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NEWS
HaRav Moshe Weinberger z'l
by A. Cohen

In a heart-rending levaya, thousands of Kiryat Sefer residents accompanied HaRav Moshe Weinberger zt'l, rosh Kollel Berdichev in Kiryat Sefer, who passed away at the age of 47 following a tormenting illness.

Born to Ephraim Fishel Weinberger, the rov of Tel Aviv's Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, and Rivkoh, a granddaughter of HaRav Moshe Klirs, a former rov of Tiberius, and raised in a home of yiras Shomayim, halocho and midos tovos, HaRav Moshe Weinberger had an opportunity to acquire superb middos that remained with him throughout his lifetime.

As a bochur he studied at yeshivas Nachalas Dovid in Petach Tikva where he cleaved to the rosh yeshiva HaRav Boruch Shimon Salomon ylct'a and was one of the outstanding students at the yeshiva, devoting all of his time and strength to Torah study.

When the time came he married Yehudis ylct'a, daughter of HaRav Mendel Chazan of Jerusalem, and began to study in the Mirrer Yeshiva, where he continued to dedicate his efforts to Torah study with the enthusiasm of a yeshiva bochur, clinging loyally to his rabbonim.

When Kiryat Sefer was founded, he moved his family to the emerging Torah city where, based on his reputation as a marbitz Torah, he was immediately offered an appointment as rosh kollel of Mifal Hashas Berdichev. There he presented his avreichim with a model of omol haTorah and hasmodoh--the image of a godol beTorah and a man of superlative middos.

Many of his friends noted his tremendous modesty and shyness, saying he was always easygoing and constantly striving to help others, readily conversing in plain language with great and small alike and always wary not to hurt a soul. The walls of the central beis medrash of Kiryat Sefer's Heichal Yitzchok, where he often sat in chavrusa until after midnight, are suffused with his devoted Torah learning.

Two years ago he was struck with a severe illness. Despite his yissurim following the difficult medical treatments he had to undergo, he would continue to study devotedly in his regular chavrusas throughout the day. During the last several months the sickness intensified and on erev Shavuos he returned his soul--cleansed through yissurim- - to his Maker.

The thousands attending his levaya, led by roshei yeshivos and roshei kollelim, set out from his home in Kiryat Sefer, weeping over the loss of a gavro rabo.

Outside his home the Mara D'Asro HaRav Meir Kessler delivered a hesped stressing his hidden tzidkus, saying he never sought recognition or honor, and noting his effort not to reveal his illness in order to prevent troubling others. HaRav Kessler also spoke of his great hasmodoh even in the face of difficult physical and emotional yissurim, accepting his plight with love like a godol. He also noted the great mesirus shown by his wife, who stayed at his bedside night and day during the last six months of his life.

HaRav Boruch Shimon Salomon likened the departure of the niftar to the burning of a sefer Torah and said just as when a sefer Torah is burned everyone must do kri'o, likewise in this case everyone must mourn his loss. HaRav Salomon noted his outstanding learning at the yeshiva and his great depth of understanding, his yashrus, his refined heart, his outstanding middos and his shleimus as a man of chesed.

"The great niftar zt'l," said Rav Salomon, "demands something of all of us in terms of Torah learning. Even when he was seized by difficult yissurim his hospital room was like a beis medrash filled with dozens of seforim which he studied intensely even during his difficult yissurim."

HaRav Moshe Gafni, the rov of Beis Medrash Heichal Yitzchok where the departed prayed, spoke of his special character and how every question raised in the beis medrash was brought before him, whereupon HaRav Weinberger would utilize clear thinking to offer a solution, always presenting it with simplicity and humility.

"We do not know what a great neshomoh we have lost," affirmed HaRav Gafni. "As the Chofetz Chaim said upon the petiroh of his son-in-law HaRav Tzvi Hirsch Levinson, who knows what harsh decree was placed on the tzibbur when such a great tzaddik was taken to the beis olmin, invariably annulling terrible gezeiros on klal Am Yisroel through his death."

At Jerusalem's Shamgar Funeral Home hespeidim were given by Rosh Yeshivas Mir HaRav Aryeh Finkel, his brother-in- law Rav Tzvi Chazan and his friend HaRav Moshe Tzucker. All of the hespeidim stressed HaRav Weinberger's greatness as a ben Torah and a man of exemplary middos and the great loss through his departure.

After his orphaned sons recited Kaddish to the sound of bitter weeping among the many people gathered, the levaya set out for Har Hamenuchos where he was buried after midnight.

Rav Moshe Weinberger is survived by two young sons, a daughter in a Beis Yaakov Seminary and many friends distraught over his petiroh.

Last week a public hesped was given at Yeshivas Nachalas Dovid in Petach Tikva by HaRav Boruch Shimon Salomon, who spoke of his greatness in Torah and his perseverance in learning even while lying in pain on his deathbed. The Rosh Yeshiva was followed by Rav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, who inspired listeners with profound divrei his'orerus.

A fund has been set up for the widow and orphaned children in response to a rare and impassioned plea by Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, shlita, who issued a long, detailed letter outlining the need to act in support of the fund.

 

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