The Torah and Mussar world felt orphaned following the
histalkus on Wednesday, 20 Kislev of HaRav Tzvi Zeev
(Hirsch) Pelei, zt"l, who left his mark on thousands
of talmidim during decades of harbotzas Torah
at Yeshivas Knesses Yisroel-Hevron, where he served as
menahel ruchani, delivering mussar talks for
over 50 years. One of the last of the talmidim who
studied at Yeshivas Knesses Yisroel while it was located in
Old Hevron, in his will the Mashgiach asked that no titles be
attached to his name posthumously and that no eulogies be
delivered.
Thousands took part in the levaya in Bnei Brak and
Jerusalem, including Maran HaRav Eliashiv shlita, and
other gedolei Yisroel, roshei yeshivas,
mashgichim and thousands of talmidim.
Tzvi Zeev (Hirsch) Pelei was born in 5671 (1911) in the town
of Shklov, Lithuania to HaRav Avrohom Noach Pelei—one
of the leading talmidim of the Alter of Slobodka and a
rosh yeshiva under HaRav Boruch Ber Leibowitz—and his
mother Rivkoh, the daughter of HaRav Aryeh Leib Halevi
Wolpert, the rov of Krinkshok, Lithuania. He studied in his
hometown until the age of 14.
On Chanukah 5685 (1925) he and his family moved to Eretz
Yisroel. Ever since then every year the Mashgiach would
hold a seudas hodoyoh to mark the day of his arrival
in Eretz Yisroel. Upon landing in Jaffa the family settled
near the yeshiva in Hevron, where HaRav Avrohom Noach would
give regular mussar talks.
During the riots of 5689 (1929) the Pelei family was spared
through chasdei Shomayim when an Arab resident hid
them in a secret one-room apartment belonging to HaRav
Yechezkel Sarna, who was in Jerusalem at the time. The Arab
landlord secreted the Pelei family and HaRav Efraim Zeev
Garbuz and his wife and children into the basement apartment
and when the rioters came to the Rosh Yeshiva's house the
landlord told them that nobody was home. The survivors left
the city immediately after the pogrom and the yeshiva
relocated to Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood.
As a bochur, Tzvi Zeev formed very close bonds with
the roshei yeshiva, the Alter of Slobodka, HaRav Eizik
Sher, HaRav Moshe Mordechai Epstein, HaRav Yechezkel Sarna
and the mashgiach, HaRav Leib Chasman. He also shared
deep friendships with the roshei yeshiva during the
years he served as mashgiach: HaRav Moshe Chevroni,
HaRav Aharon Cohen and the Mashgiach, HaRav Meir Chodosh. As
a bochur he studied bechavrusa for several
years with HaRav Simchah Zissel Broide, who later became
rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Hevron.
During his years as a talmid at the yeshiva he often
went with his friend, Sholom Schwadron, to the talks HaRav
Eliyoh Lopian would deliver in Jerusalem periodically,
eventually considering himself a talmid muvhok. When
the yeshiva was started in Kfar Chassidim they would
regularly travel there to hear his mussar talks. Years
later, when his sons reached the age of bar mitzvah he
took them to Kfar Chassidim to receive brochos from
HaRav Lopian. He was also heavily involved in the publication
of talks by the Mashgiach, HaRav Leib Chasman.
Hirsch Pelei studied at Yeshivas Hevron in Jerusalem until
5705 (1945), when he married Menuchoh, the daughter of HaRav
Shlomo Zalman Pines. The Rebbetzin tlc"a, who served
for years as a teacher at Bais Yaakov schools in Jerusalem,
had been among the first students of Bais Yaakov founder,
Mrs. Soroh Schenirer, in Krakow. After the wedding they lived
in Tel Aviv, where for two years he studied at Kollel Heichal
HaTalmud, which his father had founded.
In 5707 (1947) HaRav Y. Sarna asked HaRav Hirsch Pelei to
serve as mashgiach at Yeshivas Knesses Yisroel-Hevron
in Jerusalem. Until his passing 55 years later he taught
Torah and mussar to thousands of talmidim, both
Yeshivas Hevron students and other students who came from far
and wide to hear the talks he gave at the yeshiva in Geula
and later in Givat Mordechai. He was asked to take the post
of mashgiach during the period HaRav Chodosh was
serving as menahel ruchani.
For over five decades HaRav Hirsch Pelei occupied the post of
mashgiach at Yeshivas Hevron, which produced
generations of marbitzei Torah and mussar
seekers, prominent educators and activists. With his
unique speech and manner he succeeded in infusing thousands
of students with the foundations of mussar and Torah
study.
The Mashgiach worked not only on imparting mussar
values to his students in the vaadim he led regularly,
but also on building the individual through the study of the
holy Torah. During the sedorim he would walk among the
students, encouraging them and spurring them on. When he
would enter the heichal he would start posing
kushiyos to groups of bochurim and soon the
entire hall was ablaze with rischo deOraisa. After his
shiurim he would linger to engage the bochurim
in discussions on their learning.
From his very first day as mashgiach he would learn
with bochurim bechavrusa. His whole life
revolved around the yeshiva. His home on Rechov Ezer Leyoldot
near the yeshiva in Geula was open night and day to all of
the students. Together with his wife he would perform the
mitzvah of hachnosas orchim, regularly hosting the
needy and downtrodden in his home, and always in a humble
manner.
He kept mitzvas exactingly. In order to find the best
possible daled minim for the rosh yeshiva, HaRav
Sarna, he would begin rushing around to the dealers several
weeks before Succos. And before Pesach, when he would take a
group of talmidim to bake matzos, he would lie down
under the machinery and baking equipment to insure the entire
workspace was free of any possibility of chometz. This
painstaking attention to detail had a great impact on the
students.
HaRav Pelei was dedicated to his talmidim heart and
soul. He was fond of all of them, arranging chavrusas
and personally seeing to their individual needs. At weddings
he would dance with the chosson at length. On Simchas
Torah all of the yeshiva students and alumni would arrive to
be a part of the great joy the Mashgiach exuded. On Purim,
too, his home was filled with exuberance. Students would come
to gladden him and he would gladden them in return—
ad delo yoda.
HaRav Pelei maintained strong ties with his students even
after they married and continued Torah lives elsewhere.
Decades later he could recall the names of each student and
still felt a real bond with him. His talmidim from his
early days at Yeshivas Hevron would continue to come to a
mussar talk or vaad once every few weeks for
decades and he would treat them with the same grace and charm
he showed at the yeshiva over 50 years ago.
For many years he gave chizuk talks at Beis Medrash
Hisachdus Chanichei Yeshivas Hevron on HaAri Lane in Bnei
Brak, bringing the spirit of the yeshiva to the congregants
and alumni. Before Rosh Chodesh Elul he would give fervent
chizuk and his'orerus talks, bringing an Elul
atmosphere to his listeners.
HaRav Pelei would make sacrifices to do acts of
chessed for others. Whenever an avreich or
talmid needed to arrange medical treatment for a
family member the Mashgiach would come to the hospital to
help any way he could. All of the physicians at Hadassah and
Bikur Cholim knew the Mashgiach would not take "no" for an
answer and it was well known he was able to solve problems
that arose at the hospital. When he was consulted regarding a
sick person he didn't know, he would make every effort to
help, always in a quiet and humble way that served as an
example to his talmidim.
For decades, before Pesach he would distribute
tzedokoh to needy families without them knowing where
the money came from. He spent two days a year raising the
money. On Taanis Esther and the first day of Purim he would
drive to Tel Aviv with his friend, HaRav Shraga Grossbard,
and together they would go from door to door, collecting
substantial sums of money that he would lump together with
other tzedokoh money that generous donors had
entrusted to him.
He did not allow any of these acts of tzedokoh and
chessed to disturb his Torah and mussar
sessions at the yeshiva. He chose to devote Taanis Esther and
Purim deProzim to fundraising efforts because the yeshiva
does not hold regular learning sessions on those days.
People would come from far and wide to hear the Mashgiach
serve as baal tefilloh. Years ago he was still serving
as baal tefilloh for the minyan held in the
home of HaRav Eizik Sher and later, for decades he led
Shacharis on the Yomim Noraim at the yeshiva; the
talmidim who caught sight of him saw the face of an
angel. When he recited Birchos HaTorah in the morning he
would burst out crying at the words, "venihiyeh anachnu
vetze'etzo'einu..."
He was careful to avoid even avak loshon hora. Forty
years ago he once felt ill and, falling asleep, he dreamed
about a large, fearsome dog. He recounted the dream to his
rov, the Mashgiach of Kfar Chassidim, who told him that
anyone who speaks loshon hora or listens to loshon
hora without protest deserves to be thrown to the dogs.
"Be sure people do not speak loshon hora," HaRav
Lopian told him and for the rest of his life he was
exceedingly careful in his speech.
HaRav Pelei was close to maranan verabonon gedolei Yisroel
shlita. For years he would come to Tiferes Bochurim, the
beis medrash of Maran HaRav Eliashiv ylct"a,
for shacharis on Hoshanoh Rabboh and when he came to
Bnei Brak he would visit his close friend, HaRav A.Y.L.
Shteinman ylct"a, and other gedolei Yisroel
shlita.
He lost his strength in recent years but made every effort to
continue delivering mussar talks and vaadim.
During the past year he lived in Bnei Brak with his son,
HaRav Shmuel, who took care of him devotedly with the help of
other family members.
On the morning of 20 Kislev HaRav Pelei returned his soul to
his Maker, surrounded by his family members and close
talmidim.
In his will he asked not to have any titles associated with
his name or any hespeidim delivered in his memory.
When the levaya set out from HaRav Shmuel's home in
Bnei Brak two chapters of Tehillim were recited by
HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Borstein, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Kiryas
Melech. A crowd of thousands accompanied the mittoh,
led by HaRav Steinman, HaRav Lefkowitz, HaRav Meir Tzvi
Bergman, roshei yeshivos, roshei kollelim, talmidim
and Bnei Brak residents.
Following ritual purification at the Shamgar Funeral Home the
mittoh was brought into the heichal of Yeshivas
Hevron in Givat Mordechai. The rosh yeshiva, HaRav Moshe
Mordechai Farbstein, recited several chapters of Tehillim,
after which the deceased's sons, HaRav Noach, HaRav
Shlomo and HaRav Shmuel, offered brief words of parting and
recounted some of their father's hanhagos. They
recounted his truthfulness and some of the requests in his
will, including chizuk in shemiras haloshon,
mussar study and Torah study on Erev Shabbos and Motzei
Shabbos. The funeral procession then made its way on foot
from Givat Mordechai via Begin Hwy, Rechov Sarei Yisroel and
Rechov Malchei Yisroel to Meah Shearim, where Maran HaRav
Eliashiv joined as well. From there the funeral procession
continued to the Mount of Olives, where he was buried in the
evening in the yeshiva's section near the grave of HaRav Meir
Chodosh zt"l.
HaRav Tzvi Zeev (Hirsch) Pelei zt"l, is survived by
his sons, HaRav Noach, a mashgiach at Yeshivas Rabbenu
Chaim Ozer, HaRav Shlomo Zalman, a mashgiach at
Yeshivas Hevron, and HaRav Shmuel, a ram at Yeshivas
Beis Shmayoh; his daughter, who is married to HaRav Eliezer
Safrai, a ram at Yeshivas Beis Shmayoh; grandchildren
and great-grandchildren following in his path of Torah,
yir'oh and mussar.
