There was shock at the announcement of the sudden petira of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach ZT”L, at the age of 87.
HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach was born in Yerushalayim on Yom Kippur 5692, the eldest son of HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ZT”L, Rosh Yeshivas Kol Torah. The sandek at his bris was HaGaon Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook ZT”L.
During his childhood he learned in Yeshivas Eitz Chaim as well as with his father. He was married to Rebitzen Rochel A”H, daughter of Rav Pinchas Eliezer Paksher of Yerushalayim. The Rebitzen was niftar on 14 Teves 5750.
In his younger years, Rav Auerbach was Rosh Yeshiva of Shem Olam, affiliated with Amshinov. He was a Ra”m in Yeshivas Itri, led by HaGaon HaRav Mordechai Elefant ZT”L, remaining there until 5737. He then moved to Yeshivas Kol Torah in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Yerushalayim. On Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5742 he established Yeshivas Maalos Hatorah in the Shaare Zedek neighborhood.
HaGaon HaRav Shmuel authored the sefer Darchei Shmuel (on Meseches אהלות), which earned approbations from Gedolim including HaGaon HaRav Elazar Menachem Mann Shach ZT”L, as well as on the set of seforim Ohem Rochel, named after his Rebitzen, Mussar Sichos published by talmidim.
Public Leadership
His public leadership began with the establishment of Degel Hatorah, at which time the niftar stood alongside HaGaon HaRav Shach. In the 1996 elections, he unofficially backed the תלם אמונה party headed by HaGaon HaRav Yosef Azran, ZT”L, Rav of Rishon L’Tzion. In 5763, he became a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah and in 5778 was appointed as a member of the Vaad Yeshivos. He became president of Mosdos Torah & Chinuch.
Opposed to the Establishment of Nachal Chareidi
HaGaon HaRav Shmuel was opposed to the establishment of Nachal Chareidi. He was among the Gedolei Yisrael, together with HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira ZT”L, Rosh Yeshivos Be’er Yaakov, who led the opposition to the Tal Law and to efforts to make changes to the arrangement that existed regarding drafting of bnei torah.
The split following the petira of HaGaon HaRav Elyashiv ZT”L
The niftar was close to HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv ZT”L, and after Rav Elyashiv’s petira, there was a split in the litvish tzibur. On Rav Auerbach’s instructions, the HaPeles newspaper was established. Rav Shmuel released a letter backing the new newspaper, which led to the establishment of the Bnei Torah party, which competed in elections in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, and Modi’in Illit. The party earned seats in all of the venues mentioned.
HaGaon HaRav Auerbach instructed his talmidim not to report to IDF induction centers, accepting a different approach than Gedolim in Bnei Brak, leading to the so-called Peleg Yerushalmi.
The levaya will begin from Yeshivas Maalot Hatorah at 11:30 Sunday morning 10 Adar, and from there to Har Menuchos for kvura near his late wife, Rebitzen Rochel A”H
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
the sandek at the RY’s bris was the grandfather of the previous Rachmastrivka Rebbe, I heard this personally, from the RY himself (there is so much to write it is very unfortunate to see inaccuracies)
It would be nice if someone could write a bit about the Torah which he contributed. What, if any, were his main contributions to learning? his chidushim? Aside from this political stuff he got involved in, what were his main psakim, if any, his chumrose, his kulose, his Torah? Or perhaps someone could even just let us know where to look for this.
As an aside, mention is made about haskamose to one of his sforim. Unless R’ Shach was different from most gedolim in this respect, his haskama probably doesn’t mean so much. Unfortunately, haskamose just mean I know the person and he’s a good guy, but rarely express anything substantive about the actual sefer.
r shachs haskama means so much in this case because if you look through the thousands of letters r shach wrote in his lifetime there is only one gadol he writes “Hagaon Ha’amiti” (this is in his haskama to his sefer darkei shmuel” to – and only one gadol he writes “sar Hatorah” (in a letter to reichman) about i checked it out both are refering to R shmuel when he was still young
also a freind of mine told me that his freind went to learn by RSA many many years ago. his father asked r yakov kaminetzky zt”l if r shmuel is really so big in torah r yakov said yes he asked r yakov “like his father”? (r shlomo zalmen aurbach) r yakov responded “efsher greser” (maybe greater)
rav leizerson (head of chinuch atzmei) that his uncle who was r shlomo zalman aurbach once told him: “i only know to people in this generation (that was many years ago when many of the greatest gedolim of previous generations were still alive) that know all of bavli and yerushalmi to its depth and until the halachic outcomes of all the sugyos”
Yoffi,
They are probably confusing it with the Kohen at his Pidyon HaBen, which was Harav AY haKohen Kook.