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A large number of people were on hand for the levaya on erev Shabbos for the Rosh Yeshiva of Diaspora Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Mordechai Goldstein ZT”L, who was niftar earlier in the day. The levaya began after chatzos.

The Niftar has many talmidim whom he influenced during his tenure in the yeshiva, many who were his neighbors in the Gush Etzion community of Meitzad and Beit Shemesh, and then to Ashkelon. Many of the niftar’s talmidim are today rabbonim and continuing his work, bringing talmidim back into the fold and strengthening their adherence to Torah and Mitzvos.

The niftar was born in Bronx, NY to Rav Moshe ZT”L, who made great sacrifice to raise his son in the path of Torah and Yiras Shomayim despite the difficulties that were the reality of America in those days. At the age of five he already traveled three hours daily to reach cheider.

During his youth he met with HaGaon Rav Elchanan Wasserman HY”D and on the eve of the Holocaust he asked him why he was returning to Europe, citing the war and the dangers that existed. HaGaon HaRav Wasserman responded “A man is led in the direction he wishes to go, adding “this compels me all the time as head of the yeshiva and each of us must fulfill his responsibility in the world and the responsibility is to talmidim and not to abandon them even during a time of danger and war”.

After his bar mitzvah the niftar learned in prominent yeshivos until reaching Yeshivas Chafetz Chaim but he only reached his heights in Lakewood under the leadership of HaGaon Rav Aaron Kotler ZT”L, whom he viewed as his rebbe and their connection continued until the rosh yeshiva was niftar.

After being married he launched a yeshiva which opened its doors to anyone wishing to grow in limud Torah and then a yeshiva in the ezras noshim of the Chevron Yeshiva in Geula. It did not take long until he had 30 talmidim from abroad.

From there the yeshiva moved to the Diskin Orphanage and there is grew considerably. On the eve of the Six Day War, a time filled with fear in Yerushalayim, and most of his talmidim return home after being ordered to do so by their parents. After the war a friend offered him a large building on Har Tzion, explaining it would also be a safe place to permit talmidim from abroad to return to.

The rav’s condition weakened considerably of late and his post in the yeshiva was filled by his son HaGaon Rav Yitzchak Shlita. He collapsed last Yom Kippur and he was transported from his Givat Mordechai home to a hospital.

Among the maspidim were HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach Shlita as well as the HaGaon HaRav Yehuda Deri Shlita, a son Rav Yisrael Shlita who is rav of Meitzad, a son Rav Yitzchak Shlita, who is rosh yeshiva.

The kvura was in Har HaZeisim.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)