Hagaon HaRav Yechezkel Koren, z’tl, one of the Roshei Yeshivah of Kol Torah, passed away of the coronavirus on Monday morning at Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem at the age of 68.
The niftar, the son-in-law of Hagaon HaRav Elchanan Kunstadt, z’tl, Rosh Yeshivas Kol Torah, served as the Rosh Yeshivah of Kol Torah L’Tzirim as well as the Rosh Yeshiva of Darchei Shmuel L’Tzirim Ponevezh in Beit Shemesh and as the Nasi of Yeshivas Chadera Haketana in Modiin Illit.
Rav Koren was born in Sunderland, a city in northern England, and came to Israel at a young age to learn in Kol Torah, where he grew close to his Rabbanim, Hagaon Rav Gedalia Eisman, z’tl, the mashgiach, and HaRav Kunstadt, z’tl, who chose his talmid as his son-in-law.
Rav Koren’s entire life was being marbitz Torah and yiras Shamayim and his devotion to his talmidim was legendary.
An interesting fact about Rav Koren’s past was that he was born with the last name of Cohen and at the instruction of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, z’tl, the family changed their name to Koren since they aren’t Kohanim, according to a B’Chadrei Chareidim report.
The niftar left behind a wife, 13 children and many grandchildren.
Below, Hagaon HaRav Ezriel Auerbach is maspid the niftar at the levaya:
ישיבת קול תורה: בשעה זו הלווית הגאון רבי יחזקאל קורן זצ"ל מרבני הישיבה שנפטר לאחר שנדבק בנגיף הקורונה. בן 68 בפטירתו. מספיד: הגאון רבי עזריאל אוירבך. pic.twitter.com/0oaa7FXVgC
— אבי רבינא Avi Ravina (@AviRabina) October 12, 2020
Yehi Zichro Baruch.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
What a loss to Klal Yisroel and the whole world. I remember Rav Yechezkel zatzal as a bochur in Kol Torah, he was always calm and with a cheerful way to meet everyone, but above all, he was a true masmid. Even late in the evening when the rest of us would be packing up for the night, he would continue at the front of the bais hamedrash learning with a chavrusa, with such a calm geshmack! What a sad day this is for his dear family and for all of us. May he be mailitz yosher for all of us. Tehey Nishmoso Tzerura Bitzror Hachayim.
That request of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zl came about in an interesting way. Rav Yechezkel zl had a kvius with the Rav Auerbach zl and at a certain moment the Rosh Yeshiva asked him to bring him a drink. But then he stopped and said: “Oh no, I can’t ask you to do something for me, as you are a Cohen”. When R’ Yechezkel zl told him that he wasn’t a Cohen, the Rosh Yeshiva zl shouted out: “In that case you live with a Sheker, you must change your name”!
Despite being a big talmid Chochom, he was a very humble and kind. Shortly after his wedding he got cancer r”l and was ill for quite some time, but bH recovered and lived approx for another 40 years. He never took that for granted.