The bitter news about the petirah of HaRav Dovid
Rotberg, zt"l, former ram in the Chofetz Chaim
yeshiva of Kfar Saba and the spiritual director of the
Kaplan Beis Yaakov Seminary for Girls in Boro Park, spread
quickly across the United States. He was niftar after
an illness in the 83rd year of his life.
HaRav Rotberg, son of Reb Tuvia, was born in 5678 (1918). In
the home of his illustrious father, he imbibed an abundant
measure of Torah and yiras Shomayim, and it was there
that his unique personality was forged. Already as a child,
the character traits which accompanied him throughout his
life and on whose account he was highly admired by all of
his students and acquaintances were evident: the traits of
hasmodoh, refinement and a special chein.
Reb Tuvia Rotberg was very close with HaRav Shimon Shkop,
the rosh yeshiva of Grodno. This special friendship
manifested itself in many areas, and Reb Tuvia once even set
out with HaRav Shimon to raise funds for the yeshiva. Quite
naturally, Reb Tuvia sent his son to study under Reb Shimon.
In time, the young Dovid, who had been one of the finest
students in HaRav Shimon Shkop's yeshiva, went on to study
in the Mir yeshiva, where he quickly become beloved by the
yeshiva students and heads, who regarded him as destined for
greatness in Torah.
Prior to World War Two he arrived in Eretz Hakodesh and
joined the Lomza yeshiva in Petach Tikvah. There he
continued to study with tremendous diligence, toiling and
exerting himself in avodas Hashem and serving as a
role model of the ben yeshiva who never ceases his
Torah study.
After his marriage, he was asked to be a ram in the
Chofetz Chaim yeshiva in Kfar Saba, headed by HaRav Aharon
Leib Steinman. In this yeshiva, he was beloved by all of the
students who acquired eternal Torah kinyonim as well
as yiras Shomayim from him, along with outstanding
character traits and deep understanding of halocho.
They regarded him as a compassionate father figure who
sought only their benefit, guiding them on the true Torah
path which he had acquired from his mentors, the great
gedolei hador.
He later assumed the burden of upkeep of the yeshiva,
attending to all the needs of scores of students while
continuing to deliver remarkable shiurim. Over the
years, he merited to produce many students and to influence
each one of them in his warm, unassuming and glowing manner,
encouraging and strengthening them with every fiber of his
soul. His relationships with his students continued for many
years, even after they had left the yeshiva and they
remained attached to him with deep bonds of love.
When his brother, ylct'a, HaRav Zalman Rotberg
founded the Beis Meir yeshiva in Bnei Brak, he rallied to
his aid, sharing the financial burden with him. In the
United States, he was asked to be menahel ruchani of
the large Esther Shoenfeld Beis Yaakov, which at that time
had more than a thousand students. At the advice of his
mentors, he accepted this challenge. When the seminary
closed, due to the fact that Jews had left the area, he was
asked to be menahel ruchani of the Kaplan Beis Yaakov
Seminary in Boro Park on 14th Avenue. For the past forty
years he served in that capacity, guiding thousands of young
Jewish women and instilling in them the ideal of
establishing Torah homes.
There, too, he was admired and respected by all who knew
him. His co-workers described him as a model of middos
tovos, greatness and pleasant ways who always found the
golden mean in every issue while remaining staunch in all
that pertained to raising Jewish children according to the
derech transmitted to us from generation to
generation.
Despite his tremendous involvement in chinuch he
continued his Torah studies and delivered Torah
shiurim in various heicholei Torah in the
United States, a well as regular daily shiurim. These
shiurim gained fame throughout the Torah world.
Many bnei Torah flocked to his droshos, and he
became famous for his unique gift of speech. At every
important Torah gathering he was one of the main speakers,
and the heartfelt words which emanated from the depths of
his pure heart penetrated the hearts of his avid
listeners.
His home in the United States was open to all visitors from
Eretz Hakodesh, and rabbonim, roshei yeshiva and
gedolei haTorah would stay with him whenever they
visited the United States. All his guests felt as if his
were their private home, and he, in turn, gave them the
feeling that he was benefiting from their visits.
Due to his humble and unassuming nature, many unfortunate
people approached him with their woes. He, in turn, rejoiced
in their simchas and grieved over their sorrows.
He initiated and founded the rest and recuperation programs
of Vaad Hayeshivos in Eretz Yisroel, convincing the owner of
a certain rest home in Ramat Gan to donate his building for
that purpose. Thanks to the Vaad Hayeshivos' contacts with
that owner, the Mifal Beis Havro'oh for Bnei Yeshiva, which
accommodates roshei yeshiva, gedolei haTorah and
mussar as well as the finest bnei yeshiva in
the country, bore fruit.
Recently he fell ill, and on Wednesday, the 10th of
Cheshvan, he returned his pure soul to its Maker. His
levaya, which took place in Boro Park, was attended
by masses of mourners, headed by roshei yeshiva and
gedolei haTorah. Before the levaya set out,
hespedim were delivered by HaRav Malkiel Kotler, the
rosh yeshiva of Lakewood; HaRav Chaim Sarna, the
rosh yeshiva of Chevron Geula; HaRav Binyomin
Tzielberger, the rosh yeshiva of Beis HaTalmud; HaRav
Eliezer Horowitz, the rav of the Aguda shul of 17th
Avenue; HaRav Chaim Epstein, the rosh yeshiva of
Zichron Melech; HaRav Yeruchom Olshin, one of the roshei
yeshiva of Lakewood; HaRav Hellman, the principal of the
Beis Yaakov Seminary in Boro Park; HaRav Yechiel Kaufman,
the rav of the Sephardi shul; HaRav Rotberg's oldest
son, HaRav Tzvi Rotberg and HaRav Shmuel Steinharter, HaRav
Dovid's son-in-law.
At the end of the levaya in America, the aron
left for Eretz Yisroel. In Eretz Yisroel a levaya was
held Thursday afternoon.
HaRav Rotberg's aron arrived in Eretz Yisroel
Thursday 11 Cheshvan, and his levaya set out from the
Beis Meir yeshiva in Bnei Brak. Many students from the
Chofetz Chaim yeshiva participated in the levaya,
which was headed by gedolei Yisroel: HaRav Aharon
Leib Steinman, HaRav Chaim Shaul Karelitz, HaRav Moshe
Shmuel Shapira, HaRav Nissim Karelitz, and HaRav Chaim
Kanievsky. Hespedim and divrei his'orerus were
delivered by: the niftar's brother, HaRav Zalman
Rotberg, the niftar's nephew, HaRav Tzvi Rotberg as
well as by HaRav Nosson Zochovksi who had been one of the
niftar's students, HaRav Eliezer Markowitz, HaRav
Shmuel Yaakov Bornstein and HaRav Zeidel Epstein.
The maspidim stressed his outstanding character
traits, his good heart which wanted only to benefit others,
and his strong link with his many students which lasted many
years after he had left Eretz Hakodesh.
They also noted that in all of his many droshos, he
spoke about the golden chain which has continued over the
generations. His outstanding character, the maspidim
said, mirrored the home of his illustrious father, HaRav
Tuvia, and with HaRav Dovid's petirah the Torah world
has lost the glory and the grandeur of the previous
generation, as it was reflected in his image.
At the end of the hespedim, the levaya left
for the Chevron Geula yeshiva in Jerusalem, where HaRav Tzvi
Markowitz delivered a stirring hesped. From there, it
proceeded to Har Hazeisim, where he was buried.
HaRav Rotberg is survived by five sons and a daughter. His
oldest son is HaRav Tuvia the head of the Machon Mishnas Rav
Aharon Kotler. His other sons are HaRav Avrohom, HaRav Moshe
and HaRav Yosef, one of the prominent avreichim in
Lakewood. His daughter is married to HaRav Shmuel
Steinharter, and his brother is HaRav Zalman Rotberg,
rosh yeshiva of Beis Meir.
