The leader of the Bnei Torah movement (Peleg Yerushalmi), Hagaon HaRav Asher Deutsch, z’tl, who also served as the Rosh Yeshivah of Ponevezh, was niftar on Monday morning at the age of 79. HaRav Deutsch was suffering in recent months from a serious illness and was hospitalized a number of times. On Friday,  his condition became critical and his family and talmidim were called to part from him. But then his condition unexpectedly improved but worsened again on Monday morning. The Rav was born in Bnei Brak. As a bochur, he learned in Yeshivas Ponevezh, where he became close to Hagaon HaRav Elazar Man Shach, z’tl, and HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Rozovosky, ztl. After he married, he was appointed by HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kahaneman, the Nasi of Ponevezh, to seve as the Rosh Mesivta of the yeshivah. He also delivered shiurim to Yeshivas Mir and in the Ponevezh Kollel. When a split developed between the Torah world in Eretz Yisrael, he was mevatel to the Rosh Yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach, z’tl.  After HaRav Auerbach’s petirah, he became the leader of Peleg Yerushalmi. His shiurim were published by his talmidim in the sefer Shaarei Ribis on hilchos ribis as well as the Kuntrus Shiurim series on masechtos in Shas. HaRav Deutsch was one of the editors of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Rozovosky’s Shiurei Rebbe Shmuel and also led the team of writers for a portion of HaRav Shach’s sefarim, Shiurim Rabbeinu Avi Ezri. The levaya is scheduled to begin at Yeshivas Ponevezh in Bnei Brak at 8 p.m. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)