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16 Shevat 5765 - January 26, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Rebbetzin Karlinsky, o"h

By S. Bruchi

Grieving Bnei Brak residents laid to rest during the week of Parshas Bo the educator and eishes chover Rebbetzin Leah Naomi Karlinsky o"h, the wife of HaRav Efraim Karlinsky ylct"a, a rosh kollel in Kiryat Sefer, after she passed away at the age of 40 following a severe illness.

Rebbetzin Karlinsky was born on Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5725 to HaRav Yerachmiel Boyer, a former mayor of Bnei Brak. She excelled in her studies at the Rav Wolf Seminary, radiating her yiras Shomayim and elevated middos to all of her fellow students.

She married HaRav Efraim Karlinsky, one of the leading talmidim at Yeshivas Ponovezh, and together they built a home founded on Torah and yiras Shomayim, leaving no room for the vanities of this world. In order to allow her husband to learn Torah undisturbed she assumed responsibility for sustaining the household.

She worked as a teacher for over 20 years, first at the Bais Yaakov school in Yehud and later as a 6th grade teacher at the Bais Yaakov school in Zichron Meir. Over the years she taught hundreds of bnos Yisroel, instilling them with yiras Shomayim, modesty and purity, and she herself served as an exemplary role model. She was graced with an exceptional ability to make her teachings real and lasting through allegories and illustrative examples.

Rebbetzin Karlinsky also gave shiurim on educating children to the wives of the avreichim at the kollel where her husband served as rosh kollel.

She devoted her whole life to raising her children for lives of Torah and yiras Shomayim. She would sit with each and every child to inculcate him with good middos and the ways of gedolim and tzaddikim. The peak of her life's achievement was to nurture and raise her 11 children, who are now left to perpetuate the spiritual legacy she bequeathed to them during her lifetime.

She was constantly working to elevate herself in ruchniyus. Her list of resolutions written on Erev Yom Kippur 5760 included being ready for candlelighting at the first siren, reciting Krias Shema with kavonoh, being wary of bitul Torah, reciting Asher Yotzar with kavonoh at least once a day, improving her middos of bein odom lechavero, honoring her parents and father-in-law and avoiding loshon hora. Through such efforts she grew spiritually from year to year.

Six months ago she began to suffer from a very difficult, painful disease. Accepting the judgment with love and keeping her spirits uplifted, she continued running her household, infusing it with an atmosphere of joy until her final days.

Despite her suffering she would not allow her illness to infringe on her husband's learning and teaching. Even during her last days her single request was for her husband to continue his learning undisturbed.

During this period she received harsh drugs that dried her mouth. She lay an entire night without drinking because she did not want to wake her husband and did not want to drink without doing netillas yodayim.

A few weeks ago leaflets on hilchos brochos were prepared to help her merit a full recovery. When the graphic designer heard the name Rebbetzin Karlinsky she said, "I owe her my life. I lost my mother o"h at a young age and she gave me chizuk and stood by my side until I built a home of my own."

Recently her health declined and after reciting Krias Shema Al Hamitoh with her husband, her heart suddenly stopped beating and she returned her refined soul to her Maker.

The levaya, held at the main beis knesses in Ramat Elchanan, drew HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, rabbonim, dayonim, roshei yeshivos and hundreds of bnei Torah mourning an outstanding educator who passed away at her peak.

Hespeidim were delivered by the Moro De'asra HaRav Yitzchok Zilberstein, HaRav Ben Tzion Pelman, HaRav Menachem Tzvi Berlin, HaRav Sender Erlanger and the deceased's father, HaRav Yerachmiel Boyer. Her husband recounted how for the past ten years she refused to receive any jewelry, saying that for her a siyum maseches was a piece of jewelry.

When the levaya continued at Beis Knesses Be'er Avrohom in Jerusalem, her father-in-law, HaRav Yehoshua Karlinsky, explained that just as we have little understanding of Poroh Adumoh which brings atonement, so too we have little understanding of the passing of tzaddikim, which also brings atonement.

HaRav Aryeh Shechter spoke about the obligation to recite 100 brochos every day, a matter the deceased asked people to work at for the sake of her recovery. He said now it would serve as an illui neshomoh. After the grave was covered over, parting words were said by her son, a talmid at Yeshivas Beis Dovid.

Rebbetzin Leah Naomi Karlinsky o"h, is survived by her parents, her husband, her siblings, her 11 children and hundreds of students and friends bitterly mourning her passing at the peak of her endeavor.

 

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