On the seventh day of Chanukah Rebbetzin Reikel Soroh
Eichenstein was laid to rest at age 92. Her levaya was
attended by leaders of Torah and chassidus.
She was born in Trisk in 5671 (1911) to Rav Moshe Mordechai
Mitrisk, eldest son of Rav Yaakov Arye Mitrisk zy"o,
the son and successor of the holy Maggid of Trisk,
and to Rebbetzin Malka daughter of Rav Boruch Meir from
Zaranitsh, a grandson of Rebbi Aharon of Chernobyl
zy"o.
She grew up in close contact with her grandfather, Rav Yaakov
Arye, and her grandmother, Feige, daughter of Rov of
Rachmastrivka zy"o. During the First World War her
grandfather, Rav Yaakov Arye transferred his court to Kobal.
When he passed away in 5678 (1918), her father settled in
Lublin, where many Trisk Chassidim were resident and
thousands streamed to his tefillos and
tishen.
Already in her youth she was renowned for her intelligence
and sharpness and her fame spread throughout Poland. She had
the merit of knowing the tzaddikim of the Chernobyl
court and many of the gedolim and tzadikim of
the prewar generation. She also stayed in the Belz court for
half a year with her brother, Rebbi Yochonon, rov of
Horishov, and son-in-law of the Belzer Rebbe.
When she was bas mitzvah she became engaged to Rav
Menachem Zvi Eichenstein, son of Rav Yehoshua Heshel of
Zitchov-Hodorov, who had moved to the United States in 5784
(1924) and served a congregation in Chicago. He sent his son
Menachem Zvi to the yeshivos of Rav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky and
of the Daas Sofer in Pressburg, so that he could follow in
the footsteps of Torah and yir'oh of his holy
ancestors.
A few years later she got married in Lublin, where the
Lubliner Rav, HaRav Moshe Shapira ztvk"l made one of
the sheva brochos in honor of her father, and praised
her greatly. Her husband was supported by his father-in-law
and associated with the gedolim of Poland and the
students of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. Her first-born son, Rav
Dov Ber shlita, was born in Lublin. In 5798 (1938) she
moved to Saint Louis in the United States where her husband
had become rov. Saint Louis had a concentration of Trisker
chassidim.
During the Holocaust her husband, together with her older
brother Rav Avrohom zt"l, made efforts to save her
father, and they obtained a visa for him that would have
enabled him to escape via Switzerland. Her father responded
in a letter that he wished to share the fate of his
chassidim and he was in fact killed al kiddush
Hashem together with his family and most of his
congregation.
In 5710 (1950) her husband was appointed rav of the entire
city, where he preserved religious standards, and the town
acquired an excellent reputation throughout the world. The
Rebbetzin supported him in all activities, both in connection
with kashrus and the establishment of chadorim
and yeshivos.
She was famous for her hachnosas orchim and great
rebbes and roshei yeshiva as well as many shluchei
derabonon stayed in their home. They were all impressed
by her personality and the maamorei Chazal with which
she was familiar. She assisted all of them by doing and
getting others to act, and altogether played a large part in
the establishment of many Torah and chesed
institutions.
About one and a half months ago she developed severe
pneumonia, but bechasdei Hashem she recovered and
returned home. However, last Tuesday she was hospitalized
with a temperature and on Thursday close to midnight she
returned her soul to her Maker.
She had the merit of seeing her descendants acquire greatness
in her lifetime. Both her sons are marbitzei Torah:
HaRav Dov Ber, former rosh yeshiva of Mishkan Hatorah and rov
of Bell Harbor, HaRav Yehoshua Heshel, rosh yeshiva of Yad
Aharon, and her son-in-law, Rav Dovid Lehrfeld, rov in Miami
Beach. Her oldest grandson, the Trisker Rebbe, continues the
holy dynasty.
Because of Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh no hespedim were
held, but her son Rav Yehoshua spoke some parting words and
described her share in her husband's limud haTorah and
leadership of the town. Her grandson the Trisker Rebbe
applied to her the posuk, "And the life of Soroh was
127 years" -- all of them equally good, both during her
periods in Poland and the United States and during her
widowhood when she came to live in Eretz Yisroel and
continued her many activities. He also applied to her the
ma'amar Chazal, "Whoever is accustomed to light a
candle will have sons who are talmidei chachomim": in
the merit of having given light to everybody, she had the
merit of having sons who are gedolei Torah and
grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are great
talmidei chachomim. He also mentioned the remarkable
fact that over the last half a year she had said several
times that she had been promised to stay alive during Kislev
and exactly on Rosh Chodesh Teves she passed away, and it is
brought down that Teves stands for tikover beseivo
tovo.
The funeral procession continued to Har Hazeisim, where she
was buried next to the grave of her great husband in the
Vohlynia section, where all the Rebbes of Chernobyl dynasty
are buried.
