Editing Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Isaac Hodakov (section)

== Early Life and Education ==
Born on January 12, 1902 in Beshenkovitz, Belarus to his father Rabbi Shalom Yisrael, a Chabad Chassid, and his mother Chava Treina. At age two, his family moved to Riga, Latvia, where he initially attended a local Jewish school. According to some accounts, at age 10 he began studying at a prestigious private yeshiva in Riga. Another version states that at age 16 he was a high school student who notably maintained his beard.

During his youth, he began spreading Torah and Judaism through Jewish education in Latvia. Reb Mordechai Dubin encouraged him to use his excellent talents for educating Jewish children.