A large thong of Bnei Brak residents headed by gedolei
haTorah, roshei yeshiva and rabbonim accompanied HaRav
Naftoli Hoffner zt"l on his last earthly journey on
Elul 24. HaRav Hoffner, author of Sefer Halocho and
many other sifrei halocho umussar, was niftar
following a serious illness.
HaRav Hoffner was born 92 years ago in Leipzig. His father,
Reb Eliezer, was a fur merchant, known as an outstanding
chessed figure and for making peace between people.
Leipzig was a city for immigrant Jews from different
countries at the time. These Jews were mostly assimilated,
with an intermarriage rate of 50 per cent.
When Hitler gained control of Germany, antisemitism in
Leipzig increased and the Hoffner family moved to Paris. At
that time, Reb Naftoli was twenty-five. Although French was
new to him, he learned it quickly and was soon offered a
position as a youth leader in the Tzofim movement, comprised
mainly of Jewish youngsters from assimilated homes. Unlike
the other youth leaders, however, he concentrated on drawing
his charges closer to Yiddishkeit, translating parts
of the siddur into French and taking them to
shul every Shabbos.
In the winter zman of 5697 (1937) he began to study in
the Montreux yeshiva in Switzerland; a year later he
transferred to the Beis Midrash Lerabbonim in Berlin. He
derived much satisfaction from his studies there, for in
addition to participating in the scholarly shiurim of
the Sridei Eish, HaRav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, he also
attended HaRav Weinberg's shiurim in poskim, a
subject not customary given in yeshivos. The young Reb
Naftoli regarded HaRav Weinberg as his rav muvhak, and
it was in that beis medrash that he crystallized his
special way of summarizing halochos which later became
the basis of his famous halachic works.
A year and half after he had begun his studies in Berlin, the
Nazis invaded Austria. Since he was an Austrian citizen, he
was forced to leave Germany. After reaching Holland, he
managed to flee to France. During this period until the
outbreak of the war he studied agriculture, later using this
knowledge in writing his first halachic work on the
laws of treifos. The work includes anatomical
illustrations of various animal organs.
With the outbreak of the war, he was arrested a number of
times by French authorities as an alien, and was tormented by
French policemen and soldiers. He was imprisoned in the
Verona detention camp in southern France, set up and
administered by the French. Living conditions there were
nearly like those of the German concentration camps.
Notwithstanding the degradation, starvation, filth, illness
and the high mortality rate in the camp, and despite the lack
of any religious artifacts and sifrei kodesh, HaRav
Hoffner managed to study gemora bechavrusa every day,
and to transcribe halachic notations according to the
Chochmas Odom a copy of which he happened to
secure.
With tremendous effort and overt miracles he fled France,
sailing from Portugal to the safe shores of the United
States, where he arrived on 10 Elul 5701 (1941). The great
miracles he experienced in his flight from France made a
tremendous impression on him and he transcribed detailed
memoirs from that period, stressing chasdei Hashem
which accompanied him in every aspect of his difficult
travails. Fifty years later he held a special celebration to
commemorate those miracles and express his gratitude to
Hashem.
In America, he married the daughter of the Lumnitz family.
Together with his wife, who originated from the Eiterfeld
community in the Fulda region, he build an exemplary
family.
During his first years in the United States he suffered from
dire poverty: he eked out only a meager livelihood due to his
refusal to work on Shabbos. Whenever he received some sort of
a job, at the end of the week he informed his employers that
he could not work on Shabbos and he would be fired
immediately. At that time, the family lived in New Jersey in
a region where there were no Torah observant Jews and there
was no kosher food. In order to provide his children with
milk and milk products, he bought a goat.
The family later moved to Monsey, where he was one of the
founders of the Beis Tefillo shul for Jews of German
descent. Although he worked for a living, Torah study was his
principal occupation, and he spent every available moment
studying with remarkable hasmodoh and working on his
seforim. He was also very active in making sholom
bayis between husband and wife, when called upon to do
so.
He sent his sons to yeshivos, paying the very high tuition,
despite his limited financial means and notwithstanding the
scorn with which American society regarded such a step. He
never thought about what others would say, but did what was
right.
Throughout all his years in America, he was appalled by its
materialism. The craze for money and for respecting people in
accordance with the size of their bank accounts which he saw
there, made him long to leave America and move to Eretz
Yisroel. He realized his aspiration in 5727 (1967) when he
received money from early retirement and moved to Eretz
Yisroel.
At first, he settled in Tel Aviv. However, he wasn't
satisfied until he moved to Bnei Brak in 5731 (1971), in
order to live near the Slobodke yeshiva, where he studied and
davened.
Torah study was the essence of his life: lilmod
ulilamed. He encouraged his sons to also write
chiddushim in order to achieve clarity and so that
they would not forget their learning.
Great is Torah study that results in deed. His mitzvah
observance and tefillah were meticulous, especially
since he had clarified halochos in depth while
preparing his seforim. This caused him to hold the
tradition of German Jews in high esteem and to encourage
their precise observance of halocho.
His integrity was remarkable. He decided to forego monetary
reparation for his suffering during the Holocaust years
because he would be required to attest that he was in need of
the money and he was not certain that he was really in the
category of a needy person.
He spent his days immersed in Torah study and writing
important works of halocho and hashkofo. His
first sefer was compiled according to the
simonim of the Shulchan Oruch, with sixty
illustrations. This sefer, which appeared in 5710
(1950) and was the first of its kind, paved the way for
others who began to emulate his style. He wrote the
sefer when he was only 32, yet he received the warm
recommendations of the gedolei hador in the United
States: HaRav Moshe Feinstein, HaRav Yehonoson Steif and
HaRav Yitzchok Hutner.
HaRav Moshe Feinstein, who knew him personally, said at the
time: "He is surely yirei Shomayim . . . I know him as
a talmid chochom and a yirei Shomayim who is
meticulous in his deeds and character traits, and is a
talmid chochom and chover whose every deed is
proper."
He wrote many other books, his main work being the ten-volume
Sefer Halocho on Orach Chaim. The first volume,
Dinei Birchos Hanehenin, was published in 5720 (1960)
and contains the recommendations of the Sridei Eish and HaRav
Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, the rosh yeshiva of Mir. HaRav
Yitzchok Hutner not only praised the book saying: "Many of
those who study it will benefit from it," but also noted the
greatness of its author: "I know that he is steadfast in his
in-depth study of the Torah which he accomplishes with great
effort and much exertion, because he labors for his living.
Oseh tzedoko bechol eis refers to one who supports his
wife and his family, and the abovementioned sefer is
the fruit of his labors in beis Hashem at nights."
His other books include Taharas Haloshon Vehanefesh on
shemiras haloshon, the Tikun Hamidos series,
the Chizuk Emunah books and the Madrich Birchos
Hanehenin, which cites the correct blessing for each type
of food. Shaar LaShomayim, a guide to prayer according
to halocho, Dinei Hagiyur Vehager, Mipninei HaMaharal
MiPrague on geula and the coming of the
Moshiach.
Regarding HaRav Hoffner's work on the Maharal, HaRav S. Wolbe
wrote: "The works of the Maharal are very deep, and generally
gedolim only are able to study and understand them.
Kevod Toraso, in his special manner, known from his
previous works, has found a way of introducing us too to the
remarkable world of the Maharal."
His last book, which he didn't merit to complete, is a work
on the parshiyos of the Torah. Tens of thousands of
copies his books were printed. He wrote them lesheim
Shomayim in order to spread Torah and to draw the distant
closer. Many of his books were translated into French,
Spanish, English and Russian.
The Kehillos Yaakov was very fond of HaRav Hoffner's
Madrich Birchos Hanehenin and bought copies to
distribute as bar mitzvah gifts. Many followed in his
footsteps, preparing detailed guides to the laws of
brochos. More than 100,000 copies of his guide were
distributed.
A year prior to his petirah, doctors discovered that
he had a very serious illness. Despite his poor health, he
continued to work diligently on his books until almost his
final day. A few days before his petirah he lost
consciousness. He returned his soul to its Maker on the 24th
of Elul, the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim. At the
time of his petirah he was surrounded by family
members reciting Yigdal, according to the Ashkenazi
custom he followed his entire life. The niggun they
chanted was filled with yearning for Hashem.
His large levaya, headed by gedolei haTorah, roshei
yeshiva, rabbonim and talmidei chachomim left from
his home in Bnei Brak. The first hesped was delivered
by HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the rosh yeshiva of the
Slobodke Yeshiva, who wept over the loss of the
niftar, who upon his arrival in Bnei Brak sought to
live near the yeshiva, having a strong influence throughout
the years on its students. HaRav Usher Sofer, rosh kollel
of Gedera, noted the greatness of the niftar, the
tremendous impact of his halachic works and his
outstanding devotion to the Ashkenazi tradition.
HaRav Eliezer Halevi Dunner, the rav of the Adas Yisroel
community and a member of the BaDaTz of Shearis Yisroel,
noted the fact that HaRav Hoffner was niftar on the
day of the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim. He linked
this to his trait of speaking little and of disseminating the
study of halocho in our times, noting especially his
work, Taharas Haguf veHanefesh on shemiras
haloshon.
The niftar's son, HaRav Yosef Boruch Hoffner,
rav of the Ma'ayenei Hayeshua Hospital, bemoaned the
loss of his illustrious father and briefly described his
father's mesiras nefesh in materialistic America. He
noted how he educated his children to Torah and dedicated
himself to Shabbos observance and kashrus in a mocking, alien
environment. The final hesped was delivered by HaRav
Avrohom Pollack, mashgiach of Slobodke, who dwelled on
HaRav Hoffner's deveikus in his studies and his
remarkable diligence.
Since the levaya was attended by the students of the
Slobodke Yeshiva, the shiur kloli usually given in the
yeshiva at that time was canceled.
The levaya left Bnei Brak, reaching the Shamgar
funeral home in Jerusalem where HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi, one
of the roshei yeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva delivered
a hesped. HaRav Ezrachi spoke about the
niftar's endeavors in Torah as well as his
simcha. HaRav Zeev Pachino, rav of Kibbutz Chofetz
Chaim, noted HaRav Hoffner's great mesiras nefesh to
Torah and mitzvos. The niftar's son, HaRav Binyomin
Hoffner, a student of Kollel Chazon Ish, said that his father
was a trailblazer in the system of summarizing
halocho, serving as an example for those who followed
him. He also cited his father's success in strengthening the
awareness of the need to be meticulous in the recitation of
brochos, and discussed his mesiras nefesh to
Torah and mitzvos under the most difficult circumstances.
In the evening he was buried on Har Hamenuchos, near the
grave of the Maharam Shapiro of Lublin.
