Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai
Great Men of the Mishna and Talmud

On his deathbed, Hillel the Elder blessed Reb Yochanan ben Zakai, the youngest of his students, to become "av l'dorot" - the father of the generations. The blessing was indeed fulfilled. Because of his great foresight in preserving the yeshiva at Kerem b'Yavneh, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai emerges as a Torah giant whose life and work guaranteed Jewish survival in the exile.