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What is known about HaRav Shlomo Heiman zt’l during both his tenure in Europe as well as his time as Rosh Yeshiva at Torah Vodaas?
You can look him up in “The Making of a Godol”.
Rav Shlomo Heiman was a member of the top tier of Litvishe lamdanim. Although for whatever reason he did not achieve world renowned fame status like Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky and a few others, his greatness in Torah did not fall below those more famous than him.
I could find no evidence that Rav Heiman was a talmid of Reb Elchonon. Rav Heiman heard shiurim from Reb Laizer Gordon (along with Reb Aharon Sislovitcher/Kotler) as a youngster, but was best known for being the talmid muvhak of Reb Baruch Ber.
R’ Bender once told us a story about R’ Heiman. He spent a lot of time learning the seforim of R’ Akiva Eiger, and felt a close attachment to them. When he was on his deathbed, his students were in the room with him. Suddenly, he sat up, and said “Bring a chair! R’ Akiva Eiger is here!” Moments later, he passed away. They said that R’ Akiva Eiger came to escort the soul of R’ Heiman up to Shamayim, since he had dedicated himself to studying R’ Eiger’s teachings.
It is interesting that in the Lithuanian yeshivishe world, many if not most talmidim tended to try out different yeshivas , and many Roshei Yeshiva moved their yeshivas often. Of course, the constant movement was largely because of the persecution of the goyim y”s. But the result was that giants such as Rav Heiman learned, taught and certainly rubbed shoulders with most of the other gedolei torah in Europe. Rav Heiman learned mostly from Reb Baruch Ber in the town of Slabodka, but taught for a while in Baranovitch under Reb Elchonon before he came to the States. Needless to say, he was colleagues with Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky, Reb Elchonon, Reb Moshe Soloveitchik and his son Reb Yoshe Ber , and many others.
Rebi Akiva Eiger’s fame was widespread at the time. Considering that he died in 1837, only a generation or so before the golden years of Lithuanian yeshivas, he was often seen as the gold standard to whom every great lamdan was compared. It is no surprise that he was a favorite of Rav Heiman and many others, who would have given much to meet the famous lamdan and tzaddik.
Rabbi Bender shlita could possibly be a good source of information about R’ Shlomo Heiman, as his father was very close with him.
Reb Shlomo Paritcher was the star talmid of Reb Boruch Ber at Knesses Beis Yitzchok in Kovna. He attained renown as a Rosh Yeshiva at Reb Meiles Yeshiva in Vilna and was recruited by Reb Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz in 1935.
Read all about him in ?????? ? available on Hebrewbooks #20292
After his death in 1945, his rebbetzin remarried Chief Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman. [A number of amusing quotes are famously attributed to her.]
His seforim were published by Reb Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz of Bnei Brak, who was a talmid of Reb Shlomo in Vilna. [Additional Shiurim were published in Yeshurun 8, and by R CD Sorotzkin of Lakewood (i believe), however these are less popular.]
old man: Don’t know where you’ve been, but today Reb Shlomo is more famous than Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky (who lived 40 years past his death!) if not in the street, than in the Yeshivos, where his seforim have become classics and in Eretz Yisroel where Reb Yaakov is far less known, and Reb MY Lefkowitz was a leader of Torah Jewry for a number of years.
Ask any seforim salesman which is a bigger seller: Emes LeYaakov (aside for the volume ‘al haTorah’ which is a huge seller) or Chiddushei Reb Shlomo. The answer will be unequivocally the latter.
That’s as far as ‘fame’. As for “his greatness in torah” I don’t believe that you, or myself, or any other reader of this post is in the position to express an opinion either way.
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