A public gathering for hespeidim and
his'orerus following the tragic deaths of HaRav
Shimshon Dovid Pincus, rav of the chareidi community
of Ofakim, his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mindel, o"h, and
their daughter Miriam, o"h, was held in Ofakim last
week with maranan verabonon, roshei yeshiva, roshei
kollel, marbitzei Torah and public figures from
Ofakim and throughout the Negev in attendance.
With the warm blessings of leading Torah figures, his
firstborn son, HaRav Yisroel Yaakov was appointed to the
position of moro de'asra of Ofakim's chareidi
community, previously held by his father, zt"l.
The appointment was signed by maranan verabonon:
HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman,
HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira, HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz,
HaRav Nissim Karelitz, HaRav Chaim Kanievsky and HaRav
Shmuel Auerbach, who were joined by leading roshei
yeshiva, marbitzei haTorah and the heads of
Kahal Am Kodosh of the Ofakim kehilla.
A huge crowd of thousands streamed toward Ofakim's main
center for Torah and tefilloh, Kivisi Hashem, filling
all of the botei knesses and the large squares to
overflow capacity. The gathering opened with Tehillim
recited by HaRav Shlomo Ya'acovitz for the recovery of
Ruchama Rochel bas Chaya Mindel who is still hospitalized in
critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of the Soroka
Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, and is in need of rachmei
shomayim for her complete recovery, besoch sha'ar
cholei Yisroel.
HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman said: "Undoubtedly
hespeidim have already been made and we hope that he
has been eulogized as the halochoh requires for a talmid
chochom. I am not practiced in eulogizing and am not
worthy of it, but the idea is not just to eulogize and weep,
but rather the living must be encouraged to continue to
sustain the family and the community, which is an act of
chesed towards both the living and the dead.
Acts of chesed towards the living must of course be
performed to sustain the broken family, and toward the
broken kehilla as well, and it is essential to
elevate them and bolster them to enable them to continue.
Continuation is also necessary for the sake of "honoring him
in death as in life," and is a part of honoring the dead.
When the son perpetuates the ways of the father this is also
a form of honor, and demonstrates that just as it is an act
of chesed, it is also an act of kovod. As far
as chesed is concerned, each and every one of you
knows that Torah and chesed are the main pillars
supporting the entire world, and therefore I would like to
speak on the topic of kibud horav.
"In the parsha of the korbon oshom tolui it
says, `Velo yoda ve'osheim venoso avono.' Rashi
brings a quote from Chazal that reads, `Rabi Yossi Haglili
says, the Torah punishes he who did not know, all the more
so does it punish he who did know.' Why does Rabi Yossi
Haglili have to mention the fact that it would apply all the
more so to he who did know? The Torah says explicitly that
if an individual committed a transgression knowingly, he
will be punished, so what is the point of the kal
vochomer here?
"Rather, we do not need a kal vochomer to tell us the
fact. However, even when someone knows, he may not sense the
severity of the transgression, and how much prudence is
called for. But when he hears this kal vochomer, this
adds to what he already knows in most cases. Although this
is simple, one can come to feel it more when this is laid
out before him in this way.
"Yalkut Shimoni Yehoshua (23) quotes Chazal on the
verse, Vesheim Chevron lifnim Kiryas Arba ho'odom hagodol
ba'anokim hu, veho'oretz shokto mimilchomo, saying,
"Rabi Yossi Haglili says the verse compares the deeds of
those in Eretz Yisroel with the deeds of those in
Egypt, stating, kema'aseih Eretz Mitzrayim. Why did
the Canaanites have the merit to dwell on their land for 47
years (as it is written, VeChevron sheva shonim nivneso
lifnei Tzo'an Mitzrayim)? Because they gave honor unto
Avrohom Ovinu by saying Nesi Elokim atoh besocheinu,
they had the merit to dwell on their land. Rabban Shimon ben
Gamliel said in the name of Rav Yehuda ben Lokish, it says
ho'odom hagodol ba'anokim--veho'oretz shoktoh
mimilchomoh, this refers to the Canaanites who honored
Avrohom Ovinu and thereby merited peace in their land. What
is the connection between "the great man among giants" and
"peace reigned in the land"? This comes to teach us that the
war ceased only in the merit of Avrohom Ovinu whom the
Canaanites honored by telling him, `You are a nesi
Elokim sent to dwell among us . . .'
"Those who honored Avrohom were the Sons of Cheis and not
all of the Canaanites or the Amorites or Sichon and Og, yet
this merit was so great that as a result, peace reigned in
all the land. The Seven Nations, who regularly practiced
avoda zora, were so nefarious that HaKodosh Boruch
Hu said, `Do not allow a soul to live,' because they
were such horrendous people, and nevertheless since the
people of Chevron alone said nesi Elokim atoh
besocheinu all of the nations, not just the people of
Chevron, merited peace for 47 years and were spared from all
sorrows and all punishments. Why? Because they showed honor
to Avrohom Ovinu.
"From here we can learn the significance of kibud
horav -- honoring a rov. If we see that even the Sons of
Ches who were horrible people, who also practiced avoda
zora, and nevertheless since they said nesi Elokim
atoh besocheinu the merit was enough so that all of the
Seven Nations lived for 47 years without war and were able
to live off the fat of the land, all because they honored
the aged Avrohom Ovinu. If this is the case for idol
worshipers, all the more does it apply to Jews who keep
Torah and mitzvos--this important kehilla--who honor the
rov and accord him this honor that his son will be given the
privilege of serving in his stead. Certainly this merit will
give the family and all of the members of the kehilla
the merit to continue living and to stride forward, and may
it bring nachas ruach to the Rov in the Upper
World, and he will certainly be happy about this, and thus
Klal Yisroel will rebuild what has been destroyed,
will rebuild and add on to what existed previously. And may
HaKodosh Boruch Hu help this kehilla continue
on the right path and increase their Torah and mitzvos, and
all will reap the benefits, both in this world and the World
to Come."
HaRav Nissim Karelitz, who made the effort to come following
requests by the rabbonim and roshei kehilla, quoted
the gemora, saying, "Learning Torah is set aside in
order to remove the dead. The gemora asks, `How many
people must stop learning? As many as necessary. Rav
Yochonon says 600,000. Its removal should be according to
how it was given. Since it was given to 600,000, then its
removal should also be with 600,000. Says Rashi: Matan Torah
was before 600,000 people, so its removal should be the
same. This is referring to a talmid chochom who dies
and his learning ceases. It does not say that Torah was
given over to 600,000 people, but rather that Torah was
given over to each and every individual before 600,000
people. This is the way Torah was given. The gemora
then continues, saying, `This applies to one who learned
individually (mikroh and gemora), but for one
who taught others, there is no limit. Even being honored
before 600,000 is not considered sufficient honor.
"Furthermore it says in Ovos DeRabi Nosson, `Chesed
chofatzti velo zevach, veda'as Elokim mei'olos. HaKodosh
Boruch Hu says chesed is more important to me
than a korbon shlomim and da'as Elokim is more
important to me than a korbon oloh. An oloh is
more important than shlomim since it goes up in its
entirety to Hashem, and talmud Torah is more
important to HaKodosh Boruch Hu than an oloh,
because he who learns Torah knows da'ato shel
Mokom.'
"Rabi Nosson continues, saying, `From here we learn that a
chochom who sits and teaches is compared to one who
sacrifices cheilev and blood on the altar. This
raises a question for previously we said that a talmid
chochom is greater than a sacrifice. The answer is that
this has two different levels. Previously we spoke about
someone who offers an oloh, and said that a talmid
chochom is more important, but here we are talking about
the Cohen who performs the service which provides atonement
for he who brought the offering, or with a korbon
tsibur where the Cohen performs the service and the
entire congregation is granted atonement. This is what
applies to a chochom who sits and teaches: he teaches
and the entire congregation is granted atonement.
"It was already mentioned previously that the Rov left a son
to replace him. The halochoh states that when a leader
passes away, if he left a son to replace him and the son is
suitable both in terms of his Torah knowledge and his
yiras Shomayim, then he has priority over others.
This is a din that obligates the congregation, it
does not stem from the individuals involved. Yet we still
find by Dovid Hamelech that he was promised that the
kingship would be passed on to his son. We see from here
that it is a zechus from someone that his kingship--
the rule of Torah within Am Yisroel--be perpetuated.
When his sons continue along his path, part of him carries
on! We would like to give the merit to the Rov, from whom we
received so much, by appointing his son as the rov, to
continue with the work for which he too, is fit. And this is
a merit for him. May it be His will that this place be
reinvigorated after the great blow that has been struck."
The rosh yeshiva of Ofakim, HaRav Chaim Hacohen Kamil,
quoted the gemora that says the Angel of Death was
sent to take the soul of Rabi Chiya and failed, so he
returned as an indigent and asked Rabi Chiya for a piece of
bread, and Rabi Chiya gave it to him. Said the Angel of
Death, `You feel pity for the poor, so why don't you take
pity on me? I was sent to take your soul, and I am unable to
do so!' Without hesitation Rabi Chiya handed over his
soul.
"Mori verabi HaRav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt"l
explained that Rav Chiya's practice of giving
tzedoko was in the manner of vesofeik loro'eiv
nafshecho. And the same is true of our recent loss, of
whom it can truly be said that he gave his entire soul to
every Jew.
"In the Responsa of the Geonim (178), it says that Rav
practiced ten principles of piety and when he passed away,
his talmidim were unable to maintain all of them. The
talmidim gathered together and each of them accepted
upon himself one of the ten principles. This is our task. Of
course we will be unable to fill his place. His level of
harbotzas Torah, which knew no bounds, and his level
of chesed. But I would like to mention one point that
really is one of his most cherished principals.
"Within the kehilla we felt the power of the Rov's
emunah. All of the children got a sense of what real
emunah is, what real yiras Shomayim is, what
real tefilloh is. Like in the Responsa of the Geonim,
which describes how together the talmidim were able
to reach Rav's level, but alone it was impossible. Thus
Yaakov Ovinu is still with us...this is our task.
"On the verse that says Choshav Hashem lehashchis Bas
Tzion noto kav the Alshich asks, `When you build a
building, lines must be drawn, but when the building is torn
down, are the lines drawn?' Says the Alshich, `When it
refers to HaKodosh Boruch Hu we do have noto
kav!' Here, too, we have building! My dear brethren of
the holy community of Ofakim, this is our task: to take on
his mailos and his midos.
"Once, when the Rov was still a bochur, he came up to
me before the blowing of the shofar and said to me, `There's
a hiddur practiced by the Briskers to hear the
brochos from the shaliach tsibur along with
all of the tekios so that the brochos are said
on the tekios, but his custom was to prolong his
tefilloh. How could both of these elements be carried
out?' I couldn't give him an answer to his question, and
after much deliberation, the Rov decided that prolonging his
tefilloh was preferable. For him tefilloh was
real work. We are obligated to take on this midda . .
.
"Another incident from his days as a bochur: One
Shabbos he accidentally touched muktze. Afterwards he
knew no rest. He took upon himself not to visit in any home
until he had reviewed hilchos muktze. I would like to
repeat that the main point is not the incident itself, the
story, but rather the great kedusha that he had, his
yiras Shomayim, his tefilloh. May HaKodosh
Boruch Hu help us to learn from his ways, and may his
son and successor lead us be'ezras Hashem. May
HaKodosh Boruch Hu console him and the entire family
over their loss, and may we merit the rebuilding of Zion and
Jerusalem speedily in our days."
Rosh Yeshivas Hanegev, Rav Issachar Meir, said that what had
taken place was certainly a decree on Klal Yisroel
and not on an individual or an individual family. He went on
to say that the tragedy could not be taken lightly, but must
be received with seriousness, in order to bring about an
elevation.
"The gemora relates that the baby of the
melamed of the son of Reish Lokish died, and Reish
Lokish sent his meturgeman to offer consolations.
When the meturgeman arrived he told the
melamed, `Vayar Hashem veyin'atz mika'as bonov
uvenosov. When the fathers of a generation show scorn to
HaKodosh Boruch Hu, He releases his wrath on their
sons and daughters, and they die at a young age.' The
gemora then asks, `He came to console him and in the
end he caused him grief and despair!?' And the gemora
answers, `He was saying: You are important enough to
suffer for the entire generation.' This is what I would like
to say to this kehilla kedosha: this is a decree on
Klal Yisroel and you are suffering for the entire
generation.
"It is crucial not to stop for distractions during learning,
to prevent Torah learning from getting broken up into
separate segments. What is the idea behind this? There is a
mitzvah of talmud Torah and there is a mitzvah of
deveikus beTorah. If one learns throughout a
seder uninterrupted, he performs the mitzvah of
deveikus beTorah, but if one stops in the middle,
although he is performing the mitzvah of talmud
Torah, the deveikus is lacking, which is what it
means to break up your learning into separate segments
lacking the `glue.'
"This should remind us to recall chasdei Shomayim
every day. And the days we have been given as a gift, to
take advantage of them, and not to waste them in idle
activities. Who can say whether this great sacrifice won't
bring us salvation, b'ezras Hashem? We have faith
that if we rouse ourselves, HaKodosh Boruch Hu will
destroy our enemies entirely and the everlasting salvation
will arrive. May there be consolation to the family and to
Am Yisroel.
Rav Yehuda Tshezner, moreh tzedek of Ofakim, quoted
Chazal's maxim, "`The death of tzadikim is as
difficult as the burning of Beis Elokeinu.' Not only
the tzaddik but his family as well. Three pure and
holy souls. We cannot comprehend this, but we must accept
the decree.
"The Kol Bo asks, When we say Kaddish we say,
'bechayeichon uveyomeichon uvechayei dechol beis
Yisroel!' How does that apply here? This is essentially
a prayer said because when the moshiach arrives and
His name is hallowed and sanctified in the world, there will
be so many sorrows and so many losses, that we pray that we
will be among those who live until the days of the
moshiach. How many losses we have suffered! But
Chazal say whoever leaves behind a son to take his place is
not said to be `dead' but rather `lying down.' The Maharasha
says it's as if he went to sleep.
"The Ya'aros Dvash explains that when a tzaddik
passes away, his various practices and other spiritual tools
that he took on during his lifetime are all left
hefker, and anyone can claim them, but it requires
mesirus nefesh to maintain them, through hasmodoh,
harbotzas haTorah, chesed, taharoh, kedushah, ahavas sholom
bein odom lechavero, nosei be'ol im chaveiro, lehovin nefesh
hasheini. Each and every one of us must take on one of
these attributes, or increase his learning or gemilus
chesed or the help he proffers to others; there is no
lack of attributes Rabbenu exemplified for us to accept upon
ourselves.
The rav of Ofakim, HaRav Amram Ohayon delivered a
hesped in a voice tinged with bitter sorrow. "How
could someone like myself come and eulogize the giant among
giants, gaon hador in every sense of the term,
whether in Torah or yiras cheit! His entire being was
holy, a burning flame! He was entirely ablaze. I saw him on
Rosh Chodesh Nisan saying Bircas Ho'ilanos wearing
tallis and tefillin and I stood and watched
the Rov: half an hour went by, forty minutes, and the Rov
stood there in full concentration, making the blessing. His
Bircas Ho'ilanos was like our Ne'ila. This is
what our holy Rov was like, this is the sefer Torah
we have lost.
"In Bava Basra it says Avrohom Ovinu had a precious
stone around his neck, and anyone who was sick who gazed at
it would be cured. Baalei hamusar say this precious
stone was Avrohom Ovinu. Emunah was bursting through
him, ho'emunah ho'Elokis, and this is what would cure
every ailing soul. We offer our blessings to the firstborn
son, HaRav Yisroel Yaakov, who is stepping in to replace his
father, it is pleasant and fitting to crown him with the
crown of Torah, and may HaKodosh Boruch Hu be at his
side."
The director and founder of Yeshivas Ofakim, Rav Yosef
Goldental, opened his hesped with bitter tears,
saying, "I remember the night he was sitting in his
succah and we proposed that he come to Ofakim. He
told us he would think about it and send us his reply. At
the time he was Rosh Yeshiva in Satmar, and they were
reluctant to give him up. They went to a din Torah to
the Steipler, who told Satmar that they would be able to
find someone to replace him, but Ofakim would not be able to
find someone else! They picked up their suitcases and came
to the Negev--eretz lo zoru'a in terms of Torah."
The younger brother of the deceased, ylt"a, HaRav
Avner Pincus, spoke about the mitzvah of a rav's love for
his talmid, which prevents the talmid from
growing disappointed. "I think that this is one of the main
things that all of us saw in him, that when he delivered a
drosho, every one of the listeners felt and knew that
he loved him personally, and therefore accepted his words
with a correct understanding, so that he did not lead anyone
to stumble."
HaRav Reuven Karelenstein quoted Parsha Shemini where it
says, "Vekol Yisroel yivku es hasreifa asher soraf
Hashem. Were Nodov and Avihu `a fire?' With Rav Shimshon
we felt the flame, the holy fire. He blazed in all of his
holy undertakings, he himself was `a fire' and all of
Beis Yisroel will weep for the fire--for Rav Shimshon
was himself a blazing fire.
"The Rebbetzin had two sides to her: she was the wife of a
chayal, the Rov, who was a soldier in Hashem's army,
and she herself was an eishes chayil. Her primary
characteristic was modesty and she took such pains to
maintain modesty. Morai verabosai, let us bolster our
modesty, as gedolei Yisroel have directed us to do.
Gird yourselves and gather strength in this matter." In his
closing remarks he offered his blessing for success to Rav
Yisroel Yaakov.
HaRav Yisroel Yaakov Pincus opened his remarks, saying,
"Father can be eulogized from so many different angles:
Torah, chesed. In every dimension that we speak of
him will be some aspect of the rabbonus.
"Elisha would yell, `My father, my father, the chariot of
Israel and its rider.' The gemora in Moed Koton
says: `My father, my father' refers to his father and
his mother, for with Eliyahu Hanovi, Elisha felt an element
of his father and mother along with an element of `the
chariot of Israel and its rider.' What this comes to say is
that Eliyahu's leadership was the leadership of all of
Israel as well as the leadership of the individual. And as
part of the same leadership of each individual was the
leadership in the aspect of his father and his mother.
What defines a mother? My father, zt"l, would say
(and this appears in his sefer Tifferes Torah, in
Parshas Shemos) that the Torah refers to Yocheved and Miriam
as Shifra and Pu'ah. Shifra, because she improves
[meshaperes] the unborn child, and Pu'ah, because she
murmurs [po'ah] and talks to the unborn child. And
why doesn't the Torah refer to them according to their real
names? Father would explain that this can be likened to a
child who is hospitalized. Everyone gathers around in an
effort to save its life. But who thinks of wiping the
child's nose? Only the mother, who is constantly thinking
about the little things as well, in order to improve the
child, however she can. They (Yocheved and Miriam) had this
attitude towards each and every one, and therefore they were
given "homes," in effect mothers of all of Israel.
"Within this holy kehilla we have witnessed not only
the leadership of `the chariot of Israel and its rider,' but
also the leadership of every individual not just as a
father, but also as a mother, with everyone being treated as
if he were a son in every respect. This was the way both
Abba, zt"l, and Ima, o"h, treated people. The same was true
of Miriam, o"h, for whom acts of chesed with
individuals was a way of life, besides the acts of
chesed she did for the entire community--and this is
what we mourn.
"Since we are standing here, HaRav, Abba zt"l, is
here with us now. This is the time to ask: Abba! Be an
advocate for your kehilloh that it may continue along
the path you marked for us, the path of the Torah, the path
of holiness, the path of modesty, so that all of your
efforts over the course of twenty years will not have been
made in vain and will not go to waste."
At the conclusion of the hespeidim, Kaddish and Kel
Molei Rachamim were recited and the crowning ceremony for
Rav Yisroel Yaakov Pincus, the moro de'asra of Eidas
Hachareidim in Ofakim, was held.
HaRav Chaim Hacohen Kamil spoke and the father of the
deceased, HaRav Chaim Avrohom Pincus, spoke with great
emotion saying, "This is a great zechus for my son,
to have a son who is able to fill his post. Therefore I,
along with the entire kehilla, bless the Rov, that
his days be long and his years filled with success and
nachas, and this will be a consolation for the entire
family, and a zechus for my son, zichrono
livrochoh."
The ksav hahachtarah was read aloud by HaRav Aharon
Leib Shteinman and afterwards he handed the document to the
new moro de'asra and bestowed upon him a warm
blessing, that he meet great success in strengthening the
kehilla in every respect. At the conclusion of the
gathering the crowd burst out singing "Yomim al yemei
Melech Tosif."
