17 Mar HARAV AHARON BINA: A LIFE OF TORAH, TRUTH, AND UNBREAKABLE CONVICTION

On my last trip to Eretz Yisrael, I had the immense privilege of spending time with Harav Aharon Bina, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem’s Old City, just steps from the site of the Beit HaMikdash, may it be built speedily in our day. Our discussions began with his formative years and moved on to his views on education and many other issues. I cherished these moments, and it gives me great pleasure to share them with our readers.

HaRav Aharon Bina’s life is a living bridge between the old world of European giants and the passionate, modern vitality of Religious Zionist education in Yerushalayim. While remaining true to his Religious Zionist hashkafa, he maintains the utmost respect and reverence for Torah giants, regardless of their viewpoints, and passes this message on to his students. Son of the legendary Harav Aryeh Bina zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Netiv Meir and founder of many hesder yeshivot, he emerged from his formative years in Ponovezh with profound guidance from figures such as HaRav Shmuel Rozovsky, Harav Elazar Menachem Shach, and Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz. He later moved to New York to study under Harav Yosef B. Soloveichik before returning to Eretz Yisrael to study in a kollel under the guidance of Harav Bezalel Zolty.

Without a doubt, HaRav Bina is one of the most influential educators for Diaspora students studying in Eretz Yisrael. His career in education began when he assisted his father in founding Yeshivat HaKotel after Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967. He fondly recalls his father’s immortal words at the Yeshiva’s opening: “Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us Jerusalem; we must do for Hakadosh Baruch Hu.” After several years of teaching and serving as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat HaKotel’s overseas program, HaRav Bina founded Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, located, in his words, “Across from the Holy of Holies.”

HaRav Bina’s life is marked by intensity, honesty, and a deep love for Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and his students. HaRav Bina is known for saying precisely what is on his mind,
with little regard for what is “politically correct.” Some find this refreshing, others challenging, but all agree that his words are rooted in wisdom, decades of experience, a deep concern for every Jew, and a deep love and unwavering responsibility for the spiritual growth of his talmidim. His concern for his talmidim extends beyond their commitment to Torah study and mitzvot. He stresses their relationship with their parents and their future roles as husbands, fathers, members of their respective communities, and members of Klal Yisrael.

HaRav Bina has transformed the lives of thousands, making them part of his mission to “Continue the Legacy,” a legacy of Jewish identity marked by love, authenticity, and unbreakable commitment. On a personal level, he has endured illness and loss yet remains unwavering in his belief that everything G-d does is for the ultimate good, even when it is often beyond our understanding.

How is the Rosh Yeshiva feeling these days?
A: Baruch Hashem, I never fully appreciated what we say every day: “modim anachnu Lach … al nisecha ve’al nifelotecha” until recently, after experiencing three bouts with cancer and a kidney transplant, the kidney donated by my son, Chanan. What keeps me going are my students.

Background

Can you please tell us a bit about your background?
I was born Aharon Binosovski on Rosh Chodesh Shevat (Jan. 11, 1948). When my father wanted to open his yeshiva, he went to register with the government agency and was told that if he wished to work through them, he must change his name to something more “Hebrew” sounding; hence the name Bina.

I was born to HaRav Aryeh and Rebbetzin Rachel Bina in Kfar HaRoeh, a small village between Hadera and Netanya named for Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook (known as HaRoeh).

I am married to Malke (Milikowsky) Bina, founder of Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies, and we are blessed with five children. Four years ago, we suffered the tragic loss of our bechor, Moshe, may his memory be a blessing. All our children live in Eretz Yisrael.

Educational Background

Can you tell us a bit about your educational background?
I studied at Horeb Elementary School in Jerusalem, though I must say I was not serious about my academic studies at the time. I spent much time playing soccer with, among others, a boy who is now the Amschinover Rebbe.

When I reached high school age, I moved to Ponovezh Yeshiva Ketana in Bnei Brak. My background was weak, so my father arranged a private chavrusa for me. I spent a total of ten years in Ponovezh, and thanks to the guidance of outstanding Rabbanim— including Harav Shmuel Rozovsky, Elazar Menachem Shach, Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, and David Povarsky, of blessed memory—I learned diligently.

I then met my dear wife, Malke; we married and went to New York, where I studied under Joseph B. Soloveitchik. “The Rav,” as he was known, changed my life and opened my eyes to a new way of learning. We eventually returned to Eretz Yisrael, where I studied in kollel under Bezalel Zolty. I later received semicha from Ovadia Yosef.

Involvement in Education

How many years have you been in education?
I have been working in education for over fifty years. I began at Yeshivat Hakotel, and in 2003, we opened Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh.

Your career in chinuch, at both Yeshivat Hakotel and Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, has been very successful. Why did you decide to enter the world of chinuch?
On Erev Tisha B’Av following the Six Day War, while I was still in Ponovezh, I received an urgent phone call from my father: “Aharon, you must come home immediately.” When I arrived, he greeted me: “We have a mission, and I cannot yet reveal what it is.” He took me to an empty building in the Old City, kicked open the door, and said: “This is going to be a Yeshiva, and one day you will teach here.”

The answer to your question is simple: I had tremendous reverence for my father. Simply watching him and being by his side from a young age led me to a life of chinuch. Baruch Hashem, today Netiv Aryeh proudly boasts 200 amazing students, with an approximate three-to-one student-to-Rebbe ratio.

To what do you attribute your success in chinuch? We see countless young men who, after a year at Netiv Aryeh, take learning, davening, and life in general more seriously.
We work with the heart. We stress honesty—I never lie to them; I do not play games with them. They can tell if you are not being honest. When you are honest with your students, they will be honest with you. This applies to one’s children as well.

HaRav Aryeh Bina zt”l

Your father was known as a legendary Rosh Yeshiva and helped establish many other yeshivas throughout Eretz Yisrael. What can you tell me about your relationship with him as your father?
My father was extremely busy with the yeshiva. Learning and teaching Torah were what mattered most in his life. At the same time, he understood that giving me mussar about the importance of learning was not the way to instill a love for Torah. Instead, he brought me to many gedolim so I could witness tzaddikim firsthand.

How do you explain your father’s amazing success in chinuch and in his work on behalf of the Jewish people?
I once heard that Hitler kept a Shas behind his desk because he understood that to destroy the Jewish people, one must destroy their Torah. My father, sitting in a German prison under the harshest conditions, asked for a sefer and was given Maseches Yevamos from an old shul. He completed Yevamos eighty times.

He believed that rebuilding the Jewish people after the Holocaust could only happen through Torah.

Rabbanim told David Ben-Gurion that there could be no future for Am Yisrael without Torah, and even he understood that.

My father studied in Mir in Europe yet considered himself a strong Zionist. He would say: Open Sefer Bereishis, Parshas Lecha Lecha—these words are from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Yet he maintained that without a page of Gemara, we have nothing. Torah was central to his vision for Yeshivat Netiv Meir.

Your father seems to have been in both worlds—the Torah world and the Religious Zionist sphere. Did he have any connection to Chassidus?
He was a true Litvak but had a strong connection to the Gerrer Rebbe and met the Belzer Rebbe several times. Though of pure Litvak stock, I was raised with great respect for the holy Chassidic rebbes.

Moshe Bina z”l

Your son Moishi died on Hoshana Rabba four and a half years ago. Perhaps share a little about him with us.
You mentioned that I am carrying the painful loss. I would like to tell you that around two years ago, I asked Rabbi David Abuchatzera Shlita when I should expect to feel some comfort. He answered, “When you die. “He spoke the truth. Do not believe anyone who says the pain lessens over time. They mean well, but remember: a wife can remarry, but the parents … there is no comfort. The parents miss the child forever. If I did not have the Yeshiva, I would go insane, no question. It is not easy – I miss him terribly.

Moishi was an exceptionally gifted and intelligent young man, without whom I would never have been able to open the Yeshiva. He was my guide for everything. He earned a law degree in international tax law at Bar Ilan, and then he and his wife spent time in America: he pursued an advanced degree at Georgetown University, while she pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, researching postpartum depression. He worked in America for a while before they returned to Eretz Yisarel. In addition to his secular achievements, he also finished Shas.

Learning from Great Rabbanim

Please share with us thoughts and memories of the great Rabbanim and leaders whom you had the privilege of being exposed to. Which of them had a really significant influence on your life?
I would certainly consider Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz to have had a tremendous impact on my life. When I arrived at Ponovezh Yeshiva Ketana at high school age, I was placed in his shiur. One day, he came over to me: “Aharon, can I speak to you?” How could I refuse? I said, “Sure”. He then said something that has stayed with me ever since, over sixty years later: “I see you do not have self- confidence.” I was barely a Bar Mitzvah; I did not know what self- confidence even meant. He was a master educator. He said to me, “I want to build your confidence. I will ask you a question in the shiur in front of everyone. You have to answer – do you agree?” I agreed. He guided me throughout, and I stayed in touch with him until his passing. He shaped not only my learning but also my character.

If you had to do it all over again, would you choose Ponovezh Yeshiva Ketana under Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz?
Without a doubt.

Let us hear about other Rabbanim who influenced your life.

Another great Rav I was fortunate to connect with was the Ponovezher Rav. I still remember one night at 1:00 AM, when he walked into the Beis Midrash and said he had a yahrzeit but, because of his obligations, had not yet said Kaddish. “Let’s learn some Mishnayos and then I’ll be able to say Kaddish.”

He was a man of sterling character. On Simchas Torah, a Holocaust survivor drank too much and shouted frightening words against Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The students called him an apikores, shouted, “Be quiet,” and wanted to throw him out. The Rav intervened: “Excuse me, he experienced the Holocaust. I think you are the ones who should be quiet.” I would say without a doubt that he had true ahavas Yisrael, the likes of which we cannot even imagine.

Although I never spoke to Harav Aryeh Levin, he would walk past my school every day when I was in elementary school. Everyone stopped. This was enough to instill deep reverence for him in me. I subsequently developed a close relationship with his son, Harav Refael Levin.

My family had a special relationship with Harav Ovadia Yosef. Whenever I saw him, he would shower me with brachot. He explained that my father was very good to him, inviting him to speak and showing him true respect. My father would say to me, “Aharon, I am Ashkenazi, and I learn like an Ashkenazi, but I can truly say that there are few who have as clear an understanding of Torah as Harav Ovadia.” I was always impressed by Rav Ovadia’s tireless dedication to Torah. He understood the responsibilities of a leader.

Which Rav gave the best mussar?
Without a doubt, Harav Chaim Shmuelevitz. He and my father learned as chavrusas for many years. I cannot begin to explain how special he was; you had to see him to truly appreciate him. If you wish to get a sense of his greatness, I recommend learning his Serafim; they are written as if he were standing before you.

Speaking of Harav Chaim Shmuelevitz, let us move to a different Harav Chaim – I understand you had a connection with Harav Chaim and Rebbetzin Batsheva Kaneivesky?
Yes, I began my relationship with him by sharing a story about his uncle, the Chazon Ish. When I was two months old, I suddenly began coughing and turned blue and yellow. The doctors were convinced I was dying; they told my father I had only twenty-four hours to live and that Shabbos was the Shabbos of my brother’s Bar Mitzvah.

My father, who knew the Chazon Ish from Vilna, went to see him. He told my father that the doctors do not know what they are talking about – this boy will live for many years. I prayed at the Chazon Ish’s grave during my illnesses, and I make a point to go every year on his yahrzeit.

What about Rebbetzin Kanievsky?
She worked with us on many mitzvah projects – a remarkable, intelligent, kind, and down- to-earth woman. She was the daughter of Harav Elyashiv and the granddaughter of Harav Aryeh Levin. They were extraordinary people who respected everyone. In fact, Harav Kook arranged Harav Elyashiv’s shidduch.

Other Influential People

Were you influenced by non-Rabbinic personalities?
From age ten, I listened to Shlomo Carlebach sing for hours at the Chassidic shul of Shaarei Chesed. It deeply influenced my ruchniyus.

Did you, or do you have a connection with the Prime Minister or other Knesset Members?
I would rather not say too much. I would like to point out that because of my father’s yeshivas, I spent a lot of time speaking with them. I believe that one cannot compare government service today with what it was then. In the early years, I felt that the leaders were interested first and foremost in what they could do for this country and for the Jewish people. I include Ben Gurion among these people. Unfortunately, I do not see that same devotion to the cause today, and I am speaking as one who still believes very strongly in the State of Israel.

The State of Israel and the Draft

Recently, there was a tefillah gathering in Yerushalayim in response to the government’s efforts to draft Yeshiva bochurim into the army, including arrests of those who refuse to enlist. Amid all that is going on, do you believe it is possible to achieve some sort of unity today in which everyone respects one another?
I spent ten years in Ponovezh, served in the army as a captain, and then spent twenty years in the reserves. I know what it means to study Torah full-time and what it is like to serve in the army. Some of my children have also served. I know what it is to be a parent concerned for my son’s safety. My son, Moishi Z”l, once called me from Lebanon and told me he could not come home for Pesach. I responded: “Be thankful you are alive; I will drive up to Metula and bring you food for the week.”

Those who do not serve need to respect and pray for those who serve; those who serve need to respect those who may not serve but learn Torah and are involved in many other acts of chesed, such as ZAKA and other organizations.

I can sum it up by saying the situation is painful and there is a lot of misunderstanding. I try hard to rise above that. I run a tzedakah fund. Baruch Hashem, we have managed to offer financial assistance to Jews with various viewpoints – a Jew is a Jew, and it makes no difference how he dresses.

I lost my dear son, and I still feel terrible grief. I cannot believe some of the expressions I am hearing about fellow Jews – do they not see what is important in life? The situation is painful.

Do you believe every Jew in Eretz Yisrael should serve in the army?
There must be people learning full-time— but with the discipline and commitment of a soldier.

What were the Ponovezher Rav’s thoughts on the State of Israel?
He was no political Zionist, but he understood history. When people criticized the State, he would say: Go to Auschwitz and see what the Germans did before speaking against Zionism.

The Importance of Hakarat Hatov

What was the most important thing you learned from your father?
I mentioned earlier the story of his reviewing Yevamos eighty times. He instilled in me, and I instill in the students, the importance of review. I remember one year when we learned Kesubos in Ponovezh. He asked me how many times I reviewed the Masseches. I answered proudly, “eight.” I could feel his disappointment that it was not much more.

To answer your question, the most important thing I learned from my father was the importance of hakarat hatov – gratitude, without which you cannot appreciate Hakadosh Baruch Hu. I would say it guides my life more than anything else. I remember a Swiss family that helped my father. When their adopted daughter was studying at Michlala, my father would personally go and bring her whatever she needed (it was quite a long walk – who spent money on taxis in those days?). I asked my father whether he had to go himself; I would have been happy to deliver it for him. He explained to me that this was his hakarat hatov for all they did for him.

Would you say that hakarat hatov is crucial for success in life?
Absolutely – if you truly cultivate hakaras hatov, you will not have an ego problem, allowing you to develop in all areas of life. I will tell you that when I chose a doctor for my surgeries, one of the most important things I looked for was his humility.

Would you say that this is the first middah a young man or woman should search for in a shidduch?
Yes, and I tell this to the students. They also must choose a spouse with a good heart. One way to check is to see how they relate to their parents. If they are disrespectful or raise their voice, that raises a red flag.

If you could share one message with your students, what would it be?
Be honest with yourself. Do not cheat yourself. If you struggle with gaavah, work on it immediately—it is not part of Judaism.

FUN QUESTIONS WITH HARAV AHARON BINA

What’s the first middah someone should look for when searching for a shidduch?
Hakaras HaTov and a good heart. I always tell my boys to watch how a potential partner treats their parents. If someone is disrespectful or raises their voice, that’s a red flag. Personally, I have never spoken back to my parents.

Once, in my late 40s, my mother came to me on Rosh Hashanah. I had just turned on the air conditioning, and she said something I couldn’t accept. I told her, “Mommy, my child will not speak to you, and I will not speak to you if you live in anger.” The next morning she asked me for mechilah. That was the only time I ever raised my voice to my parents—and only to my mother. I never shouted at my father. Parents are compared to Hashem, and we must honor them. Pay attention to this middah in a shidduch. It tells you more about a person than almost anything else.

What’s the secret to being a successful fundraiser?
Hakadosh Baruch Hu. As Reb Chaim said, you need Siyata D’Shmaya. It’s not easy. I rely on my children and Rabbanim who help guide me along the way.

If you could have any job in the Beis Hamikdash, what would you choose?
Harav Nebenzahl once said since he cannot sing he would be the doorman. I said since I also can not sing I would be the chauffeur for the Kohen Gadol.

Who is the greatest storyteller you’ve experienced in your lifetime?
Reb Sholom Schwadron. Today, no one compares to him.

What is your favorite sefer or commentary to use when preparing a Dvar Torah on the parsha?
The Or HaChaim.

If you could listen to only one Jewish song for the rest of your life, which would it be?
“Hashem Melech, Hashem Malach, Hashem Yimloch L’olam Vaed.”

When I was ten years old, Carlebach sang this song for three hours straight.

Is there a Jewish song that instantly brings back a childhood memory?
“Yerushalayim Shel Zahav.”

Who is someone you think more people should know about—someone humble, impactful, and not widely recognized?
HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl.

If you could learn only one masechta for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Kesuvos.

As Rosh Yeshiva, you have had the privilege to work with many top Rabbanim. What would you say are the three best qualities a Rebbe in Yeshiva should possess?
1. He must be completely devoted to his work
2. He must strive to do what is best for the student and not for anyone else, including the parents, and
3. He must be humble – a baal gaavah cannot succeed.

When you hear the word “teshuva,” which three people in Tanach come to mind?
Moshe Rabbeinu.
Moshe Rabbeinu.
Moshe Rabbeinu.

If you could receive a bracha from anyone alive today, who would it be?
HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl.

Outside of Tanach, which book has influenced your life the most?
Tzaddik in Our Time — about Rav Aryeh Levin.

What is the most difficult mitzvah to perform properly?
Davening with kavana.

If you could attend any yeshiva in history, which one would you choose?
Ponevezh Yeshiva in the era of Rav Michel Yehuda
Lefkowitz.

After Techias Hameisim who is the first person you’d want to meet?
My father’s father, my grandfather.

What’s a subject that isn’t taught in yeshiva but really should be?
Ahavas Torah. A true love and appreciation for both the written and oral Torah.

As a child, which Yom Tov made the biggest impression on you?
Succos. On Succos, my father never left the Succah.

What’s something you wish you knew how to do better?
To read the Torah as a Baal Koreh.

If you could go back in time and tell someone from Tanach something — what would it be, and who would it be to?
Yosef’s Brothers. I still can’t comprehend their hatred for Yosef and what they did to Yosef. We still suffer today from their actions.

Who in Tanach would you want next to you in a foxhole?
Iyov.

Yosef Hatzadik saw his father’s image as he was about to sin. Whose image would have the same effect?
My father or grandfather.

If you would write a book or sefer what would it be about?
Hakarat Hatov.