Rabbi Dov Ber Weidenfeld 
5640/1879 - 5726/1965
"Maaseh Avos Siman Lebanim" - of Fathers and Sons
Torah luminescence was a long-standing family tradition for young Beirishel. His maternal grandfather, a great gaon in his own right, was the seventh link in an unbroken golden chain of poskim beginning with the preeminent Shach. Beirishel's paternal grandfather was a disciple of R' Yaakov Loeberbaum, author of Nesivos HaMishpat, and his own chiddushim were incorporated into his master's classic by that name.1 More directly, his extraordinary father left an indelible imprint upon him, one which charted the destiny of his entire life.
Gedolim are likened to great luminaries: some shining like stars whose lights are more enduring than brilliant, while others blaze as a sun around which other, lesser luminaries revolve. HaGaon Reb Yekele (Yaakov) Weidenfeld was like a meteor. A child prodigy who delighted geonim, such as the great Divrei Chaim, by citing upon request the number of Tosafos in a given mesechta,2 he eclipsed his contemporaries during his remarkable but abbreviated career. His one volume of responsa, aptly entitled Kochav MiYaakov (Star of Jacob), was a mere fraction of the thousands of responsa that he wrote, but which were eventually lost in the two world wars.
His glosses to the most difficult areas of Shas - to Seder Taharos and Talmud Yerushalmi, in which his expertise was legendary - were written in one day, as is indicated by their original title, Hagahos Chad Yoma: they were rushed to the Vilna presses to meet a deadline with one day's notice.3
He maintained important contact with older geonim, such as the Minchas Chinuch, the Sho'eil U'Meishiv and the Divrei Chaim, while he was eventually sought out and revered by peers such as the Beis Yitzchak, Maharsham, Hagaon R' Yosef Engel,4 and the Sefardic gaon, Sdei Chemed.
Reb Yekele's singular hasmadah - he barely slept - and his seemingly limitless memory became proverbial in Galicia and Poland. His home became a Torah center; into this beis midrash little Beirishel was born.
Vivid was the memory of the young gaon's untimely passing at age 54. Near the end, his children observed his lips moving purposefully. Responding to their concern, he assured them that he wanted nothing; rather, he was preparing to fulfill the call of Chazal: fortunate is he who enters hither with his learning in hand; he was simply reviewing Shas.5
While the greatest part of his writings were lost, his name, his yeshivah, and his brilliance are echoed in the achievements of his three unique sons and his many famous disciples. His most outstanding student Reh Meir Arik would recall. "It was amazing that he was not consumed by the fire of his very own breath."6
A Youth and His Destiny
With Reb Yekele's passing shortly before Beirishel's Bar Mitzvah, the delicate task of raising a new prodigy fell to his widow - herself renowned for her genius and wit (she wrote a great number of her husband's responsa on dictation) and to her two older sons: Reb Yitzchak, who replaced his late father as Rav of Rimelov, and Reb Nachum, Rav of Dombrovo and author of the Chazon Nachum, and later celebrated as a great posek in his own right. They did not fail in their awesome responsibility.
Despite Reb Beirish's rare modesty, his fame spread rapidly, and by age 19 he entered by marriage into the illustrious family of Rav Yisroel Yoseif HaCharif of Tshebin. Since he did not want any rabbinic post, his wife administered a modest coal business, while Reb Beirish continued his single-minded pursuit of Torah study, amassing knowledge of phenomenal breadth and scope. Nonetheless, the avalanche of requests from varied kehillos that he lead them as their Rav continued, and his friend, Reb Meir Arik, prayed that his business fail so that Klal Yisrael not be deprived of his leadership.7
"Love the Labor and Scorn Public Office"
For twenty years, this Tshebiner ba'al habayis (layman) - already renowned as the "Gaon of Tshebin" - was consulted by leading rabbanim with whom he maintained a vigorous correspondence; still he remained deaf to all rabbinical offers. However, due to his love of learning and teaching, he would commute daily to and from Cracow to say shiurim to the local bachurim after business hours.8
Many stories are related about his business conduct: his passionate honesty - returning to every gentile customer a certain amount of money because he could not recall to which he owed the change ... his singular integrity - he would caution people to buy later - "the price is going down"; his nobility of conduct prompted the declaration: "Were he only the ignorant shoemaker of Tshebin, he would still be regarded as the gadol from Tshebin!"9
Eventually, his deep sense of communal commitment weakened his resolve not to serve as a rav. The small town which he had unwittingly capitalized on the Jewish map became graced by his leadership as he assumed the title of the Tshebiner Rav.
The Dream Bridging Past to Eternity
Shortly thereafter, his dream to re-establish his father's dormant yeshivah was realized. It was not enough for him to learn alone and wait for the others to ask; he decided to seek out the young, the as-yet unmotivated, the brilliant, and to inspire them with a boundless love for Torah, then to direct them along the road of bakoshas ha'emes (quest for truth).
So, while his function had become the Rabbanus, his life remained his shiurim (Torah lectures) to which he devoted the better part of his energies, lecturing for 6 1/2 hours daily. Furthermore, each talmid was to be prepared to be tested by him every Motzaei Shabbos on those shiurim.10
In spite of his involvement, his yeshivah coupled with his prolific literary activity - both teshuvos (responsa) and chiddushim (novellae) - he assumed an active role in the administration of the world-famous Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin to help fill the void left by the illness and subsequent untimely passing of its leader, Rabbi Meier Shapiro. Yet, he steadfastly refused to participate even in the most prestigious and lucrative dinei Torah (litigations), save those in Tshebin, so as not to disrupt his responsibilities to his talmidim.11
Responsa With Authority
Halachic queries began to pour in from all over Europe. His teshuvos were enthusiastically received for their penetrating analysis, which combined his phenomenal grasp of Shas and poskim with the traditionally logical, yet highly original application required to become a posek hador (leading halachic authority of his time). Problems dealing with contagion,12 new machines,13 chemical analysis,14 autopsies,15 international currencies,16 and so on, were brilliantly solved through his use of ancient principles applied with fresh insight.
He carefully collected copies of these responsa, amassing enough material to publish ten volumes. In 1937 he succeeded in producing the first and only sefer every printed in Tshebin, entitled Doveiv Meishorim.17 But Europe was headed toward a second World War, born from seeds carried by winds of the first, and the other nine volumes were never published. He never reconciled himself to the loss of the remaining manuscripts, which became a mere footnote to the major tragedy of the destruction of the main body of European Jewry.
During this period, shortly before the outbreak of the war, he attained rank as one of the genuine gedolei hador. He could no longer limit his already extensive activities to local psak, but began to issue far-reaching, courageous decisions with regard to klal matters. Nonetheless, he stubbornly refused to take any part in organizational functions, in any official capacity. At that time this even included Agudath Israel conventions in Poland, an organization with which he later became so deeply involved that he rose from his sickbed to cast his ballot for Agudath Israel in Israeli elections.18
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A Tshebiner Sampler "It is preferable to blow [the shofar] from the right side [of the mouth] if at all possible to blow in this manner" (Rama, Orach Chaim 585:2). The Rav was asked in the event a kahal has a talmid chacham who can only effectively blow from the left side of his mouth, and also an ordinary individual who, indeed, can properly perform the mitzvah from the right side, who is preferable for the act? He concludes that the talmid chacham is preferred and characteristically bases his decision on an "open" Gemara. The Mishnah informs us that [on Yom Kippur] the Kohen Gadol inserts both his hands into the Kalfi [the encased box which contained the two lots which determine the nature of two sacrifices] to draw both lots. Others argue, maintaining that both the Kohen Gadol, as well as his assistant Kohen Gadol dip their hands into the Kalfi: The Gemara explains this dispute as to whether the right hand of the assistant (positioned to the right of the Kohen Gadol) is superior to the left hand of the Kohen Gadol or not. The halachah, as decided in Rambam, is that the left of the Kohen Gadol is superior and that is why he inserts both his hands. Thus, we see that the left side of a great individual is superior to the right of a lesser one; and the talmid chacham should be chosen.19 |
Brotherly Love
He declined numerous offers from other more prestigious kehillos and would rarely venture forth from Tshebin except for family occasions such as the marriage of his children who were outstanding in their own right - his son, Reb Yisroel Yoseif became the son-in-law of the gaon, Reb Menachem Ziemba.
Occasionally he would travel to Dombrovo where this celebrated older brother, the gaon, Reb Nachum, one of the most prolific poskim of his time, was Rav. There they would share ideas and chiddushei Torah. Their extraordinarily close relationship was ennobled by unusual mutual admiration, which bordered on reverence.20
At age 22, Reb Nachum became Rav of Dombrovo. He excelled as a warm heroic leader of Galician Jewry in the desperately trying times spanning the two World Wars. Together with their eldest brother, Reb Yitzchak, the brothers collaborated on the collection and editing of their father's remaining responsa, the first volume of which appeared in 1933. The second volume, which was all but ready for publication in 1939, was consumed by the same fire that devoured the community of Dombrovo shortly thereafter.21
Reb Nachum died in an act of Kiddush Hashem when the Nazis accosted him at the Russian border. Upon searching him, they found his tefillin and threw them to the ground. His heart was gripped in shock and gave out over the desecration.22
"Acharis Yemei Europa" - the End of a Civilization
Dark clouds were gathering and converging over Eastern Europe as the war drums of the West were beating louder and closer. The Tshebiner Rav's picture, along with those of the Rebbeim of Ger and Belz, had appeared in the venomous tabloid Die Sturmer, his caption reading: "The worlds greatest Talmudist." Realizing that he was a target for elimination, he fled, crossing the Communist border, entering Lvov (Lemberg).23
There, in this relative haven of refuge, thousands had clustered, and the Rav with his wife and a daughter were warmly received into the house of the Hus'shattener Rebbe. With the presence of this gaon, the house quickly became a provisional Torah center, and all seeking the Dvar Hashem gravitated toward it.24
During his nine months as a refugee in Lvov, a multitude of She'eilos - particularly those of contemporary urgency - found their way to him: What does one do with kitniyus (legumes) on Pesach (a rabbinical prohibition)?25 What about baking chametz for gentile soldiers?26 And then, the agonizing questions dealing with agunos27 (women whose husbands' whereabouts are unknown). These and other difficult halachic problems confronted the displaced gaon who answered them while underscoring that he was doing so without the aid of sefarim.28
Understandably, a city under Soviet control could only be regarded as a haven when contrasted with Nazi-occupied Poland. As the Communist authorities were carrying out their systematic erasure of religious life, the gaon of Tshebin, along with thousands of other Jews, was deported and he prepared himself for the long frozen trek to Siberia.
A close devotee of the Rav, Reb Avrohom Zeidman, entered into intense negotiations with the officials, finally securing their agreement to exempt the Rav:
"The wailing and weeping soared to the heavens. A poignant scene took place near the house where Rav Weidenfeld, the renowned Tshebiner Rav, had resided. The old and ailing Rav was taken outside with a sefer Torah clutched in his arms. Masses of people encircled the auto and some began to argue with the police that the Rav be left behind since he is ill, an intervention ensued. The Rav, however, rose and cried out - 'I will not be an exception! There where all Jews go, I will also go!' "3O
Along with his wife and youngest daughter, the Rav arrived in Sverdelovsk, Siberia, in late 1940.
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A Tshebiner Sampler Eizehu Chacham? HaRoeh es HaNolad--Who is wise? He who foresees the future (Tamid 32). This is generally understood as referring to the foresight of the wise man who can accurately apply his knowledge to projecting the future. The Tshebiner Rav adds a new dimension to this concept, referring us to the sugya one subjects himself to a vow abstaining from that which is to be and is already born. A wise man is one who has the power of perception to realize a situation as "already" existing and present, while to others it hovers above them in the nebulous future. For him, that which is and that which shall be converge as one.29 |
The Iron Crucible
Under the worst terms of deprivation, he persevered in his Torah studies in the frigid recesses of the Siberian wastelands. Identified merely as a simple schoolteacher, he sat alone in a freezing basement warmed only by the fire of his Torah study. Lacking even paper, he recorded his constant, numerous chiddushim on scraps of wrapping paper and slivers of wood.31
And perhaps, precisely at that particular period of his life while the world he knew and loved was being extinguished, forsaken hundreds of miles from civilization, deprived of his cherished sefarim, nearly consumed by hunger, cold, and concern for his loved ones - during this particular period he revealed to posterity what he had so long, desperately tried to conceal.
Excused from back-breaking manual labor on the grounds of age, he was free - free so that his mind burned with a most remarkable intensity. He was known to have dictated verbatim to others the better part of several mesechtos (tractates of the Talmud) so that they would have texts from which to learn ... Once again she'eilos found their way to him and without any sefer to refer to, he responded, gleaning his answers from the most obscure sources, all properly annotated and quoted word for word. Incredibly, even entire selections from Acharonim such as the Nodah BiYehudah and Minchas Chinuch were rendered so perfectly that recipients hardly suspected that this wealth of information was stored in his mind.32
These particular responsa meant a great deal to the Rav: upon reprinting the Doveiv Meishorim in Jerusalem, he devoted a special section to these unique teshuvos, prefaced by a poignant introduction.
His noted son-in-law, his successor as Rosh Yeshivah of Kochav MiYaakov, and a noted gaon and author in his own right, Rabbi Baruch Shimon Schneersohn relates: Upon republishing these responsa some 26 years after they were written, he included the Rav's subsequent handwritten glosses to the first edition. He found not one correction, only additional proofs to those very answers originally written without as much as a Gemara.33
With the dissolution of the labor camp, the Rav escaped to Buchara. Upon arrival there, he was warmly received by the local Jewish population and was regarded as a saint in their midst.
The Rav, as always, accepted his providential calling; once again his bare house overnight became a Torah center, as all who could, flocked to his side to hear his shiurim.
However, the authorities maintained his house under constant NKVD (KGB) surveillance. After all, in the "paradise of equality" it was forbidden to teach religion, and eventually he was forced to cease his activities.34
"And He Sent Judah in Advance..."
Among the Rav's three noted sisters was the Toster Rebbetzin. During the First World War, she was relocated in Vienna along with thousands of other Galician refugees.
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A Tshebiner Sampler A wise man is superior to a prophet (Bava Basra 12a). [During World War II Roosevelt and Stalin joined hands against the Axis...] Present at a desperate conversation among fellow refugees in Siberia, the Rav was vitally aware of constant NKVD [today's KGB] surveillance. He was thus aghast at a fellow Jew's pronouncement that the American-USSR alliance was doomed from the start. Aware that such an innocuous statement constitutes "treason" in the "Proletarian Paradise," the Rav felt compelled to inconspicuously hush the unsolicited commentator. He mysteriously began to expound on the above Chazal, "Indeed why is it that a man merely blessed with wisdom is superior to one divinely graced with prophetic inspiration? "Perhaps, the answer lies in the Biblical injunction directed toward prophets: the prophet who restrains his prophecy by not revealing its contents forfeits his life." He implied that no similar prohibition is to be found with regard to a wise man who wishes to withhold his wisdom. Thereby, since the wise man is not always obligated to share his thoughts with others he is preferred to the prophet. The errant forecaster immediately understood and became silent.35 |
Her only daughter, Mrs. Tzirel Geldwerth, raised two sons there between the Wars. The younger one, Mr. Simon Geldwerth, escaped to the United States only weeks after Austria joined Hitler ym"sh7. There he embarked on a one-man relief effort to save his loved ones from the Nazis. Having secured the freedom of his parents, brother (the noted talmid chacham and educator Rabbi Mendel Geldwerth) and sister-in-law, he focused his burning attention further eastward.
His then meager salary was augmented by his relentless determination to save his great-uncle. And he finally located the gadol, maintaining constant telegram contact with him. His mechutan, Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, Rabbi Isaac HaLevi Herzog, brought the matter before Lord Halifax in London. Additionally, Agudath Israel and Vaad Hatzalah leaders (Reb Elimelech Tress among others) on this side of the Atlantic brought pressures to bear on the United States State Department.
With super-human perseverance, this young nephew arranged for American visas to be awaiting the wandering gaon in all major cities along his route. Finally, with the direct aid of Ian Meiski, the Soviet Ambassador (the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were "allies" then), who further relayed the message to Moscow, the Rav was informed that he could cross into Iran. His eyes now followed his heart as he proceeded toward Eretz Yisrael.36
"Shiyorei Knesses HaGedolah" - Remnants of the Great Assembly
The Tshebiner Rav arrived on the eve of Pesach, 1946, in Jerusalem, which he was to call home for the rest of his life. His heart was shattered by the devastation which had befallen his family - immediate, and all of Beis Yisrael, a pain he never overcame.
He was welcomed by the Gedolei Yisrael who looked to him for aid and advice in Hanhagas Tzibbur. Chief Rabbi Herzog continued his efforts to establish the great gaon in his new environment. He settled in the warm surroundings of Shaarei Chessed and accepted the post of Rosh Yeshivah in the venerable Yeshivah Chayei Olam. All who housed a spark of love for Torah were drawn to the quiet corner of Rechov Ibn Shaprut 19 where he lived.
Not only a gaon hador, but also a zakein hador (elder of his generation), his voice became a clear expression of the Torah-true path in questions of tzibbur. Together with the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav, and Reb Isser Zalman Meltzer he became the interpreter of Daas Torah. On a host of important issues, he joined voices with the other Gedolei Yerushalayim, Reb Reuven Benges and Reb Tzvi Pesach Frank. His concerns for individual unfortunate souls, however, never became eclipsed by a total preoccupation with the Klal.
He ignored his own personal needs, and made his plan to rebuild his unique Galician yeshivah his prime priority. Aided by old and new admirers, sustained by the devoted efforts of his sons-in-law Reb Shlomo Goldstoff and Reb Boruch Shimon he succeeded in re-establishing his dream in Jerusalem. A magnificent structure was erected, recognized for an exterior beauty that matched the interior glory.
Final Days
Already frail, and retired from the daily administration of the yeshivah, the Rav only saw to the laying of the cornerstone of the new building; Reb Baruch Shimon assumed the active running of the growing Torah citadel.
Extremely delicate in his later days, weakened by several heart attacks and a stroke, his sight failed him. Deeply dejected over an affliction that could limit or even totally disrupt his learning, he bemoaned his "lack of fluency in Torah' noting that his father - under similar conditions - would not have been affected at all.37
Days before the end, suffused in pain, he asked that a Nodah BiYehudah be read to him. He interrupted the reader, asking him to repeat a paragraph. It became apparent that out of excitement the reader had omitted a line.38
In his last days one could perceive a definite sense of preparation. He mulled over his past, organizing his mental ledger, accounting for a life so pure that he feared any impure contact could have left a stain. He reminded himself that many years earlier an individual had registered a complaint against the Rav and now had recently passed on. He sat and began to contemplate if perhaps this experience had not affected the deceased's health - fifty years earlier.39
As he came closer to his final moments, his learning never ceased, his concern never diminished. Thousands of dafim danced before his darkened eyes; every Yid was still a ben-yachid (only son) in his heart.
On the fourth of Cheshvan, 5726, 70 minutes before Shabbos, his neshamah entered a yom shekulo tov. A dark cloud had descended over Golden Yerushalayim. One of the last giants who could still link us to our source had been taken away.
Motzaei Shabbos they accompanied him, some 40,000 people ... an orphaned Klal Yisrael mourned an irreplaceable loss. He was laid to rest on Har Menuchos near his dear friend, the Belzer Rebbe.40
A great poet once expressed a simple, poignant eulogy on an outstanding historic figure - concluding that "now he belongs to the ages." Not so with us. A gaon who left us with thousands of talmidim and countless chiddushim - "now belongs to the future."
The Tshebiner Rav: In Perspective
If some day a full-length, in-depth study of the Tshebiner Rav will be written, the chapter-headings could be borrowed from the Mesilas Yesharim's table of contents, beginning with the quality of great prudence and culminating with the state of ethereal sanctity.
This writer does not feel equal to the task; nevertheless, to gain a mere glance of this rare "breathing sefer Torah," the following mini-chapters are offered:
I. "Hasmadah" - Torah Diligence
Hasmadah, in our age, is a term which graces almost anyone who learns at all. The hasmadah of Torah Giants is more than a single-minded passion for learning. It exists only due to utter self-denial, fueled by an insatiable thirst to know.
His older brother, Reb Nachum declared that "from the day Reb Beirish learned to read, his lips did not cease from Torah."42
His daughter recalls that when she was 5 years old she noticed how he would turn down the lamp in his study, and learn through the night by candlelight so as not to disturb the household, and to conceal even from his family his extraordinary diligence.43
Undoubtedly, the most compelling illustration of the Tshebiner's total devotion to learning, which perhaps even outshadows his frozen sleepless years in Siberia, is one related by Reb Chaim Shmulevitz.
He and a second talmid chacham asked the Rav to attend a session of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, but the Rav declined. Upon being pressed further, he explained: "Thirteen years ago I was deathly ill, and then, like Chezkiah (king of Judea), I turned my face toward the wall and beseeched [Hashem] for another fifteen years to totally devote to Torah. HaKadosh Baruch Hu has answered my prayers; therefore I cannot allow myself to be occupied with anything but learning." Reb Chaim added that this conversation took place two years before the Rav's passing - adding up to fifteen years after his illness.44
II "Geonus" - Genius
Geonus requires the facility to simultaneously entertain (and balance) contradicting concepts - almost cosmic in nature - cataloging each properly for future reference. And, of course, the memory which allows no escape to a myriad of facts. The Tshebiner Rav brought to his hasmadah one of the phenomenal minds of our time. All who spoke to him in any sugya (topic in the Talmud), no matter how intricate, were left with the distinct impression that the Rav was involved in that very sugya that day.
When someone quoted a responsum of the Rivash which the Rav claimed did not exist, he later discovered that the edition in the Rav's possession did not include that particular responsum.45
Upon hearing an argumentative discussion outside his room the eighty-six year-old gaon asked what the problem was. Frail and blind, he listened, and told them to check the Prishah (a commentary on the Tur) in a particular chapter. They could not seem to find it. He corrected himself and told them to check the twin commentary of the same author, Drishah, at the same location. There it was.
The aged gaon began to weep: "Ich fargess shoin alles! - I'm already forgetting everything! My father could have learned sightlessly; not I." He had so come to rely on his infallible memory that confusing the Drishah with the Prishah constituted 'forgetting everything,' an unforgivable error.46
III "Anavah" - Humility
The reason he was loved by colleagues and the laymen, from across the spectrum of Jewish life, was his utter simplicity, devoid of any tinge of pretentiousness.
Met by another Rav on the street, the frail sage explained that he was off to the wedding of an acquaintance." I have no time or energy to attend weddings," remarked the other, "unless I am officiating." The Tshebiner Rav retorted: "I go only when I'm not!"47
The same trait which restrained him from initially accepting the Rabbanus in Tshebin and other kehillos impelled him to dress like an ordinary ba'al habayis. Even later as a Rav and Rosh Yeshivah he recoiled from any offer of practical assistance even from a talmid, a principle which he maintained almost until his last days.
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Tshebiner Sampler During the critical conflict waged by the Gedolei HaTorah against the draft of yeshivah bachurim, several military officials came to the Rav to explain their position. They elaborated upon the grave danger confronting the young encircled state and tried to convince him that such a draft was vital. With a slightly pained smile he replied: "I'll tell you a true story. A wagon overloaded with much freight began to slip on a steep incline. The ascent became nearly impossible and the horses staggered and halted. The driver descended and began tossing off one package after another, but to no avail; they were stuck. Suddenly in desperation he also removed the heavy iron wheels thinking that perhaps the wagon would finally accelerate. "You, too, in your desperation are removing the very wheels upon which your entire wagon travels. Omdos hayu ragleinu b'shaarayich Yerushalayim--b'zechus Shaarei Yerushalayim she'hayu oskim b'Torah. "Only in the zechus of the Bnei Yeshivah do our feet stand in Yerushalayim. How can you even dream of removing your own wheels?"48 |
Yet his ready wit could lend charm to his modesty. A visitor returning from Bnei Brak, wishing to portray the Chazon Ish's regard for the Tshebiner, informed him that among the very few sefarim on the Chazon Ish's Pesach table (out of fear for a crumb of chametz, he limited the sefarim on his table) he observed the Doveiv Meishorim. The Rav declined the implication of special honor intended by suggesting "on the contrary, it only proves that he does not use it all year round."49
He declined to issue halachic decisions in those later years, explaining that even Reb Shlomo Kluger refrained from doing so at this age.50
IV. "Adinus HaNefesh" - Nobility of Character
The Rav was a man of modest means, yet he was so generous that the townspeople of Tshebin offered to pay his wife his salary to guarantee that he adequately provide for himself. He was equally generous with his most valuable personal asset, his time. He would patiently hear out the "chiddushim" of a local, unlearned laborer, explaining: "Is it not a chessed to listen to one who has a need to speak?"51
He expressed incredible concern for each and every one of whom he was aware - "How can joy reign in my home while the shoemaker's child is ill?"52
The Rav was once approached regarding a complicated question involving the demolition of a wall of a shul which was being expanded. After the inquirer had left, the Rav asked that the other Rabbi immediately be phoned and informed of an urgent point: "While the crew is demolishing the wall, make certain that no children are playing nearby!"53
When the Tshebiner Rav received the tragic news of the death of his wife, after an inadvertent momentary outburst of mourning, he caught himself, expressing concern that her passing not adversely affect the precarious state of her hospital roommate.54
V. "Tekifus" - Steadfastness
The extraordinary warmth, fatherly care, and delicate sympathy he exhibited would belie the heroic strength and unswerving firmness which he displayed when Torah truth was challenged or when his brethren were threatened.
In 1952, confronted with the peril of the Sheirut Leumi law which endangered the very foundations of timeless Jewish sanctity by conscription of girls into national service, the Tshebiner Rav joined forces with Reb Isser Zalman Meltzer and Reb Akiva Sofer, declaring a day of "protest and tefillah." He was cautioned to the real risks in spearheading this action, including the possibility of imprisonment. His answer was an unequivocal: "Nonetheless."
When protestors against the Sheirut Leumi ruling were jailed, he personally intervened, proclaiming their innocence since they were marching to the beat of his drum. He challenged the authorities to imprison him in their place. They were released.55
VI. The Last of the Great Generation
This extraordinary mesh of qualities thrust the Tshebiner Rav into the forefront of Gedolei HaTorah. His writ of smichah (Rabbinic ordination) from the renowned Beis Yitzchak was no less than laudatory. The Machze Avraham, perhaps 40 years his senior, would fully rise before him. His mechutan Reb Menachem Ziemba, declined to address a halachic question in his presence. One could almost say that the Chazon Nachum regarded his younger brother as his senior.56
Yet when he came to Eretz Yisrael, it was as a broken refugee. His first Shavuos he davened in Ger, and the Gerer Rebbe declared: "Today we can honor the Torah itself with the Aseres HaDibros!" - calling him up for the Torah reading of the Ten Commandments.57
Years later when seriously ill, the Mirrer Rosh Yeshivah, Reb Leizer Yudel Finkel asked the Rav to pray on his behalf, adding that from the very day that the Tshebiner arrived in Erefz Yisrael, "I have not failed to pray for his welfare in each of my tefillos; our generation is in the greatest need for his presence."
The entirety of the Torah spectrum, from the Brisker Rav to the Belzer Rebbe, recommended people to the Tshebiner Rav for halachic decisions.59
A rare relationship of mutual reverence developed between the Tshebiner Rav and the Chazon Ish. Never having seen each other before, their eyes met for a brief moment at the funeral of the celebrated Agudah leader, Rabbi Moshe Blau. The Chazon Ish inquired with regard to the identity of the "noble and delicate Rav with the radiant eyes and soul." He was told who it was. Upon hearing this, he asked to see his Doveiv Meishorim and perused it for several days, praising it to all thereafter.60
The Chazon Ish never quoted contemporaries as a basis of proof, yet he cited in writing the psak of the Tshebiner, in halachic matters.61
In matters of tzibbur he also expressed great admiration for his unique insight and prudent foresight, and for his wisdom. A similar sentiment was formulated by Reb Isser Zalman Meltzer upon leaving a meeting which they together attended: "We have little heads; he has a mind!"62
When Reb Aharon Kotler passed away, a group of Bnei Torah from the Chevron Yeshivah decided to publish a Sefer HaZikaron (memorial volume) in his honor. They prepared to receive contributional articles from other gedolim. One of the Bnei Torah, Rabbi Avraham Kabalkin, today editor of Machon Jerusalem, asked the Tshebiner to contribute, as well. The Rav, of course, agreed, but could unfortunately not honor his commitment as he suffered a heart attack that very night. Many weeks later Rabbi Kabalkin returned to Rechov Ibn Shaprut 19, to visit the ailing Rav. He was startled to hear the sublimely mild Rav inform him that he - Kabalkin - was responsible for his attack.
The Tshebiner explained: "Of course, I knew that Reb Aharon was no longer with us, but that was an intellectual awareness, nothing tangible, concrete. However, when you described actual plans to publish a Sefer HaZikaron and I began to participate, I suddenly felt that Reb Aharon was truly gone and it so gripped my heart that I collapsed!"
Reb Aharon's son and successor, the late Reb Shneur Kotler asked this writer to repeat this story to him several times so that he remember it authentically. Most recently at a convention of Agudath Israel of America he reacted to this story: "You are obviously trying to tell me the gadlus (greatness) of my father. I, however, hear in this the gadlus of the Tshebiner!"
Some may wonder about the closeness between a gadol of Galicia to one of Lithuania. Klal Yisrael is a pyramid. It is only those at the bottom who are far apart in their disparity - those at the pinnacle are wonderfully close and act in unison.
1. Unpublished letter of Tshebiner Rav, copy in author's possession. [return to text]
2. Migedolei HaChassidus, Rabbi A.Y. Bromberg, vol. 21, Jerusalem, 1965, pg. 92. [return to text]
3. Introduction to Kochav MiYaakov, New York, 1952. [return to text]
4. Warsaw, 1893 [return to text]
5. Mrs. Tzirel Geldwerth, Alav HaShalom, a granddaughter who was present. [return to text]
6. The author's father, Rabbi Mendel Geldwerth, shlita, who heard it from him. [return to text]
7. HaModia, 17 Cheshvan, 1960, R' Yisrael Spiegel. [return to text]
8. HaGaon MiTshebin, R. Bezalel Landau, pg. 40-42. [return to text]
9. Ibid. [return to text]
10. MiGedolei HaChassidus, pg. 107 [return to text]
11. Ibid. [return to text]
12. Doveiv Meishorim I 99. [return to text]
13. Ibid. 55, 87. [return to text]
14. Ibid. 30. [return to text]
15. Ibid. 58. [return to text]
16. Ibid. 56. [return to text]
17. See Beis Eked Sforim, Friedberg, Tel Aviv, 1950. [return to text]
18. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 92. [return to text]
19. Doveiv Meishorim III 38. [return to text]
20. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 92. [return to text]
21. Foreword to Chazon Nachum. [return to text]
22. Ibid. [return to text]
23. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 97. [return to text]
24. Ibid. [return to text]
25. Doveiv Meishorim, II 2, 3. [return to text]
26. Ibid. [return to text]
27. Ibid. 5. [return to text]
28. Doveiv Meishorim II, forward and 11. [return to text]
29. HaGaon Rabbi B. S. Schneersohn, Shlita, in Beis Yaakov, Cheshvan, 5766. [return to text]
30. Jewish Daily Forward, Jan. 13, 1941; article by Daniel Berenfeld. [return to text]
31. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 98. [return to text]
32. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 99. [return to text]
33. Doveiv Meishorim II 11. [return to text]
34. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 103 [return to text]
35. Rabbi Mendel Geldwerth. [return to text]
36. Personal archives of Mr. Simon Geldwerth [return to text]
37. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 38. [return to text]
38. Rabbi Mendel Geldwerth. [return to text]
39. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 118. [return to text]
40. Ibid. pg. 63. [return to text]
41. Ibid. pg. 118-122. [return to text]
42. Ibid. pg. 117. [return to text]
43. Ibid. pg. 43. [return to text]
44. ibid, pg. 45. [return to text]
45. Rabboseinu, Rabbi Avraham Wolf, Bnei Brak, 1975. [return to text]
46. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 46. [return to text]
47. Rabbi Mendel Geldwerth. [return to text]
48. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 49. [return to text]
49. Rabbi Yehoshua Levi, Shlita, a dear and close devotee of the Rav. [return to text]
50. Panim El Panim, Tishrei, 5720, "HaGaon MiTshebin." [return to text]
51. Mori v'Rabbi HaGaon Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, Shlita, Rosh Yeshivah of Kol Torah in Jerusalem, a close and beloved devotee of the Rav. [return to text]
52. The Rav's son-in-law, Rav Shlomo Goldstoff. [return to text]
53. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 61 [return to text]
54. Ibid. pg. 58. [return to text]
55. Ibid. pg. 61. [return to text]
56. Ibid. pg. 115. [return to text]
57. See Chazon Nachum 57; compare Doveiv Meishorim I 89. [return to text]
58. Witnesses present at the time. [return to text]
59. In fact they were distant mechutanim as the Chazon Nachum and HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Brisker's brother were brothers-in-law. [return to text]
60. Rav Shlomo Goldstoff. [return to text]
61. Panim El Panim, loc. cit. [return to text]
62. See Tzidkas Tzadik, by Rabbi A. Friedman, Jerusalem, 1961. [return to text]
63. HaGaon MiTshebin, pg. 111 [return to text]