In a surprising move during his Shabbos Teshuvah drasha, Rabbi Baruch Zalman Melamed Shlita announced that he has decided to step down as the mora d’asra of Beit El Bet.
Rav Melamed founded the Beit El Yeshiva in 1978 together with a number of talmidim from Merkaz HaRav and has served as the rav of Beit El Bet. The rav was among the talmidim who were very close to Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook ZT”L.
In 1997, Beit El Aleph and Bet, which were part of the Binyamin Regional Council, merged to become a local municipality. The rav continued serving as the rav of the Bet neighborhood. The rav announced that while he will continue serving as rosh yeshiva, he is stepping down as rav of the community. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner Shlita continues serving as rav of Beit El Aleph.
Srugim reports the rav’s decision is prompted by his age, pointing out he recently celebrated his 76th birthday.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
its a mistake to leave THAT yishuv without a successor there are different hashkafos that need to be addressed there and should not be left to chance
May he continue to lead as Rosh Yeshiva for many years to come.