(By Rabbi Yair Hoffman)

It was a year of enormous tragedy for Yeshiva Chaim Berlin, with the loss of two remarkable Roshei Yeshiva within some 14 months of each other.  Today, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Halioua passed away tragically at the age of 65. His father-in-law, Rav Aharon Schechter zt”l, had passed away 14 months earlier.

It is a sad tragedy that the Oilam HaTorah beyond the Yeshiva did not get such a chance to fully appreciate who this remarkable Rosh Yeshiva was by virtue of the short tenure that we had him.  His brilliance shined forth in so many Torah techunos, as well as his remarkable midos and anivus.  He was clearly destined to play a pivotal leadership role in the Torah world, which is why the talmidei haYeshiva are in a state of despair and shock.  The talmidim noticed that in the past few months he was visibly weaker, but whatever illness he suffered from, he kept hidden from his talmidim.

Rav Halioua zt”l demonstrated remarkable brilliance as a talmid chochom, who gave masterful shiurim.  He also had a full mastery of the entire oeuvre of Rav Hutner’s Pachad Yitzchock, and was fully comfortable in the world of Torah Machshava as well. The Rosh Yeshiva’s mastery of the Ramchal’s writings was demonstrated in his many shmuessim that he delivered to the Talmidim.  The talmidim were enamored by the down-to-earth nature of Rav Halioua’s maamarim as well as synthesis of the machshava of Rav Hutner zt”l, the Maharal and the Ramchal.   Rav Halioua veritably introduced the Talmidim of the Yeshiva to the deeper understanding of the Ramchal’s greatest talmid, Rav Moshe Dovid Valle zt”l.  He was also a baal mechadaish – who could derive deep insights from their writings which we otherwise might have missed.

Rav Halioua was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon right before Hoshana Rabbah, and yet he was still delivering maamarim until the last week of Yeshiva and during the Yom Tov.  He gave a maamar on Monday during the Yeshiva’s Simchas Beis HaShoaiva.

His father, Rav Avraham zatzal, immigrated from Morocco to the USA at the age of twenty in November of 1948, and was a Rav in Flatbush who passed away in December of 1988. Rav Shlomo was thirty years old at his passing and took over the shul.   He had a close association with Agudath Israel even while yet in Morocco.  They helped sponsor his arrival in the US.

He  learned at Yeshiva of Brooklyn, from Yeshiva Ketana through Mesivta.  As a young man of 13 or 14 he was hit by taxicab in Brooklyn and was seriously injured.  He required surgery on his spleen.  Notwithstanding this experience he was immersed in his learning even as a young man.

Rav Halioua was of the first class of the Mesivta of the Yeshiva of Brooklyn and became very close to Rav Shlomo Mandel shlita, its eventual Rosh Yeshiva.   Rav Feivel Cohen zt”l who taught there prior to his writing his Badei haShulchan had an enormous hashpa’ah on him at the Mesivta and that was his first exposure to Rav Hutner’s talmidim.

The Rosh Yeshiva zt”l was also a talmid muvhak of Rav Binyomin Paler zt”l and mastered the Brisker mehalech from him. Rav Paler was one of Rav Velvel Soloveitchik’s closest Talmidim, and a chevrusah of Rav Beryl Soloveitchik zt”l– father of Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Shlita, the current Rosh Yeshiva of Brisk in Yerushalayim.  Rav Halioua also learned at Brisk under Rav Avrohom Yehoshua shlita, and spoke in learning with Rav Beryl his father shortly before Rav Beryl was niftar.

The Rosh Yeshiva was a ben achar ben of the Rishon,  Rav Moshe Chalava (1290-1370), [better known as the Maharam Chalava] – the talmid of the Rashba.

Rav Halioua also learned under HaGaon haRav Yonasan David shlita, Rav Hutner’s son-in-law and the Rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok in Yerushalayim.  Rav Halioua considered Rav Yonasan shlita as his primary Rebbe.  He was his father-in-law’s shliach to be Menachem avel him when Rebbitzen David passed away.

The Rosh Yeshiva was very close to a number of Gedolei Torah.  Among them were Rav Shmuel Auerbach zt”l as yblc”t, the mashgiach of Chevron, Rav Chaim Yitzchok Kaplan his chaver in Chaim Berlin, (formerly of the Yeshiva in Edison).

It is a somewhat rare occasion for a Sefardic talmid to take the helm of a Litvish Yeshiva.  The fact that Rav Halioua did so is a testament to the high esteem that he was held by all that knew him.

He leaves behind his Choshuva Mishpacha, headed by his Almanah and children. His eldest son, Rav Rabbi Yosef Haloua, is currently the Rosh Kollel. The Levaya will take place at Yeshiva Chaim Berlin at 10:30 AM at 1605 Coney Island Avenue in Flatbush.  The kevurah will will be at Beth David in Elmont.

May the Rosh Yeshiva be a meilitz yosher to all of Klal Yisroel.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)