R' Menachem Steinmetz zt"l passed away at the age of
70 and was laid to rest in Bnei Brak on Monday night of the
week of Parshas Lech Lecho.
R' Menachem Steinmetz was born on 11 Cheshvan 5695 (1935) to
R' Moshe in the town of Bedertzin, Hungary and studied at
Yeshivas Smetana. After surviving the Holocaust he managed to
reach Eretz Hakodesh in 5710 (1950) with Aliyat Hano'ar.
Upon arrival he began studying at Yeshivas Chevron in
Jerusalem under HaRav Meir Chodosh. When his father came to
Eretz Hakodesh they settled in Tzfat, where he helped his
father build a home.
Menachem married Rivkoh Englander. Throughout his lifetime he
worked as an electrician, at first for the City of Bnei Brak
and later as a self-employed worker. He built the electrical
system at numerous botei knesses and yeshivas, and was
often summoned to perform emergency home electrical repairs
shortly before Shabbos, never refusing a call no matter how
pressed for time.
His work was always secondary to his Torah learning. Every
evening he would attend shiurim, which he never missed
and made the center of his day.
He always maintained his father's customs carefully and
avoided worldly pleasures, treating every crumb of bread as a
precious gift from Heaven.
During the past decade his wife suffered from poor health and
he cared for her devotedly. When he had to travel abroad with
her for medical treatments he went to his sons' roshei
yeshiva saying, "Please see to my sons' Torah study." All
of his sons and sons-in-law are lomdei Torah as he
always aspired.
Two months after losing his wife he fell off a ladder in his
home, lost consciousness and was taken to Sheba Hospital. His
sons and relatives sat at his bedside learning maseches
Shabbos aloud. On Monday morning his heart stopped
beating after his family members said Seder Vidui. He
was revived and they continued their learning, completed the
maseches that evening and washed their hands for a
seudas mitzvoh. Then his soul parted for the world
that is all "Shabbos umenuchoh."
Numerous Bnei Brak residents arrived later that night to
participate in the levayoh. Eulogies were delivered by
HaRav Yaakov Weiss, the rov of Neveh Achiezer, HaRav
Mordechai Sompolansky, a rosh yeshiva of yeshivas Ohr
Elchonon, HaRav Elimelech Biderman, who delivered the
shiur the deceased attended at Beis Knesses Satmar,
his eldest son Rav Nachman and Rav Sholom Klein of
Jerusalem.
At the cemetery he was eulogized by his son Rav Moshe and Rav
Naftoli Neuman. He was laid to rest in the Bnei Brak Cemetery
in a plot he purchased just one week earlier.
R' Menachem Steinmetz z"l is survived by his sons Rav
Nachman, Rav Moshe, Rav Yaakov, a daughter married to Rav
Eliezer Frankel and grandchildren following in the spiritual
path he bequeathed to them during his lifetime.
