Forever a Talmid The Chinuch Legacy of Rabbi Chanina Herzberg

Forever a Talmid tells the story of mesorah reverently handed down generation to generation. The story of the timeless rebbi – talmid bond. The story of greatness in the yeshivah, the classroom, and the home -- and the story of the power of one man’s warmth, determination, and belief in every Jew.

Charlie Herzberg was a regular American boy. Fantastic third baseman, popular with his classmates, not a top student. But there were Torah scholars and leaders who saw a spark of greatness in young Charlie. Who believed in him, and helped him believe in himself. And so he grew up to become Rabbi Chanina Herzberg, the master mechanech who always believed in his talmidim and who always, always, remained a talmid of his own rebbi, Rav Shlomo Freifeld.

A talmid muvhak of Rav Freifeld, Rabbi Herzberg was the recipient of a glorious mesorah – from the Alter of Slabodka to Rav Yitzchok Hutner to Rav Freifeld, whom he consulted on a daily regular basis. He brought that mesorah of gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, into every aspect of his life. As menahel of Yeshiva Toras Chaim at South Shore for decades, Rabbi Herzberg had a vision of what a yeshivah should be: A place where every child “connects to the Ribono shel Olam, and learns to be a mentsch.” He took care of everyone – rebbeim, morahs, teachers, parents and, of course, talmidim -- bringing out the best in them, because he truly saw what was best in them.

In Forever a Talmid we will read story after story about Rabbi Herzberg, Rav Freifeld, and the others who were so central to his life. We will learn how much work it takes to be a true talmid, and the enormous, uncountable benefits. And how a few words spoken at the right time can change a person’s life. And how if we believe in a child or talmid – indeed, in any person -- he will learn to believe in himself.

And, yes, we will learn how to believe in ourselves as well.