The English chareidi community and the entire Torah world was
stunned by the sudden passing of British Dayan HaRav Avrohom
Dov (Berel) Berkovits, who was niftar suddenly last
Friday, erev Shabbos parshas Metzoro, 6 Nisan, while
visiting in Jerusalem. He was buried the same day on Har
Hazeisim near his father, before Shabbos, a special
zchus.
HaRav Berkovits, 55, was a dayan in London's
Federation of Synagogues Beis Din. HaRav Berkovits learned in
Gateshead and Mir yeshivas in England and Eretz Yisroel,
respectively. He was also a law lecturer at the University of
Buckingham.
Dayan Berkovits was the son of HaRav Moshe Dovid Berkovits
zt"l, a rov in Grosswardein in Romania and later in
London. His son Berel was in fact born in London. Rav Moshe
Dovid learned in the yeshiva of HaRav Yosef Breuer in
Frankfurt. His father, in turn, had learned in the Frankfurt
yeshiva of HaRav Shlomo Breuer, the youngest son-in-law of
HaRav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch zt"l, who became the rov
of Frankfurt with the passing of his shver. Dayan
Berkovits' grandfather was also a talmid of the Doros
Horishonim and of the Shevet Sofer.
On his mother's side, Dayan Berkovits was the grandson of
HaRav Yosef Adler, the Turdo rov, who was a senior rov in
Romania and later in Yerushalayim. In Eretz Yisroel he was
the senior member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in his day.
Dayan Berkovits was very close to his grandfather and
published his glosses on gemora.
HaRav Berkovits studied in the Gateshead yeshiva, receiving
semichoh from HaRav Leib Gurwicz with whom he was very
close. He also studied for several years in the Mir yeshiva
in Yerushalayim, and was close to HaRav Nochum Partzovits
zt"l.
At first, for various personal reasons, he decided to make an
academic career in law. After about six years he decided that
he would rather make a career in klei kodesh. He
became the safra dedayna of the London Beis Din, and
some years later he accepted an appointment as dayan
of the Beis Din of the Federation of Synagogues, a
position he held until his sudden petiroh.
Dayan Berel Berkovits was a great talmid chochom who
was blessed with great intellectual talents. He had a very
broad familiarity with many areas of Torah. His expertise in
non-Jewish law enabled him to understand the potential
interaction between Torah law and the Law of the Land, saving
the Torah community from serious problems and often making a
great kiddush Hashem. All these prodigious abilities
were wrapped in a true chalukoh derabbonon, as his
honesty and self-effacement were so evident that they were
praised by all.
Several years ago there was a proposal that the UK pass a
"Get Law" to help agunos, somewhat similar to laws
elsewhere. At a special conference on the issue with the
rabbinical leaders of the UK, HaRav Berkovits was able to
show how the law as formulated may easily lead to negative
consequences as the British courts were likely to interpret
it. He helped formulate an acceptable version. Even when he
did much of the work, he was not insistent on claiming
credit, and was just concerned that the results were good.
He was an expert on yichus and gittin and did
not spare himself to help others in these areas. In one
famous case, much effort was expended to locate a husband who
had disappeared without giving a get. Even a detective
agency was unable to find him. Somehow, Dayan Berkovits
managed to locate him and to secure a get that arrived
just in time to save the woman from serious
issurim.
In another case, a family had a cloud that shadowed its
yichus. In a step that showed his courage and his
compassion, Dayan Berkovits said that he would work on the
case until he conclusively resolved it, one way or the other.
In fact, it took him five years to reach the point
that he was able to be fully metaher the family,
showing that the suspicion was based on a mistake. He wrote
up his decision and received the consent of the gedolei
haposkim to his ruling, as he did with many of his
psakim.
He gave shiurim in London and elsewhere and was a very
popular lecturer. He once began a series on the 613 mitzvos
and said that he expected it to take 10 years to complete
it.
HaRav Berkovits was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of
Torah and his insightful analysis of issues. With his broad
experience, he could bring the resources of Torah to bear
even on complex modern issues. He was active as a writer in
many areas, very often defending the Torah community against
those on the outside who attack it. He had the ability to
explain what a ben Torah is, even to those who have no
firsthand experience.
He had a broad knowledge of the halachic literature and was
very thorough when analyzing and writing up cases. A true
ben Torah who did not compromise, he was able to speak
to people in their own language.
Once he had to travel to India. Later he wrote a series of
articles about his experiences there, including his
encounters with avodoh zora that still flourishes
there, unfortunately. He commented that one can understand
the world before Avrohom Ovinu — when avodoh
zora was dominant unlike in the West today — by
going to India.
Those who knew him recall his amkus and
yashrus, in Torah and in all areas of life. He was
also a great masmid in learning. These traits were
evident to all. During the shivah many of the
menachamim told stories of great acts of chesed
in which he was involved. Many of these were done with
characteristic simplicity and self-effacement, and even the
family had not fully appreciated this dimension of his
character before, because of his modesty.
HaRav Berkovits was in Jerusalem to visit his mother on the
yahrtzeit of his father, which is a day after his
passing. He simply did not wake up in the morning, and the
exact cause of death is not known.
He is survived by his mother tlct"a, and brothers and
sisters, as well as by his wife tlct"a, and four sons,
the oldest of whom learns in Lakewood yeshiva of Eretz
Yisroel. Another son learns in Gateshead and a third learns
in Sunderland. His youngest son is still at home.
T.N.T.B.H.
