In 1916, in Portsmouth, Virginia, a little boy named Max was born.

In two years his family, the Gifters, moved to Baltimore and when little Max was old enough he was sent to receive a full public school education. What was to follow in Max’s, now Mordechai’s, life was the legacy of one of America’s first native born sages who was to help redefine the status of Jewish religious learning both here in the United States and the world.

Earlier this year a 400 page book was published, titled, “Rav Gifter: The Vision, Fire, and Impact of an American-born Gadol” [Mesorah, 2011] by Rabbi Yechiel Spero.

Within its pages are detailed the life and times, the teachings and communal achievements of Rabbi Mordechai Gifter, zt’’l, whose yahrtzeit was commemorated this past Wednesday, the 23rd of Teves.

From his humble beginnings, young Mordechai was to get his first real taste of Torah learning at Yeshiva College where he came under the influence of its rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Moshe Aharon Poleyeff, zt’’l. From this auspicious start evolved the development of a gadol hador whose legacy was to influence generations of American Jewish youth for the rest of the 20th century.

Rabbi Spero goes into great detail in describing Rabbi Gifter’s achievements with a comprehensive index and numerous pictures to further assist readers in their journey into Rabbi Gifter’s biography.

This week’s review will focus on those aspects of Rabbi Gifter’s life that impacted upon several South Shore personalities, family members and friends, who witnessed first hand the greatness of this Torah giant.

I will briefly begin with his son-in-law, the long time rabbi of the Agudath Israel of Long Island, Rabbi Yaakov Reisman. Rabbi Gifter came to Far Rockaway for Shabbos to participate in the installation of Rabbi Reisman as rabbi of his new shul. During that visit over three decades ago Rabbi Gifter spoke to the children at Yeshiva Toras Chaim of South Shore in Hewlett on a Sunday morning.