Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian

Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian was one of the most prominent rabbis of the Mussar movement in the twentieth century. He was born in the town of Greivo in the Lomza district of the Russian Empire (in present-day Poland) to Yaakov, and studied there under Rabbi Chaim Leib Mishkovsky. At the age of nine he refused to move with his family to the United States, because there were almost no Torah educational institutions there at the time, and he remained alone in the city of Lomza, where he studied under Rabbi Eliezer Shulvitz. From there he moved to study at the Kelm Talmud Torah under the Sabba of Kelm (Rabbi Simcha Mordechai Ziskind Ziv), who passed away a year later, and under Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer. He married Sarah Leah, daughter of Rabbi Yitzchak David Rotman, a disciple of the Sabba of Kelm. He became known as one of the outstanding figures in the Kelm study hall. During the First World War he remained with his students in the yeshiva, unlike most of the city's residents, and continued delivering lessons. After the war the yeshiva dispersed and he began traveling through Lithuanian towns delivering Mussar talks. Later he influenced Kelm students to return to the yeshiva, and it was reestablished. In the 1930s he traveled to raise funds for the yeshiva and arrived in London, where he was offered the position of head of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva, which he accepted. In 1951 he was appointed spiritual supervisor (mashgiach) of Yeshivat Knesset Chizkiyahu in Zichron Yaakov, which later moved to Kfar Chassidim. He held this position until his passing. The Chazon Ish blessed him with the words: You shall yet flourish in old age. Rabbi Lopian was known for his Mussar conduct, his modesty, and his devotion to students, and he became one of the most respected and influential mashgichim in the Lithuanian yeshiva world.

Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian is considered one of the greatest Mussar figures of recent generations. For decades he served as spiritual supervisor at Yeshivat Knesset Chizkiyahu, where he educated generations of students in the ways of Mussar and divine service. His conduct and stories became known throughout the Torah world, and he became a model of modesty, diligence, and fear of Heaven. His many students became mashgichim and yeshiva heads in Israel and around the world, continuing to spread their rabbi's path in character development and Torah education.