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.
