by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Hagaon HaRav Avrohom Erlanger ZATZAL, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalayim. He was 90-years-old. He contracted COVID over Sukkos, and was Niftar tonight.
The loss touches almost every Ashkenazic Torah family in Eretz Yisroel and thousands from the United States as well.
Rav Avrohom Erlanger zt”l was the Rosh Yeshiva of one of the most prestigious Yeshivos in Yerushalayim, Yeshiva Kol Torah and a marbitz Torah par excellance. He formed talmidim and took a strong personal interest in their development. He was also described as one of the greatest Baalei Mussar of the generation.
The Rosh Yeshiva had a down-to-earth nature that all of his students appreciated and loved. In one of his mussar vaadim he spoke about chessed and the absolute obligation to go even beyond the exact shuras hadin. He explained that if one only does a minimal amount of chessed – it will end up that he will end up losing out significantly. Indeed, he will end up being an evyon – very poor.
Rav Erlanger studied in Gateshead before coming to Eretz Yisroel. The Niftar was born in Switzerland to his father, R’ Shimshon Raphael Erlanger, the grandson of R’ Avraham Erlanger, who was one of the choshuva members of the Frum community in Switzerland. He was one of the first students of the Brisker Rov.
At the age of seventy, he went into semi-retirement so that he could focus on learning and writing on the mesechtos that are rarely learned in Yeshivos. He wrote a remarkable 21 volumes of his Birkas Avrohom on Shas, 3 seforim on Yomim Tovim and Hashkafa, and a number of Mussar Seforim too, such as “Maor Hashaar” on Shaarei Teshuvah of Rabbi Yonah, and “Maor Hamsila” on Mesilas Yesharim. The Seforim on Shas have become “go to seforim” in the Torah world.
Even though he retired, Rav Erlanger zt”l continued to give Mussar Vaadim in Yeshiva. He also gave Mussar Shmuessim in the Kamenetz Yeshiva in Yerushalayim as well as in the Mir Yeshiva of Yerushalayim.
Rav Erlanger zt”l contracted Covid-19 immediately after Yom Kippur. His condition deteriorated on the Sunday immediately before Sukkos. He was taken to Shaarei Zedek hospital and placed on a respirator. Tehillim were said every where and letters were sent throughout the Torah world to daven for him by Rav Gershon Edelstein shlita. He was close to ninety at the time of his passing.
Once he cited a Rambam in the fifth perek of Hilchos Eretz Yisroel, that one who lives in Eretz Yisroel my not leave it. The exception is when inflation has risen so high. The Rambam writes that even though it is permitted – it is not desirable. He explained that Machlon and Kilyon died because they did not extend themselves beyond the shuras hadin.
The lesson he pointed out was that even lifnim mishuras hadin there is not only a complaint against a person, but it is to the point where one gets actually gets punished. He would cite a chovos halevavos that each person is punished according to his own level.
He was one of the first students of the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l – when he arrived in Eretz Yisroel.
He left behind incredible Torah teachers in his sons and sons-in-law. His sons: the genius rabbis Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’ev, Rosh Yeshiva of Midrash Yechiel in Beitar Illit, Rabbi Akiva – a Rosh Kollel in Jerusalem, Rabbi Chaim Yosef – Rosh Yeshiva of Mishkan Yisrael and Rabbi Eliyahu, Rosh Yeshiva of Noam Hatalmud. His brother-in-law is the well-known Posaik, Rav Tzvi Weber.
Further information about the Levaya will be forthcoming soon.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
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7 Responses
R Berel not the Brisker Rav
I frequented his vaadim in his house in batei horonstein. I can’t forget the impression it made on me to sit in his makeshift study (the walls were steel shelves as seforim shanks) wall to wall with literally every Sefer having bookmarks in them. He was someone that you just wanted to be like. Such chein and neemus that is rare today.
Rav Avrohom Erlanger ZTL was the grandson of the first Rav Avrohom Erlanger, his father, Rav Shimshon Refoel was the son of the first Rav Avrohom Erlanger.
2 important errors, second might simply be a mistake. 1- He was a GADOL BIYISRAEL not simply an Ashkenazic Rosh Yeshiva. The number of Sefardim, Yemenites and whoever else he taught in Kol Torah and elsewhere, as well as those who use his seforim definitely numbers in the thousands. In any event, no leading Rav today influences just his community or eidah.One should not feel he is pattur from mourning the petirah of a gadol because of his own specific minhag. whether it was meant that way or not, that’s the way it sounds.
2- the title of genius is actually demeaning and I’ve never seen it being used. The Hebrew ilui, which connotes a much more positive aspect of genius, is only used on occasion but it’s translation into English is ridiculous. I do believe that was simply an error
Limnos: Why is the use of “genius” demeaning in the context it was used? What is the “negative’ connotation of being a genius? Is a genius/ilui somehow a lesser level of intellectual attainment in limud torah than say a talmid chacham?
1) Rav Erlanger zt”l was not the Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Torah. He was a Ram (Maggid shiur) there.
2) Indeed, “genius” is not the appropriate word here. Genius is the modern Hebrew translation of Gaon. In modern Hebrew they will use the word gaon to refer to Einstein and the like (they don’t usually use the word illuy for this context). Of course, that’s not at all what the word gaon means or has been used to connote.
and his followers or self imagined followers yesterday turned am already tenuous traffic situation into a true nightmare