Heavy mourning: Elder of the Agoy's 'Council' Rebbe, the Rebbe of Biala, zt"l

May 10, 2024   

Heavy mourning in the world of Torah and Hasidism: The Rebbe of Biala, Rabbi Bezalel Simcha Menachem ben Zion Rabinowitz, elder of the members of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel, passed away this morning (Friday) at the age of 89, at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. In recent months, the Rebbe had weakened and his condition had deteriorated. All the synagogues and yeshivahs in the world of Hasidism tore the gates of heaven with prayers for his recovery, but to the heart's content, the Rebbe passed away this morning, on the eve of Shabbat Kadosh. Heavy mourning in all the centers of Hasidism in Biala throughout the country. The parochet has been removed at the central Hasidic synagogue on Jacobson Street in Jerusalem - and the Hasidic community is preparing for a funeral procession. His funeral will leave at 1:00 PM from the Hasidic synagogue on Jacobson Street 5 in Jerusalem for the Mount of Olives, where he will be buried.

Its history

The Rebbe was born in the city of Szdlitz, Poland, on the 8th of Adar 1355, as the youngest son of the Rebbe Rabbi Yechiel Yehoshua of Biala, author of the "Chalkat Yehoshua", and his mother, Rebbetzin Mart Hanna Pesha, may God have mercy on him, the daughter of the Hasidic Rabbi Eliezer Bernholz, from the Hasidim of Biala in the city of Vlodva. With the Nazi invasion of Szdlitz in 1939, the family members, along with many of the city's residents, fled to eastern Poland and sneaked into the territory seized by the Red Army as part of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. The family members were exiled to Siberia by the Soviet authorities, and in 1942-5772 he was assigned, along with his siblings - with the exception of his older brother Rabbi Yerachmiel Zvi - to the Children of Tehran. Upon arriving in the Land of Israel on Purim Eve 1943-5733, he was adopted with another group of children from Tehran by the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahneman, Rosh Yeshiva of Ponivez. In the Land, he first stayed in the "old-age homes" established by the Rabbi of Ponivez, zt"l, and then with his uncle, the Rabbi of Bnei Brak, the Rebbe Rabbi Yosef Zvi Kalisch zt"l, where he stayed for about two years, until his father immigrated to the Land in 577. Already in his youth, he was considered one of the scholars of the Ponivez Yeshiva, and was a distinguished student of the Rosh Yeshiva, and in particular of the Gra"d Povarsky and the Gra"sh Rozovsky zt"l. Upon reaching his retirement, in 1977, he married in London Bila Bracha, daughter of Rabbi Avraham Moshe Babad, rabbi of Sunderland and chairman of the Council of Torah Sages in Europe. After his marriage, he lived in Gateshead, England, and was the rabbi of the kollel there. Before his father-in-law's death, he asked him to take on the yoke of rabbiny, in order to continue the rabbinical lineage of the Babad family. In 1979, he was elected to serve as rabbi of the city of Lugano in Switzerland - a position he held until 1971. After the death of his father, the author of the 'Chalkat Yehoshua', on 21 Bishvat 1982, elections were held between him and his three brothers, and he was elected to serve as their father's successor. Later, the brothers separated and established separate Hasidisms. Since then, the Rebbe has led the Holy Courtyard in Byala, developing Hasidism with Batei Midrash in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Modi'in Illit, Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Safed, and Ma'ale Amos. The Rebbe previously divided his residence between the cities of Lugano and Jerusalem. In 5771, with the dwindling number of community members in Lugano, he moved to live in Israel, dividing his time between Jerusalem and Safed, serving as president of several Torah institutions. The Rebbe was one of the guides of Judaism in the Land of Israel, serving as a member of the Council of Torah Sages, and standing on the side of independent education and Agudath Israel. He was widowed in 5795 and remarried the widow of the Gaon Rabbi Moshe David Steinorzel, zt"l, Rosh Yeshiva in Bavov. The Rebbe's educational system was like that of the Lithuanian Bessibs. His path in Hasidism is based on the writings of the founders of Hasidism, as well as the writings of the Maharal and Ramchal. The Rebbe was concerned with bringing distant people closer. In Ramat Beit Shemesh and Safed, there are Hasidic seminaries consisting mainly of English-speaking converts to Judaism. In 1995, he foresaw the failure of the converts to Judaism to integrate into the Haredi community, and called on the converts in Safed to abandon their attempts to integrate into Haredi society and to establish their own communities. The Rebbe was a prolific writer, and published over a hundred books in his series of books, "Mevasser Tov." In addition, his commentaries to the books are also known for their great length. They include Chassidic and Talmudic thought and are mostly a kind of essay in themselves. The overall title of his books is "Mevasser Tov" - the initials of his name, Menachem Bezalel/Benetzion, Simcha Rabinowitz. The series on the Shas is largely based on lessons he gave to students that were written by his listeners and proofread by him, and some are based on things he wrote himself. This series combines expertise and research. The books "Mevaser Tov" on the Torah and the festivals are based mainly on the words of the Torah and the conversations he spoke in the Tish and in the conversations. He wrote others himself as a commentary on the great Hasidic scholars, combining evidence for their words from the words of the Shas and the Rishonim. The books are written in clear language. In the introduction to one of his books, he writes: "All my words are founded on their holy words, and in their introduction, and all my words are only to explain their holy words, and to show the root of their holy words in the Shas and the legends of the Sages and the Poskim, as far as my dark hand can reach, with the help of the Shas and by the mercy of God upon me, by the merit of our holy ancestors, may God bless them and grant them peace, and there are almost no innovations in them." The Rebbe was also a Tel Talpiot for administrators of institutions, supervisors, spiritual directors and educational supervisors who came up with pressing questions. The Rebbe was one of the first to address the "dropout youth," and to suggest ways of treatment. He left behind a blessed generation of righteous sons and daughters, sons-in-law and descendants: his son, Rabbi Leibush, rabbi of the Prestwich Beit Midrash and Congregation in Manchester. His son-in-law, Rabbi Eliyahu Sternbuch. His son, Rabbi David Manish, son-in-law, Rabbi Hananya Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum, the Rebbe of Sasow. Rabbi of the Hasidim in Amerchalim. His son, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef Dov, Rosh Yeshiva of Byala, and Rem in the Tschachnov Beit, son-in-law, Rabbi Yitzhak Meir Flintenstein, the Rebbe of Kopischnitz. His son-in-law, Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Weiss, son of Rabbi Moshe Weiss, Rosh Kollel of Byala. His son-in-law, Rabbi Mordechai Weinberg, Rabbi of the Slanim Congregation in London. His son, Rabbi Zvi Yaakov Eliezer. His son, Rabbi Avraham Moshe, Rabbi of the Maale Amos Beit, son-in-law of Rabbi Shmelka Halpert. Minister of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition, Meir Porush, issued a statement of mourning: "The crown of our heads has fallen. The world of Torah and Hasidism in general and the Agudat Yisrael movement in particular has lost its teacher, our teachers and rabbis, the Rebbe of Biala, ztzuklallah, the elder of the members of the Council of Torah Sages, who led us for decades on the path of Torah and Hasidism. The death of the righteous is as important as burning the house of our God." Chairman of United Torah Judaism, Minister of Construction and Housing, Yitzhak Goldknopf: "We have overcome the rocks and the Ark of the Covenant has been captured. A great and great man has fallen in Israel. Together with the entire House of Israel, we mourn and are broken by his departure to the lofty treasures of the island of Gebra Raba, a relic for a generation of knowledge, a pillar of Torah and fear, knowledgeable in all the secrets of the Torah, author of many books and bearing the burden with the public, one of the leaders of faithful Judaism in the last generation, from whom I was privileged to receive advice and blessings over the years - the late Maran Rebbe of Biala, ztuk"l, author of "Mevasser Tov" and an elder member of the Council of Torah Elders of Agudat Israel. Great is the sea we have broken, may God give us his recompense. 'For these things I weep, my eyes run down with water, because the comforter who restores my soul is far from me.'" MK Yisrael Eichler: "Together with the entire House of Israel, we mourn the passing of the Reverend Rabbi of Biala, may God bless him and grant him peace, an elder member of the Council of Torah Scholars. Alas, the land of Israel has lost its treasure when a Hasidic was taken from us and a remnant of wisdom passed away, a genius of Israel, one of the elders of the Torah and Hasidic world, who carried the burden of the generation upon his heart. For many years, we were privileged to enjoy his light, advice, and resourcefulness, for the needs of all Israel. As we sat in his shadow, an atmosphere of ancient, holy majesty was present in the room, with a profound view of the needs of all Israel in the mirror of the generations. In these troubled days, when the ship of Israel is tossed about in the heart of the sea, we pray that he will stand before the throne of glory and plead for your people Israel, who are in trouble and captivity, to cancel the evil decrees and to save Israel from the hand of trouble and to quickly be redeemed. And all the house of Israel will weep over the fire that the Lord has burned.".