. HaRav Yitzchok Menachem Karfunkel, Shlit”a, who also helped with Michoel B’Achas and the reprint of Toras Michoel was once again extremely generous in this sefer’s publication. Also worthy of mention is HaRav Leibel Lederman Shlit”a. It is our hope that the frum community of Baltimore will share in this project by at least purchasing the sefer from your bookstores. It is a sefer which G-d willing will be appreciated by your future generations.
