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.
