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HaRav Yitzchok Greenberg zt"l

by Betzalel Kahn

A large throng participated in the levayo of Hagaon HaRav Yitzchok Greenberg, zt"l, one of the great baalei mussar of our generation, and a mechanech who produced hundreds of bnei Torah

Rav Yitzchok was born in 5677(1917) in the city of Jaffa. His father, R' Yeshaya Tzvi, was the founder and director of the Or Zoreach Talmud Torah in that city, and his mother, Esther Leah was from the Lifshitz family of Jerusalem.

When Reb Yitzchok was young, his mother moved to Yerushalayim, for the sake of the chinuch of her two sons, HaRav Yitzchok and HaRav Shmuel yibodel lechayim aruchim.

The two brothers studied under HaRav Chaim Man and HaRav Yeshaya Cheshin, in the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah. When Reb Yitzchok became bar mitzvah, he was accepted in the Chevron Yeshiva, when HaRav Moshe Mordechai Epstein served as rosh yeshiva and Rav Leib Chasman as mashgiach.

The glowing personality of the mashgiach, and his derech in mussar in educating the talmidim, were guidelines for Reb Yitzchok throughout his entire life, and he would constantly mention and repeat the sichos and sayings of the mashgiach.

After the demise of these two great Torah luminaries, he continued to study in the yeshiva, headed then by HaRav Yechezkel Sarna and HaRav Meir Chodosh, the mashgiach.

Reb Yitzchok was especially beloved by Harav Isaac Sher, and was very helpful in the publishing of HaRav Sher's seforim. He also greatly assisted the mashgiach, and the rabbonim of the yeshiva.

He was held in high esteem by the gedolei Yisroel and the Chazon Ish charged him with many assignments, as did the Brisker Rav.

It was the Chazon Ish who recommended that he serve as the mashgiach of the Zichron Yaakov yeshiva founded by HaRav Noach Shimanowitz.

Together, the two succeeded, with great mesiras nefesh and effort, to produce students who are currently serving as outstanding marbitzei Torah.

Reb Yitzchok served as mashgiach in the yeshiva until it transferred to Kfar Chassidim.

He married the daughter of HaRav Naftoli HaCohen Shaikovitzki, the Rav of Gateshead and grandson of the Maggid of Minsk. Rebbetzen Esther Greenberg o"h was a very active teacher of women.

After his marriage, the Chazon Ish asked him to serve as mashgiach of Lomze yeshiva in Petach Tikvah, alongside the roshei yeshiva HaRav Yechiel Michel Gordon and the Rav of Petach Tikva Rav Reuven Katz author of the Degel Reuven.

Students from that period longingly recall HaRav Greenberg's remarkable sichos which inspired them to achieve true greatness in Torah.

After the Lomze yeshiva closed, he assumed a position as the educational guide and supervisor of the Beis Yaakov seminars throughout the country.

In that capacity, he delivered remarkable shiurim to the seminary students, in which he clarified parshiyos of the Torah, and talks on how to improve one's middos and deeds.

He served in this capacity for scores of years with utmost dedication, until his final days.

Only a week before his petirah, he taught in the Beis Yaakov seminary in Haifa.

Blessed with writing talent, he composed scores of articles on iyonei d'yoma and the yomim tovim, which appeared in the chareidi journals.

A few years ago, he published HaMa'or ShebaTorah, an anthology of some of his finest shiurim, in which he explains many issues in Tanach. He also published a pamphlet on the 13 ikorim, feeling that this was necessary to strengthen true emunah in our times.

Hespedim were delivered by HaRav Dov Schwartzman, the rosh yeshiva of the Beis Medrash Govoha--Lakewood, Jerusalem; Rav Eliezer Ozer rosh kollel Lomza.

The levaya then proceeded to Or Elchonon yeshiva, where the niftar davened on yomim tovim and Yomim Nora'im.

Hespedim were delivered there by HaRav Pinchos Scheinberg, rosh yeshivas Torah Or, HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi rosh yeshivas Atteres Yisroe; Rav Moshe Mordechai Chodosh, rosh yeshiva of Or Elchonon; the rav of Petach Tikvah, HaRav Boruch Shimon Solomon; Harav Dovid Tzvi Eliach, who had been one of the first students in the yeshiva in Zichron Yaakov and Harav Greenberg's son.

Divrei preida and a final hesped were delivered by his son-in-law, HaRav Chaim Yosef Ackerman.

Rav Greenberg is survived by his son, two daughters and sons- in-law.


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