Thousands were on hand for the levaya in Flatbush and
Jerusalem of HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum zt"l, rosh yeshiva
of Yeshivas Mir in the US and one of the great marbitzei
Torah of the generation. Among the few remaining
survivors of the pre-War generation of Lithuanian Torah
gedolim and a foundation stone of today's Torah world
in the US, HaRav Berenbaum taught thousands of students over
the course of 50 years.
Shmuel Berenbaum was born in 5681 (1921) in the city of
Kinishin near Bialystok, now a part of Poland, to HaRav Aryeh
Leib. At the age of ten he began studying at Yeshivas
Novardok, where he remained until his bar mitzvah. He then
transferred to Yeshivas Baranovitch, where he developed a
close bond with the rosh yeshiva, HaRav Elchonon Wassermann
Hy"d. At the age of 15 went to Yeshivas Mir, learning
bechavrusa with HaRav Nachum Partzovitz. He shared a
bedroom with some of Mir's leading talmidim, such as
HaRav Leib Mallin, HaRav Chaim Visoker and HaRav Binyomin
Tzeilberger.
During the war, when the yeshiva was transferred to Kobe,
Japan and later to Shanghai, he continued studying with
tremendous hasmodoh, learning from the beginning of
the second seder until 3:00 am, with just a short
break in the evening.
After the war he joined other yeshiva members who sailed to
the US, where he married the daughter of HaRav Avrohom
Kalmanovitz, founder and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir in the
US. His father-in-law called HaRav Berenbaum "the greatest
masmid in the United States." He began teaching at the
yeshiva, and when his father-in-law passed away, HaRav
Berenbaum was made one of the roshei yeshiva, a post
he held for the next 50 years.
He eventually headed an entire community consisting of a
cheder, yeshiva ketanoh, yeshiva gedoloh, kollel
avreichim and a kehilloh of yirei
Hashem.
For decades he was an active member of the board of US roshei
yeshivos working to promote Chinuch Atzmai in Eretz Yisroel,
and after harsh decrees were imposed on the Torah world in
Eretz Yisroel a few years ago he launched prodigious efforts
to raise funds in the US. He had a pacemaker implanted 30
years ago, but was able to continue his many efforts for the
sake of Klal Yisroel until he was struck with another dreaded
disease about a year ago. Until he became completely
incapacitated a few weeks ago, he would spend most of the day
bound to his sickbed, but when the time came to give his
shiur, he would revive himself to deliver the
shiur with mesirus nefesh. Afterwards he would
often say he felt no pain or discomfort during the
shiur.
On Sunday evening 29 Shvat he returned his soul to his
Maker.
The streets adjacent to Yeshivas Mir in Flatbush turned black
as thousands arrived on chartered buses from various parts of
the US Sunday night. The levaya began at 9:00 am with a
hesped by the deceased's son-in-law, HaRav Reuven
Shepansky. He was followed by HaRav Berenbaum's brother-in-
law, HaRav Yaakov Nelkenbaum, also a rosh yeshiva at Yeshivas
Mir; his son-in-law, HaRav Hershel Kaminesky, a ram at
Yeshivas Mir of the US; his son-in-law, HaRav Eliyohu Meir
Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Springfield; HaRav Chaim
Epstein; HaRav Dovid Shustal, one of the roshei yeshiva of
Yeshivas Lakewood; HaRav Yosef Raful, rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Ateres Torah; his talmid, HaRav Yisroel
Ganenberg; HaRav Simcha Shustal, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas
Stamford; and his sons, HaRav Osher, HaRav Yisroel, HaRav
Avrohom, HaRav Elchonon and HaRav Meir.
The funeral procession went down the main streets of Flatbush
before the aron was flown to Eretz Yisroel, where
HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman ylct"a was on hand to
accompany the deceased.
The levaya resumed at Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem's Beit
Yisrael neighborhood on Monday morning, where eulogies were
delivery by HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Mir; HaRav Shmuel Auerbach; HaRav Aryeh Finkel, rosh
yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir-Brachfeld; HaRav Boruch Dov Povarsky,
one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Ponovezh; HaRav Boruch
Shimon Salomon, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Nachalas Dovid;
HaRav Yitzchok Sheiner, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Kamenitz;
HaMashgiach HaRav Don Segal; HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Bournstein,
rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Kiryas Melech; HaRav Dovid Yitzchok
Shapira, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Be'er Yaakov; the
deceased's grandson, HaRav Eliyohu Nesanel Salomon; his
brother-in-law, HaRav Yisroel Yitzchok Kalmanovitz; and his
son, HaRav Osher Dov.
The funeral procession went on foot to the Sanhedria
Cemetery, where two of HaRav Berenbaum's sons, HaRav Aryeh
Leib, and HaBochur R' Chaim Shlomoh, lay buried.
