Chareidi Jewry in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the world was
plunged into deep mourning upon hearing of the petiroh
of HaRav Yisroel Yaakov Fisher, zt'l, av beis
din of the Eida HaChareidis and rov of the Zichron Moshe
beis hamedrash and the surrounding neighborhood in
Yerushalayim. HaRav Fisher, who was one of the world's
leading poskim, was niftar on Thursday, 25th
Adar I, at the age of seventy-eight. A huge crowd, numbering
tens of thousands of mourners, led by HaRav Eliashiv,
roshei yeshivos, dayonim and Admorim,
participated in the levayoh that made its way from the
Zichron Moshe beis hamedrash to Har
Hamenuchos.
Promise and Fulfillment
HaRav Fisher was born on the 21st of Tammuz 5688 (1928), in
Yerushalayim. His father, HaRav Aharon Fisher zt'l,
was one of the city's leading talmidei chachomim and
foremost members of the Perushim community. Rav Aharon
received a special blessing from the gedolim of
Yerushalayim that his sons grow up to become talmidei
chachomim and marbitzei Torah. This followed his
deliverance of the old yishuv from Arab rioters.
As a Hungarian national, who had a permit to possess
ammunition, Rav Aharon successfully repulsed an attempt by an
Arab mob to murder members of the old yishuv. He named
his son Yisroel Yaakov after the martyred Reb Yisroel Yaakov
DeHaan Hy'd, who had been murdered by Leftists
associated with Mapai (now Labor) in Yerushalayim four years
earlier.
Rav Aharon, who was renowned for his righteous conduct,
passed away at an early age, leaving his young widow, her
young sons Yisroel Yaakov, Shlomo, Meir Tzvi and Moshe, and
two daughters (who later became Rebbetzin Kopshitz a'h
and tblt'a, Rebbetzin Zlotnik). The Av Beis Din
of the Eida HaChareidis at the time, HaRav Zelig Reuven
Bengis zt'l (author of Liflagos Reuven),
appointed HaRav Mattis Davis zt'l (author of Matas
Melech on the Rambam), one of the gedolim of
Yerushalayim, as guardian of the orphaned family.
Seeing young Yisroel Yaakov's extraordinary application to
Torah study, Reb Mattis took the boy to Rav Bengis. Thus
began a relationship that led the young orphan to meet and
become acquainted with many of the great Torah personalities
of old Yerushalayim.
During the riots of 5700 (1939), while Yisroel Yaakov was
only eleven, he stayed in a bomb shelter and learned through
all of maseches Eruvin, until he knew it by heart.
When curfews were imposed by the British authorities, he
would remain in the beis haknesses all night.
He learned in Yeshivas Eitz Chaim and became one of HaRav
Isser Zalman Meltzer's beloved talmidim. Reb Isser
Zalman greatly befriended him and they learned together
regularly. HaRav Fisher's friend ylct'a, HaRav Yisroel
Grossman, related that while he was learning in the Beis
Yisroel neighborhood, Reb Yisroel Yaakov would spend entire
nights learning in the local shtieblach. He was
outstanding even among his foremost peers. His knowledge was
phenomenally broad. It was impossible to catch him, even in
the most intricate topics in the sedorim of
Kodshim and Taharos. At that time, Reb Yisroel
Yaakov received semichoh from HaRav Bengis and from
the Tepliker Rov zt'l.
He would learn for long stretches of time and sleep very
little. He himself testified that he never went to sleep
during the day, not even on Shabbos or Yom Tov. He maintained
this regimen, although he never rose later than dawn in order
to pray shacharis kevosikin. Even when he was older
and became ill, needing extra oxygen, he maintained his
practice of not sleeping during the day.
When he was young, Reb Yisroel Yaakov's mother knew that he
learned such long hours and with such intensity that he
suffered from headaches. Fearing for his health, she hastened
to his teachers, Reb Isser Zalman and Rav Bengis, and asked
them to persuade her son to sleep a little more. After this
effort on his mother's part, Reb Yisroel Yaakov agreed to
sleep for four hours a night.
Moreh Horo'oh, Dayan and Av Beis Din
Upon reaching marriageable age, Rav Zelig Wallis zt'l
took Reb Yisroel Yaakov as a son-in-law. Reb Yisroel Yaakov's
Rebbetzin supported him throughout her life. When she passed
away, he gave instructions that her headstone should bear the
inscription that she had a great part in his public service
through the assistance she gave him throughout the years in
responding to halachic queries.
In 5721 (1961), HaRav Pinchos Epstein zt'l the Eida's
av beis din, appointed Reb Yisroel Yaakov as a
moreh tzedek, a responsibility that he discharged for
the following forty-two years. Following Reb Isser Zalman's
petiroh, his nephew HaRav Shach zt'l replaced
him as rosh yeshiva of Eitz Chaim for a time until,
some time later, Reb Yisroel Yaakov took over leadership of
the yeshiva which at that time was known by the name of Ittur
Rabbonim.
Reb Yisroel Yaakov's talmidim loved him greatly and
developed extremely close and longstanding relationships with
him. He instilled in them a strong desire to learn and
intense application to learning. He would tell his
talmidim that they didn't have to be particularly
diligent. It was enough, he said, if they learned for twelve
hours a day. He constantly inspired them with greater and
greater love of Torah.
During that period, he lived in Botei Horodno and he would
pray kevosikin every morning together with HaRav Aryeh
Levin zt'l in the beis haknesses Hachnosas
Orchim (Zohorei Chamoh) in the Machaneh Yehuda neighborhood.
In 5723 (1963), Reb Yisroel Yaakov was chosen to serve as rov
of the Great Beis Haknesses and the surrounding neighborhood
of Zichron Moshe, and he moved to the neighborhood's
center.
He would often mention the miracle that he and his family
experienced while living in Botei Horodno. Their
accommodations were extremely run down and one day, the dome
of the ceiling gave way and fell onto the family. Only by an
obvious miracle did they all remain alive. That year, an
apartment was purchased in Zichron Moshe and subsequently,
Reb Yisroel Yaakov was appointed rov of the neighborhood and
of its famous beis haknesses.
As a moreh horo'oh and as a rov, Reb Yisroel Yaakov
was extremely vigilant over preserving the customs of
Yerushalayim that had been practiced by earlier
generations
In 5734 (1974), HaRav Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss zt'l
(author of Minchas Yitzchok and av beis din of
the Eida HaChareidis) appointed Reb Yisroel Yaakov as a
member of the BaDaTz (the Eida's beis din), upon the
advice of the Satmar Rebbe zt'l. From the time of his
appointment, Reb Yisroel Yaakov never missed a session of the
beis din, until his last visit there a week before his
petiroh.
After Dayan Weiss' petiroh, Reb Yisroel Yaakov was
appointed segan Rav Av Beis Din and, following the
petiroh of the Av Beis Din HaRav Moshe Aryeh
Freund zt'l, he was appointed as head of the beis
din of the Eida HaChareidis in Yerushalayim.
Source of Counsel and Friendship
Over the years, Reb Yisroel Yaakov published several volumes
of his shailos uteshuvos Even Yisroel, as well as
other seforim, containing discourses on the weekly
sedrah. He received the public every day in his home
and many availed themselves of his counsel. He welcomed each
visitor warmly.
People would submit shailos to his home on Rechov
Chofetz Chaim from all over the world. Many people consulted
him about medical problems and doctors were frequently amazed
at Reb Yisroel Yaakov's profound grasp of medicine. He was
renowned for his segulos for the sick and for
childbearing women, and also in the area of changing
names.
Reb Yisroel Yaakov maintained warm personal relations with
all the neighborhood residents. He would attend every
sholom zochor that was held locally. People knew that
he used to come early and that he was liable to arrive before
they finished their seudah, always giving his regular
explanation that he "had to go to learn."
He once arrived at a sholom zochor without having been
invited. The father was amazed to see him and remembered that
he'd forgotten to invite the Rov. He started to apologize but
Reb Yisroel Yaakov calmed him and said that he had heard that
a son had been born and had decided to come to gladden
him.
He had an iron control of himself that was astounding to
behold. Over twenty years ago, a brokenhearted Jew visited
his home and asked the rebbetzin for a drink of water. He was
given what he asked for, but he took a look at the cup and
found some fault with it and threw it into Reb Yisroel
Yaakov's face. One of those close to the Rov was present and
he became angry with this Yid and wanted to throw him
out of the house. Reb Yisroel started to laugh and said that
water was clean and maybe the fellow wanted to drink out of a
different cup. This calmed his friend down and his anger
evaporated.
He would visit his brothers-in-law every chol hamoed,
commenting that even though he didn't have the time for
visits, the obligation of bein odom lechavero
superseded considerations of time. After he was appointed a
dayan, his rebbetzin would call his brothers-in-law
and wish them a gut yom tov, since the Rov was busy
learning and responding to cases.
He took a personal interest in everyone who came to consult
him. He was extremely punctilious in matters of
halochoh, which was always his guide. He understood
the details of every question that was put to him and he had
a special gift for comprehending every visitor. Other
poskim relied on him and highly respected him.
Once, an avreich with an eight-day-old son came to
him. At seven o'clock that morning, the doctor had taken his
son's temperature and found it to be high. Since then, the
temperature had returned to normal. The father wanted to know
whether he should carry out the bris that day. Reb
Yisroel Yaakov told him that since the child had been
declared a choleh, the bris should be delayed
for seven days. The father explained that the doctor had
argued that the baby's high temperature had only been due to
the hotness of the room, not to sickness. Reb Yisroel Yaakov
nevertheless insisted that if the child had been declared
ill, the bris should be put off. However, he did
permit the father to consult another rov.
The avreich went to the home of HaRav Shlomoh Zalman
Auerbach zt'l and conveyed Reb Yisroel Yaakov's
answer. Reb Shlomo Zalman also said that he agreed with Reb
Yisroel Yaakov's response and he added that he forbade the
avreich to ask anyone else.
As rov of Zichron Moshe, Reb Yisroel Yaakov used to pluck
arovos from a tree growing in the yard of one of his
neighbors. He refused to accept them for free, arguing that
in fact, since he was the rov of the neighborhood, he ought
to be paying twice the normal price.
One Yom Kippur, by an oversight, the gabboim at
Zichron Moshe sold an aliyoh that was purchased each
year for a certain mispalel, to someone else. When one
of them was called up, they both started making their way to
the bimoh. The `incumbent' went over to Reb Yisroel
Yaakov, who tried for many long minutes to persuade him to
give in. He wished the man that the following year, he should
again receive `his' aliyoh as usual and said that in
fact, the beis hamedrash ought to compensate him for
the aliyoh because of the embarrassment. Reb Yisroel
Yaakov repeated himself three times.
Two months later, that mispalel passed away. When Reb
Yisroel Yaakov came to comfort the man's family, they
expressed their surprise at what he had said on Yom Kippur.
Reb Yisroel Yaakov replied, "I knew this would happen!
However, your father did not act in accordance with the
gemora which says that someone who receives a blessing
should say, `Omein, vechein lemar (Omein and the same
to you).' I repeated my blessing three times but he didn't
say omein."
His Last Appeal
Reb Yisroel Yaakov penned his last communication -- a warm
recommendation for a pamphlet issued for Purim by the
Rabbinical Committee for Tzedokoh Affairs in the Holy Land --
last week, shortly before his petiroh. He was a keen
and enthusiastic supporter of the Committee's efforts on
behalf of widows, orphans, the needy and the
brokenhearted.
In recent years, Reb Yisroel Yaakov had been ill and had to
be attached to a supplementary source of oxygen. He
nonetheless maintained his usual timetable, learning
throughout the day, taking part in the Beis Din's
deliberations and receiving the public, just as he had done
throughout his previous forty years as rov.
His levayoh left from his beis hamedrash in
Zichron Moshe. After some Tehillim, the elder
gabbai of the beis hamedrash and secretary of
the local yeshiva ketanoh Keser Torah, Reb Efrayim
Slominsky, announced that Reb Yisroel Yaakov's oldest son
ylct'a, HaRav Aharon Fisher, would be appointed as
neighborhood rov, filling his late father's position. Over
forty years ago it was also Reb Efrayim who announced Reb
Yisroel Yaakov's appointment as rov of the Beis Hamedrash
Hagodol.
The newly appointed rov was then called upon to eulogize his
father. The levayoh then left for the nearby Zupnik
Plaza, where hespedim were delivered by his son Rav
Yehuda Fisher, the dayonim of the Beis Din, HaRav
Moshe Sternbuch, HaRav Yaakov Blau, HaRav Moshe Halberstam,
HaRav Meir Brandsdorfer, HaRav Avrohom Yitzchok Ullman, HaRav
A. Weiss of Manchester and HaRav Y. Meisels.
The huge procession then set out towards Har Hamenuchos, led
by HaRav Eliashiv, roshei yeshiva, dayonim,
rabbonim and crowds of Yidden, trudging through
the snowy streets in the pouring rain, weeping over the loss
of this great man.
HaRav Fisher is survived by his sons ylct'a, HaRav
Aharon, HaRav Yehuda and HaRav Moshe and by two daughters,
who are married to HaRav Moshe Braverman and HaRav Y. Rotman,
and by grandchildren and great- grandchildren, all of whom
follow in his footsteps along the path of Torah and
halochoh.
Yehi zichro boruch.
