A bereaved crowd of thousands, composed of and headed by
gedolei haTorah, roshei yeshiva, rabbonim, dayonim
and thousands of students, accompanied HaRav Yitzchok Shlomo
Zilberman zt"l,, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Aderes
Eliyahu on his last earthly journey. The seventy-two year
old HaRav Yitzchok Shlomo was niftar after a brief
illness.
HaRav Yitzchok Shlomo Zilberman was born in Berlin on 21
Nisan, 5688 (1928). His father was the tzaddik, HaRav
Avrohom Moshe, well-known as the English translator of
Rashi's commentary on the Chumash. His mother, Rivka,
daughter of Gavriel Yosef Levi, was niftar when HaRav
Yitzchok Shlomo was only three years old.
Later, due to pressure from the Nazi fiends, HaRav Avrohom
Moshe moved with his children from Germany to England.
However when Yitzchok Shlomo, was only eleven, at the
beginning of the War, his father was niftar. During
the war years, the eleven-year-old orphan wandered from
place to place, until he reached Eretz Yisroel having
left on the last boat that sailed from England before the
War.
Arriving there alone, he was taken in by his uncle, Rabbi
Dr. Yaakov Levi, z"l, who raised him during those
poverty-stricken times.
HaRav Yechiel Michel Schlesinger founded Kol Torah for
students of German origin during that time, and young
Yitzchok Shlomo studied there. HaRav Schlesinger took
special care of the young orphan, bringing him in to the
world of Torah. He was so outstanding that the Rosh Yeshiva
would often say that it was worth the effort to establish
the yeshiva even if Yitzchok Shlomo were its only
student.
He later studied in the Mirrer yeshiva, under HaRav Eliezer
Yehuda Finkel. HaRav Finkel once told someone inquiring
about Yitzchok Shlomo: "Here's a bochur who knows all
Noshim and Nezikin." Once when they met HaRav
Schlesinger told R' Leizer Yudel that he had sent him a
diamond.
He pored over his studies with tremendous diligence. He
would later longingly recall the first winter in the Mirrer
yeshiva, where he heard shiurim from HaRav Ephraim
Bordiansky, zt"l, and completed all of Yevomos
in one zman.
During that period, he married the eishes chayil
Rebbetzin Yaffa Sheindel o"h, daughter of HaRav Yom
Tov Zlotnik. Together, they established their illustrious
home, living with a lack of gashmiyus in a small, two-
room apartment in Jerusalem's Shaarei Chessed neighborhood
where they raised their many children.
Throughout that time, HaRav Zilberman rose in avodas
Hashem. He would approach Jerusalem's sages, seeking to
learn the correct way to truly serve Hashem. His life was a
saga of clarifying all manifestations of avodas
Hashem in order to find the one best suited to him.
His close friend, HaRav Shmuel Dvir, zt"l, joined him
in his efforts to find the best approach to avodas
Hashem. They followed the path of the students of the
Gra, founders of the Jewish yishuv in Eretz
Hakodesh. They were also close with HaRav Chaim
Friedlander, zt"l, who opened up the works of the
Ramchal to the Torah world with his editions.
HaRav Zilberman did not want to derive any material benefit
from the crown of Torah, and he earned his livelihood as a
sofer stam. Torah study was his main occupation,
however; earning a livelihood was clearly secondary.
Nonetheless, he made great efforts to ensure that his sacred
work as a scribe be superior, as suits such labor. As a
result, all the gedolei Yisroel endorsed and relied
upon his safrus, including the Gaon of Tchebin and
HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt"l.
When his children reached talmud Torah age, he made
great efforts to establish a talmud Torah where they
would learn Chumash in the correct way. From these
attempts, three chadorim resulted, culminating in the
Talmud Torah in the Old City.
Throughout his life, HaRav Zilberman strove to clarify the
foundations of emunoh. He rallied to the aid of the
teshuva movement at its very beginnings. Knowing how
to answer questions and clarify misgivings of ba'alei
teshuva, he helped many on their new path in life.
About ten years he moved to the Jewish Quarter of the Old
City of Yerushalayim, bringing along his family and scores
of other chareidi families with him, and establishing the
Jewish Quarter as the residence of faithful Jews. He founded
a yeshiva ketana and yeshiva gedola in the
Jewish quarter, Aderes Eliyahu, in addition to the world-
famous cheder.
A few weeks ago, he developed an illness from which he never
recovered. Knowing that his end was near, he accepted his
lot serenely and with utmost faith. Prior to his
petirah, he enjoined his sons to continue to pursue
Hashem's path. On Tuesday (18 Adar), while his sons were
davening shacharis kevosikin in his room, he returned
his soul to his Maker. All of his children were present at
the time.
At the levaya, which left from the Shamgar funeral
home in Jerusalem, a heartfelt hesped was delivered
by his childhood friend, HaRav Shmuel Auerbach, the rosh
yeshiva of Maalos HaTorah. In a tear-choked voice, HaRav
Auerbach dwelt on the niftar's desire for truth that
had burned within him since childhood, and on his yearning
to be only involved in avodas Hashem.
A hesped was delivered by HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel,
who related that HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel had told HaRav
Yechiel Michel Schlesinger, "The student you sent me is
chochom lev." HaRav Nosson Tzvi spoke at length about
the niftar's remarkable yearning for
chochmoh.
Next to speak was the niftar's mechuton, HaRav Simcha
HaKohen Kook, who bitterly wept over the immense loss,
crying out: Torah, Torah chigri sak, Yerushalayim titein
koloh. Tinikos shel beis rabbon, bechu es ho'aveido." He
then asked the sons of the niftar to continue with
the sacred work of the talmud Torah.
HaRav Moshe Yehuda Schlesinger, the rosh yeshiva of Kol
Torah, stressed the niftar's greatness in
da'as and in lev as well as the precision and
refinement of all his deeds. He stressed that
niftar's greatness was evident even when he was
young. He said that he was a great man in deed and thought,
whose clear goals were Torah and avodas Hashem. His
greatness expressed itself in that he was careful about
everything that he did, big or small. Recalling his years in
Kol Torah, the rosh yeshiva said that in those days he
excelled in his dedication, his clarity and his bein odom
lechavero, qualities that remained with him throughout
his life.
The rav of the Jewish Quarter, HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl, said
that today there is no Beis Hamikdash but there is a
mizbeiach in Heaven and the angel Michoel offers upon
it the souls of the tzaddikim. The niftar is
certainly part of the sacrifice that the angel Michoel
offers as an atonement for us and if we yearn to follow in
the niftar's ways then it will atone for us. He then
related that he had spoken extensively with HaRav Zilberman
on all aspects of Torah, stressing that the niftar
added kedusha to the Rova, increasing the glory of
Torah. He truly picked up the cloak of Eliyahu.
The niftar's son, HaRav Eliyahu, the rosh yeshiva of
Aderes Eliyahu said that we have been orphans for several
weeks, when he was sick, but now there is no father. The
gemora in Chagigah says, "Vetzaddik
be'emunoso yichye." Whoever saw Father in the ups and
downs of his life and especially the last weeks saw the
meaning of this posuk. When he was very sick he took
a sefer and said that he wanted to learn to that he
could literally fulfill the posuk, Odom ki yomus
bo'ohel.
He said that he felt that Hashem is holding his hand. Even
when they lived in intense poverty he had bitochon
that things would work out and they saw incredible
mofsim. He was an ish emes, and constantly
worked and delved to find the truth.
He always sought to make people happy, and he had a genuine
concern for everyone.
HaRav Yom Tov his oldest son said the posuk Ovi, Ovi
rechev Yisroel uporoshov. He was a father twice: in
gashmiyus and in ruchniyus. He toiled and
worked for each child and each grandchild. He spent his life
working to fulfill the posuk, Vehoda'atem levonecho
velivnei vonecho yom asher omadeto lifnei Hashem Elokecho
beChorev. As in everything else, he would think about it
over and over, and constantly try to find new and better
ways to fulfill it.
Rechev Yisroel -- he was not only concerned for his
private interests but for Klal Yisroel. And all of Klal
Yisroel benefits from the fruits of his efforts. He also
stood ready to defend and answer for the Torah when
questions were raised about it.
Rav Yom Tov said that when he was five years old (and it was
time for him to start cheder) and his father had to
fulfill in practice the obligation to tell his son, he
founded the Kaminetz Talmud Torah. Later, when his brother
Nochum was five years old, he was not satisfied with the
existing institutions and founded Hadar Tzion.
At that time he was like a war horse (porash) and he
ran to do what he thought was necessary.
He went to live in Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh and founded a
community of talmidei chachomim who are ovdei
Hashem and chased away all the reshoim who used
to live there simply by being there.
Rav Sa'adia Gaon says that bitochon is the test of
emunoh. His bitochon was incredible.
HaRav Zilberman's loyal talmid, HaRav Uri Zohar also
spoke. He said that HaRav Zilberman was like a father to
whom he submitted 25 years ago. After only a few minutes in
his presence, I already knew that the Torah is true. I could
see Truth in him. I saw what a Jew is. He told me then, "You
see before you the happiest man in the world."
He would constantly search and was always ready to think
things through from scratch. "Maybe it is not true? Maybe it
is not correct?" Rav Zohar said that many things he himself
already thought were established and true, but HaRav
Zilberman would constantly question and quest.
His whole life he walked with the Ramchal and the Gaon and
they are certainly receiving him now.
The levaya proceeded to Har Hazeisim, where he was
buried in the presence of many of his students.
