On 14 Teves, gedolei haTorah, admorim, roshei
yeshiva and rabbonim joined thousands of chassidim
and laymen in Bnei Brak to accompany the Admor of Lelov,
zt"l, HaRav Alter Elozor Menachem Biderman, on his
last earthly journey. The Admor of Lelov was niftar
suddenly at the age of sixty-five.
HaRav Alter Elozor, son of HaRav Moshe Mordechai of Lelov,
was born on 4 Menachem Av, 5695 (1935). His intense desire
to grow in avodas Hashem and the study of Torah was
evident since childhood. In his father's home he acquired
love of Torah, pure yiras Shomayim and noble
character traits.
As a youth he studied with tremendous deveikus. In
his early years, he studied in the Tifferes Tzion yeshiva in
Bnei Brak, where he was very close to the Chazon Ish. The
Admor would often longingly relate accounts of the long
walks he would take with the Chazon Ish while discussing
Torah and halocho. He even merited to be tested by
the Chazon Ish every week.
In 5718 (1958), he married the righteous daughter of HaRav
Shimon Aharon Hershkowitz, the ga'avad of Slavita.
During the early period of his marriage, he studied Torah
with amazing hasmodoh in Kollel Breslov, and
continued to progress in his avodas Hashem.
In 5725, he founded his beis medrash on Rabbi Akiva
Street in Bnei Brak. When his father, the Admor HaRav Moshe
Mordechai, moved from Tel Aviv to Bnei Brak, he
davened on a permanent basis in his beis
medrash for twenty consecutive years. HaRav Alter Elozor
Menachem also taught Torah in this beis Medrash,
giving daily shiurim.
HaRav Alter Elozor Menachem's love of Torah and those who
study it knew no limits. After the petirah of his
mother in 5738, he established the Or Menachem network of
kollelim in which scores of outstanding talmidei
chachomim study until today. He also founded Kehal
Atteres Moshe of the Lelover Chassidim of the United States:
a community of scores of chassidim and laymen headed by
HaRav Alter Elozor Menachem's son, HaRav Dovid Tzvi
Shlomo.
On 14 Teves, he held a tisch in honor of the
yahrtzeit of his father, HaRav Moshe Mordechai of
Lelov. Close to 2:00 AM he suddenly felt ill, and asked for
a cup of water. After he recited the shehakol, his
pure heart stopped beating.
The levaya set out from the beis medrash on 65
Rabbi Akiva Street, where his mechuton, HaRav Nosson
Gestetner, ga'avad of Kiryas Agudas Yisroel in Bnei
Brak and rosh yeshiva of Ponim Meiros, delivered a
hesped. He noted the kedushoh and
prishus of the Admor, and that he was an outstanding
ba'al chesed who helped all who approached him, no
matter what their affiliation.
From the beis medrash the levaya set out on
foot to the outskirts of Bnei Brak, from where it proceeded
to Yerushalayim. In Yerushalayim, the levaya was
headed by the Admor's bother, the Admor of Lelov,
shlita. Beside the beis medrash of the Lelover
Chassidim on Tsefania Street in Yerushalayim, a crowd of
thousands had assembled including roshei yeshiva,
admorim and rabbonim.
Hespedim were delivered by his illustrious
mechutonim, HaRav Sholom Weinberger, the rav of
Tshaba, and HaRav Moshe Sofer, the rav of the Pupa beis
medrash. The levaya then proceeded to Har
Hazeisim, where, toward twilight, he was buried beside the
admorim of the Lelover dynasty.
