Rav Hershel Lieberman zt”l, a talmid muvhak of both the Brisker Rav and the Chazon Ish whose ties to the gedolei hador of the previous generation spanned Europe, Eretz Yisroel, and America, was niftar on Tuesday at the age of 95.

Rav Lieberman, together with his brother Rav Yosef Lieberman z”l, who was niftar just several weeks ago, and their sister, escaped from Vichy France as a young boy during World War II (his older brother, Rav Dovid Moshe, escaped separately and went on to become the chief rabbi of Belgium). The three siblings made it to safety, and Rav Hershel would go on to spend his life learning in some of the most prestigious yeshivos of the twentieth century.

In his early years he was a ben bayis in the home of Rav Yitzchok Hutner ztz”l, where he absorbed the derech of the prewar gedolim. He then learned for a short period in Lakewood under Rav Aharon Kotler ztz”l before continuing on to Eretz Yisroel to learn at the Mir Yeshiva.

He then transferred to Brisk, where Rav Hershel became a member of the chaburah that learned with Rav Berel Soloveitchik zt”l, and through that connection he developed an exceptionally close relationship with the Brisker Rav, Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik zt”l. He became one of the close talmidim of the Brisker Rav and was a regular at the Soloveitchik home.

Rav Hershel was also a close talmid of the Chazon Ish, Rav Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz ztz”l, with whom he would regularly talk in learning. He returned again and again to discuss difficult sugyos, and the conversations between the two left a lasting impression on him.

The depth of Rav Lieberman’s learning was such that Rav Yitzchak Soloveitchik shlit”a, one of the leading Roshei Yeshiva of Brisk, has on more than one occasion described himself as a talmid of Rav Lieberman.

In addition to his bond with the Brisker Rav and the Chazon Ish, Rav Hershel was close to a number of other gedolei hador of his generation, including Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt”l, the Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim, and Rav Chatzkel Levenstein ztz”l, the Mashgiach of the Mir.

The levaya is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday at Shomrei Hadas Chapels in Boro Park.

Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes.

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