Wednesday, October 17, 2018

R. Aharon Hakohen, the Chofetz Chaim's son on biographies of his father and "Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim"

The Chofetz Chaim's youngest son, Aharon Hakohen (Kagan), and his mother, the second wife of the Chofetz Chaim, Miriam Freida, ended their lives residing in New York, both being buried in Mount Judah Cemetery in Ridgewood, Queens. Aharon Hakohen never married, he died a bachelor in 1957. As can be seen on the title page of the Nidche Yisrael / The  Dispersed of Israel that he published, he had a PHD though I was not able to find records of where and what he studied. On the Hebrew title page, he states that he is the Rabbi of Cong. Rabbenu Chofetz Chaim in New York. 

The book included Hebrew, Yiddish and English versions of his father's book Nidche Yisrael, and was published by him in 1951 in New York. In the introduction to the book, he makes known his opinion on the various Rabbis and authors, as well as family members that were monetizing on his father, the Chofetz Chaim's name.

From the Hebrew introduction:
"ספרי אבא הם הישיבה היחידה שהשאיר לנו לברכה אחריו על שמו אחרי שנחרבה ישיבתו בראדון. ואין לנו ישיבה אחרת במקומה רק הספרים האלו ממלאים את מקום אבא"

From the English introduction:
"These books of my father, of sainted memory, are THE ONLY YESHIVA in his name that he left to us for a blessing after him after the destruction of his Yeshiva in Radun, and we have NO OTHER YESHIVA of like inspiration and glory to replace it, in it's original site or elsewhere."

From the Hebrew introduction:
"עדיין לא יצא לאור עד עתה שום ספר אמיתי מחיי אבי זצ"ל ומדרכיו והליכותיו בקודש. והביבלאך מסוג זה הנמצאים בשוק הספרים אודות חייו ומפעליו של אבי זצ"ל אשר העולם טועה בהם וחושבים שהם ביוגרפיות של החפץ חיים זצ"ל, לא רק שהם אינם מציגים דמות דיוקנו של אבי זצ"ל כלל וכלל אלא הם לפי דעתי קובץ של שטותים הבלים ופנטזיות מעשיות ספורים ופתגמים של קורי עכביש שלא היו ולא נבראו ואין להם שום שייכות לחיי אבי זצ"ל..."

translating as: "There has yet to be published any true book describing the life of my father, and his holy walks and manners. The pulp fiction (for lack of a better translation of ביבלאך) that is available in the market today about the life and work of my father ob"m, that the world errs and believes are biographies of my father the Chofetz Chaim ob"m, not only do they not convey the life of my father in any way at all, rather in my opinion they are an anthology of nonsense, silliness and fantasies. Stories, anecdotes and proverbs like cobwebs, that never happened and were yet to be created, and have no relation to my the life of my father ob"m"

Aharon Hakohen (Kagan), seems to be directing his attacks on the biography of his father written by Moses S. Yoshor, published in 1937 and against the various Chofetz Chaim Yeshivas operated by his nephew, R. Avraham Gershon Zaks in Monsey and by R. Dovid Leibowitz, at the time being led by his son, R. Henoch Leibowitz.


See the lower half of page above


from English introduction to book


Hebrew Title page of the book
The Tombstone of Aharon Hakohen in New York


Verso of Business Card of R. Aaron Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim's son, from the Zalman Alpert Collection

Recto of Business Card of R. Aaron Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim's son, from the Zalman Alpert Collection

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