Rav Yechiel Michel Fried

Krasna Rov

This past spring marked the thirtieth yohrtzeit of the Krasna Rov, a ga’on and tzaddik who left this world at the untimely age of 51, in the year 1993. He was the son-in-law of the previous Krasna Rov, Rav Hillel Lichtenstein, zt”l, and succeeded him as the leader of the Krasna Kehilla in Boro Park. 

Until his untimely petirah, the rov served as a deeply beloved marbitz Torah for countless talmidim, and a rising star in the world of rabbonus. 

Oivorosh

Rav Yechiel Michel was born on erev Yom Kippur of the year 1942, in the heat of WWII. His father Rav Oizer Hakohen Fried, author of Avnei Oizer, was the rov of the town of Oivorosh, Hungary. That first Yom Kippur, a day after giving birth, his mother nevertheless fasted the entire day, with utter mesirus nefesh. Her son would credit the zechus that he had to be marbitz Torah to the mesirus nefesh of his mother at the time of his birth. 

From a young age, he was raised in a home that throbbed with Torah—hailing from generations of rabbonim in Oivorosh and elsewhere. 

With the Krasna Rov 

Fortuitously, they settled on Penn Street in Williamsburg, not far from the Krasna Beis Medrash, and this is where they would daven with regularity. The Krasna Rov, Rav Hillel Lichtenstein, zt”l, had been a prominent rov back home in Hungary, and he lost a wife and children in the war. The young Yechiel Michel drew his attention, seeing in him a continuity of his illustrious roots. “It is evident that he is a rabbonishe child,” he would say. 

In 1955, his bar mitzvah was celebrated in the beis medrash of the Krasna Rov, his future father-in-law, who led the proceedings and recited divrei Torah. He was enrolled in the Zhelimer Yeshiva, where his incredible hasmodoh and sharp mind shone forth—and his chaverim always sought to learn with him. When the talmidim in the Zhelimer yeshiva felt that the shiur was too deep for them, the maggid shiur would ask Yechiel Michel to give a pre-shiur. 

Despite his hasmodoh, he was always prepared to give away from his precious time for others (many talmidim of the yeshiva of those days expressed their indebtedness to him for the time that he generously shared with them) and his hasmodoh was legendary. Together with, ybl”ch, Rav Nachum Meir German, shlit”a, the Bobover Dayan, he awoke at four a.m. each morning, and learned practically all day, until twelve at night… he simply had no time for frivolity. 

In later years, he learned in the Nitra Yeshiva in Mt. Kisco, and he would often to come to New York for Shabbos to be with the Satmar Rov whose Shovavim Torah was legendary. 

Boro Park 

When it came time for shidduchim, many suggestions were made for him with very prestigious homes. When the shidduch was suggested with the Krasna Rov’s daughter, they immediately accepted it. The shidduch—suggested by the legendary Krasna Rosh Hakohol Reb Moshe Fischman—brought forth much joy within the kehillah who already know the chosson well, and admired him greatly. 

Immediately following the wedding, the couple settled in Boro Park, since it was the wish of the Krasna Rov to eventually move there, and he already had a beis medrash in Boro Park. He immediately began saying Torah by shalosh seudos, inspiring all those in attendance despite his youth. In those days, the concept of Kollel life was virtually unheard of—certainly in the chassidshe world—and the rov sat down to learn with great diligence in the Novaradoker Kollel in Boro Park. 

In the winter of 1965, the Krasna Rov reopened his yeshiva, with assistance of his illustrious son-in-law, who would become a major marbitz Torah in the yeshiva to thousands of bachurim over the years. The bachurim who learned in the Krasna yeshiva during those years remained lifelong talmidim, and they deeply felt his fatherly love. 

His shiurim were deep and they were legendary. Once, the yeshiva was visited by Rav Elya Svei and Rav Aaron Shechter, zt”l, and they were deeply impressed with the grasp and the caliber of the bachurim—a direct result of the illustrious rebbi that they were privileged to have. His dedication to the yeshiva and its bachurim was tremendous; he would spend most of his waking hours learning in the yeshiva and speaking in learning with the bachurim. 

When bachurim would tell him chiddushim that were as yet unpolished, he would work with them to fine-tune them until they shone. His tefillos were likely otherworldly in their warmth and passion, and this remained with the bachurim for all their years. 

The Krasna Rov fell seriously ill at a young age, and nevertheless persevered in his harbotzas Torah with all his might, with tremendous mesirus nefesh. Sadly, he was niftar at a young age, following a lifetime dedicated to Torah.