He was born in the town of Luknik, Lithuania, and studied under Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, and Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor. Following the death of Rabbi Spektor in 1896, his son, Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Spektor, renamed the yeshiva that his father had founded in Kovno, Knesses Beis Yitzchok and chose Rabinowitz as the first rosh yeshiva.
He developed a unique method of Talmudic analysis which became renowned throughout the yeshiva world as the Telzer Derech. After this, Rabinowitz served as rabbi to the town of Meishad, Lithuania. Rabinowitz next moved to the yeshiva as a rosh mesivta under Rabbi Eliezer Gordon.
In 1904 Rabbi Shimon Shkop, who had replaced Rabbi Gordon as rosh yeshiva, left the yeshiva and Rabinowitz replaced him as rosh yeshiva.
Rabbi Rabinowitz taught in the yeshiva for twenty-six years. He was known for his high-level shiurim in Halakha and his special talent for chakira (intensive investigation) into each subject he taught.
In each chakira, he would present to his students the two opposing viewpoints and teach them how to dissect each argument point-by-point, developing their acuity and analytical skills. Although his approach was different from that of Rabbi Bloch and his family, it was accepted in the yeshiva and renowned throughout the Eastern European Torah world.
Among his students was Rabbi Shimon Schwab.
Rabinowitz died on 21 October 1931 (10 Cheshvan 5692) and was buried in the Kovno Jewish cemetery. During his lifetime and afterwards, Rabbi Rabinowitz"s Talmudic lectures were recorded by a special yeshiva editorial committee and made available to students. The unpublished shiurim of Rabbi Rabinowitz and Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch, now housed in the yeshiva of Cleveland, are considered the "foundation stones" for the study of Torah in the yeshiva to this day.
Three volumes of Rabbi Rabinowitz"s Talmudic lectures have been published by the yeshiva in Cleveland, under the title Chiddushei Rabbi Chaim MiTelz.
