HaRav Nachum Dov HaKohen Kreisman zt"l, av beis
din in Petach Tikva and a leading dayan, was laid
to rest on Monday 24 Cheshvan after passing away at the age
of 81.
Born in the town of Rakishok in Lithuania's Ponovezh
District, Nachum Dov came from a famous line of rabbonim who
served in the Rakishok rabbinate for nine consecutive
generations, ending with HaRav Betzalel Yalovetzky, one of
the elders in the Holocaust generation of Lithuanian
rabbonim.
As a boy he studied at the talmud Torah in Rakishok,
which had such a good reputation for churning out
yirei'im and shleimim that it attracted many
talmidim from other locations as well.
As a bochur he went to Yeshivas Telz, where he studied
under moro verabbo HaRav Eliyohu Meir Bloch. The
family could not obtain exit visas until the outbreak of
World War II. Upon hearing of their intentions HaRav Bloch
wrote a letter to Nachum Dov's parents saying that they
should leave him behind in the Telz Yeshiva, and that in his
experience America is very impoverished in Torah and
mitzvos.
He settled in Baltimore, which was known at the time as "the
Yerushalayim of America." Nachum Dov enrolled at Ner Yisroel,
where he studied under HaRav Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman.
At that time HaRav Aharon Kotler came to Baltimore. HaRav
Ruderman sent two bochurim to the train station to
meet him: Nachum Dov and ylct"a Shmuel Kamenetsky.
Noting the high caliber of the two young men HaRav Kotler
took them back with him to New York in preparation for
starting Yeshivas Lakewood. Ever since that meeting Nachum
Dov cleaved to HaRav Kotler who, seeing that his entire life
and being revolved around the Torah, gave Nachum Dov
semichoh while still a bochur.
In 5714 (1954) HaRav Kreisman moved to Eretz Yisroel and
married the daughter of HaRav Boruch Mandelbaum, the rov of
Beis Knesses Yavneh in Tel Aviv. The couple moved to
Jerusalem, where HaRav Kreisman became a marbitz Torah
in a yeshiva.
In 5727 (1967) he was chosen to serve as a dayan by
HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, HaRav Betzalel Zolti, the rov of
Jerusalem, and HaRav Shlomo Shimshon Karelitz. After a short
period of serving on a beis din in Haifa, he joined
HaRav Michel Zolti and HaRav Karelitz zt"l, then av
beis din in Petach Tikva, which was one of the top
benches in Eretz Hakodesh at the time.
He served as a dayan and av beis din in Petach
Tikva for over 25 years and later served as a dayan on
the Beis Din Hagodol. During this period he also taught Torah
and horo'oh and helped fortify religion in Petach
Tikva.
When he sat down to learn HaRav Kreisman would completely
sever himself from his surroundings. He would often say that
one must always seek to understand Hashem's will in every
matter.
The levaya set out from Yeshivas Lomzha, where he
davened for many years, passing Kollel Toras Eretz
Yisroel, where he learned afternoons and evenings, and Beis
Haknesses Hagodol, where he delivered a shiur.
In his will he asked not to be eulogized, but short words of
parting were said by his brother-in-law, HaRav Boruch Shimon
Salomon, moro de'asra of Petach Tikva and the rosh
yeshiva of Yeshivas Nachalas Dovid, who urged all of the
city's residents to fill the gaping hole left following the
histalkus of an odom godol beTorah veyiroh.
HaRav Nachum Dov HaKohen Kreisman, zt"l, was buried
with the setting sun at Seguloh Cemetery in Petach Tikva. He
is survived by his sons and sons-in-law, marbitzei
Torah following in the path of ruchniyus he set
during his lifetime.
