From Rav Baruch Ber in Kamenitz to the Frierdiker Rebbe

By Hershel Rosenbluh

20 Elul marks the yahrtzeit of Reb Moshe Chaim Sapochkinski, who passed away in 5774 (2014) at the age of 90.

Born on 16 Elul 5684 (1924) in Suvalk, Poland, young Moshe Chaim had never seen a Chossid in his life. Although Suvalk was then part of Poland, it was an old Litvishe town where Chassidus had never really taken hold.

When he was 14, Moshe Chaim’s mother fell ill, and her doctor prescribed rest and relaxation in Druskenik, a spa town on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, near Vilna and close to the borders of Belarus and Poland.

Because of its proximity to Vilna and Grodno, many of the great rabbonim and roshei yeshiva of the time spent their summers there, including Rav Baruch Ber Leibovitch of Kamenetz, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzenski of Vilna, and Rav Shimon Shkop of Grodno.

In Druskenik, young Moshe Chaim befriended a boy named Yehoshua (Shaye) Leibovitch, the grandson of Rav Baruch Ber. Being Shaye’s friend opened many doors for the “starstruck” young boy.

One day, while sitting with Rav Baruch Ber, the rosh yeshiva asked him which yeshiva he was learning in. Moshe Chaim explained that he had just finished cheder in Suvalk and was not yet sure what he would do next. He was considering going to Lomzha, as most of the Suvalker bochurim did at the time.

Rav Baruch Ber encouraged him to come instead to Kamenetz and join his yeshiva. He assured the young boy that he would personally make sure he was taken care of, both materially and spiritually.

Moshe Chaim returned home and told his mother what had happened. She came to Rav Baruch Ber herself, and the rosh yeshiva reassured her that her son would be well cared for and had nothing to fear.

Mrs. Sapochkinski then wrote to her husband, who consulted the rov of Suvalk. The rov confirmed that Kamenetz was a “good” yeshiva and that there was no reason for Moshe Chaim not to go there, even though most of the local boys were going to Lomzha.

Soon afterward, Moshe Chaim was on his way to Kamenetz, where he joined the yeshiva ketana.

Moshe Chaim would later become famous for appearing in a photograph with his friend Shaye and his zeide, Rav Baruch Ber.

A year later, in 5699 (1939), the Nazis invaded Poland, and Moshe Chaim fled to Vilna, which at the time was part of independent Lithuania. There he encountered his former rosh yeshiva, Rav Baruch Ber, who passed away a short time later, in Kislev 5700 (1939).

In Vilna, Moshe Chaim joined the local Lubavitcher yeshiva. Together with the other talmidim, he embarked on the extraordinary journey that took them first to Kobe, Japan, and then to Shanghai, China, where they remained throughout the war.

In 5706 (1946), Moshe Chaim finally arrived in New York. There he was zoche to see the Frierdiker Rebbe and become his Chossid.

Three years later, in 5709 (1949), he was sent to Montreal to serve as a shochet. A few years afterward, he was appointed rov of the Nusach Ari shul in Montreal, a position he held for some 60 years.

Over the decades, Rabbi Sapochkinski raised a family whose descendants would carry on his legacy, with his einiklach serving as shluchim in communities around the world.

Before his passing, Rabbi Sapochkinski recorded his memories in a book entitled Zichronosai, preserving the story of a remarkable life that began in a Litvishe town, led him to the great yeshiva of Kamenetz, through the upheavals of the war and the long journey to Shanghai, and ultimately into Lubavitch.

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Sapochkinski passed away on 20 Elul 5774 (2014), leaving behind generations who continue to carry his legacy.