Friday night and Shabbos, the 20th of Elul, is the yahrtzeit of Rav Avraham Kochav Lev (Shterenhartz), ZT”L (1862-1955)—the Rebbe muvhak of Rabbi Rosenfeld, Z”L, and the Rebbe and teacher of many others who became Breslov luminaries in the previous (and current) generation.

If everyone can please have him in mind on Shabbos—in Torah, tefilla, mitzvos, and especially in brachos on food—לע”נ הרב אברהם בן רב נפתלי הערץ זצ”ל.

Zechuso yagen aleinu v’al kol Yisroel, Amen.

A great-grandson of Reb Noson and grandson of the Tcheriner Rav, Rabbi Nachman Goldstein, Rabbi Sternhartz was a master of all areas of Torah. Orphaned at birth, he was raised by his illustrious grandfather, whose influence upon him was profound. Even as a child, Rabbi Avraham showed great diligence in Torah study. After the morning prayers, he would seclude himself in the attic where he would study Rebbe Nachman’s Likutey Moharan, not interrupting his studies until he knew the lesson of the day by heart.

After completing the entire Talmud at the age of 16, he got married. He was a scribe in Tcherin and at age 19 became the Rav in Kremenchug. At 22, he was appointed prayer leader for the Rosh HaShanah kibutz in Uman and kept that post even after relocating to Eretz Yisrael, for a total of 70 years.

Rabbi Sternhartz arrived in Yerushalayim’s Old City in 1936, where he was recognized as the outstanding Breslov elder of his generation. In 1940, he established the annual Rosh HaShanah kibutz in Meron. Exiled from the Old City during the 1948 War of Independence, he resettled in Katamon together with many other Breslov Chassidim.

Among his disciples were a number of the major Breslov leaders of the past few decades, including Rabbi Moshe Burstyn, Rabbi Nachman Burstyn, Rabbi Michel Dorfman, Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz, Rabbi Gedaliah Aharon Koenig, Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Lippel, Rabbi Shmuel Shapiro, Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, and Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld.

It was said of Rabbi Sternhartz that he was a living Likutey Moharan. Just by looking at him, one could see that his every action was based on some statement in Rabbeinu zal’s writings. When giving a lesson in Likutey Moharan, he would begin by reading from the text, move to complementary material for an hour or two and then pick up again from the exact word he’d left off. This was done entirely by memory! He gave shiurim in this way until he passed away at the age of 93.

This is an excerpt from The Legacy – The Life and Teachings of Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld – click here to get one!