On Monday afternoon, the 10th of Iyar a massive entourage of
members of the Torah world, headed by the Admor of Gur,
admorim, rabbonim, roshei yeshiva, dayanim and
talmidei chachomim accompanied HaRav Yitzchok Dovid
Flakser zt"l to his eternal rest. In the center of the
entourage, were the students of Sfas Emes yeshiva whom he had
taught over the past fifty years.
HaRav Flakser was the raavad of the beis din
tzeddek of Agudas Yisroel, a member of the Moetzes
Gedolei HaTorah, one of the roshei yeshiva of Sfas
Emes, and one of the greatest Gerrer Chassidim. He was 83 at
the time of his petirah, which occurred after a
prolonged illness. The levaya left from his home, and
proceeded to the Rabbinical Plot at Har Hamenuchos cemetery
in Jerusalem.
HaRav Yitzchok Flakser was born in the Polish city of
Vlotzkovak in 5676 (1916). His father, Reb Yisroel, was a
Gerrer chossid, of illustrious stock. His family traced back
to Reb Elchonon Unger "Piyontker" who was the mechutan
of the Chiddushei Harim, and the father-in-law of Reb
Shime'le, the brother of the Sfas Emes. The family also
traces itself back to Reb Elimelech of Lizansk and the Chozeh
of Lublin.
The young Yitzchok was blessed with unusual talents, and
already as a child was known as an illui, with a
glorious future. When HaRav Meir Shapiro of Lublin arrived in
Vlotzkovak to collect money for the yeshiva, he tested the
local talmud Torah students, and immediately noticed
the child with the special talents. He took out his notebook,
wrote down the child's name, and told him: "When you become a
bochur, I want you in Lublin."
When he was a bit older, he left home and went to Warsaw,
where he studied in a number of yeshivos. He had special
memories of the days he studied under the Admor of
Piastchene, author of Chovas Hatalmidim, where he
studied along with his friend, the recently deceased Rav
Eliezer Bein. He would describe the difficult circumstances
under which they studied then and how, during the nights,
they would sleep in stores, as watchmen, whose fee for their
services was simply the privilege of sleeping in the
store.
When he was still young he used to travel to Gur, to the
Imrei Emes, to whom he remained attached in Poland. When
HaRav Flakser moved to Eretz Yisroel, he maintained his ties
to his rabbonim. During the first years in which the Beis
Yisroel was the Admor of Gur, HaRav Flakser transcribed the
sacred shmuessen he heard at the Admor's table.
At 16, the young Yitzchok took the entrance exam to the
Chachmei Lublin yeshiva, and was accepted as a student. His
studies there served as the foundation of his entire approach
to learning. He became very close to the rosh yeshiva,
HaRav Meir Shapiro. Throughout his life, HaRav Flakser often
spoke about his great mentor, relating many facts from his
life and works, and would mention him with great respect,
always referring to him as "mori verabi."
HaRav Flakser was an outstanding speaker, with tremendous
rhetorical ability, whose Torah literally flowed from him
when he spoke. He was the central speaker at the massive
conventions of Agudas Yisroel, and his breathtaking speeches
were always listened to attentively.
After the petirah of his mentor, HaRav Meir Shapiro,
he moved to Eretz Yisroel and began studying in the Sfas Emes
yeshiva in Jerusalem. There he soon became one of the best
students. In 5700 (1940), he married the granddaughter of Reb
Hillel Lichtenstein of Kalamai, a student of the Chasam
Sofer. The family of the rebbetzin also traces back to Reb
Dovid Baharan, one of the great lights of Yerushalayim
shel ma'aloh.
In 5706 (1946), he began to officiate as a ram in Sfas
Emes, and for a while served as mashgiach ruchani
there. He held his Torah positions for nearly fifty
consecutive years, during which he would toil over his
shiurim and deliver them with remarkable vitality,
raising his students, through his brilliant manner of
clarifying issues, to high Torah levels. He said
shiurim every day, with great mesiras nefesh,
and for many years delivered shiurim twice a day. He
would often say shiurim in the kibbutz, in
place of the rosh yeshiva, HaRav Yaakov Henoch
Sankvitz.
The great wealth of Torah which he left after him includes 17
volumes of his Sha'arei Yitzchok, on most of the
masechtos studied in the yeshivos. At the end of some
of the volumes it is possible to find a special section which
includes divrei aggodo and the droshos he
delivered. For a long time, he lived in the Sha'arei Chessed
neighborhood, near the gaon of Tchebin, and davened in
the Gra shul. He was also very close with HaRav Shlomo Zalman
Auerbach.
He was considered one of the foremost halachic and public
leaders of chareidi Jewry, and served for many years as a
member of the Badatz of Agudas Yisroel, alongside, HaRav
Aharon Bernstein, HaRav Shlomo Shreiber and, yibodel
lechaim, HaRav Yisroel Grossman. In time, he was chosen
to serve as the raavad of the Badatz of Agudas
Yisroel. In 5749, he was chosen to serve on the Moetzes
Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel.
He was a symbol and example of a marbitz Torah, and
tirelessly exerted himself in his Torah studies, under all
conditions and at all times. His entire life was one
ceaseless saga of omeil baTorah and tremendous
yegia in Torah. He delivered steady shiurim in
Sfas Emes yeshiva from Cheshvan 5709, until Adar 5744, every
single day, without a pause.
Two years ago he fell ill. Nonetheless, he made great efforts
not to interrupt his Torah study or to lessen his
yegia in Torah. While grappling with his physical
limitations, he would cling to the eitz hachaim of the
Torah, continuing to pore over his studies with every last
vestige of his strength. The rebbetzin, his sons, his sons-in-
law and his grandchildren served him with great mesiras
nefesh during that period.
Three months ago he still managed to participate in a
simcha at which he delivered divrei Torah. His
final public appearance was at a seuda of the Chevra
Kadisha Chassidim of Jerusalem, in honor of zayin
Adar. On that occasion, he even delivered a stirring
speech.
During the past two months, his situation became critical and
he had to be hospitalized. Throughout that period, all prayed
for his recovery. On Monday the 10th of Iyar, at 6:30 in the
morning, he returned his soul to its Maker, surrounded by a
minyan of his children and grandchildren. Prior to his
petirah, he recited Vidui, Shema, and the
verses of kabolas ol malchus Shomayim.
On Monday, at 3 in the afternoon, the entourage which had set
out from the Shamgar funeral home arrived at his home in the
Ezras Torah neighborhood of Jerusalem, where a massive throng
had already gathered. A stirring hesped was delivered
by HaRav Boruch Shimon Schneerson, the rosh yeshiva of
Kochav MiYaakov yeshiva of Tchebin, who had been his friend
when they had studied together in Chachmei Lublin in
Poland.
Other hespedim were delivered by his mechutan,
HaRav Yaakov Rosental, the av beis din of Haifa, and
by Rabbi Menachem Porush, deputy chairman of Agudas Yisroel.
A hesped was delivered beside the Gerrer beis
medrash by HaRav Shoul Alter, the rosh yeshiva of
Sfas Emes, and by HaRav Flakser's son, HaRav Meir Hillel, a
ram in the Chiddushei Harim yeshiva.
He is survived by an illustrious family which includes his
wife, his sons, HaRav Eliezer, HaRav Avrohom, HaRav Moshe
Nochum, the mashgiach ruchani of Lev Simcha talmud
Torah of Ashdod; HaRav Yisroel, HaRav Meir Hillel, a
ram in the Chiddushei Harim yeshiva; and his daughters
who are, respectively, married to HaRav Moshe Gottleib, one
of the roshei yeshiva of Bohush, and to HaRav Moshe
Kliers, the rav of the German Colony neighborhood of
Jerusalem. His many grandchildren and great-grandchildren are
all following in his footsteps.
