Tragedy in Bnei Brak Habachur Moshe Yehudah Leib Scharf, z”l

A terrible tragedy struck the Chernobyler Yeshivah in Bnei Brak on Thursday morning when it was discovered that one of the students, Moshe Yehudah Leib (Moishy) Scharf, 20, had never awakened in the morning.

Compounding the tragedy was the fact that his oldest brother was supposed to get married that same day. Instead of accompanying their oldest child to the chuppah, the family, who live in Belgium, escorted their younger son on his final journey.

The entire family had just come from Belgium to attend the wedding of Moishy’s oldest brother when they were informed of the horrific news.

The father, Reb Aharon Scharf, went  yesterday morning to the yeshivah where his son learned, only to discover that Moishy wasn’t in the beis medrash. A staff member hurried to the dormitory,
where he found that the worst had
happened. The ambulance that arrived had little left to do but to determine the boy’s death.

In accordance with the psak of Harav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, shlita, the wedding was postponed. The heartrending levayah departed from Yeshivas Chernobyl in the afternoon and proceeded to Har Hamenuchos in Yerushalayim.

Thousands attended, among them the Chernoybler and Pshevorsker Rebbes. Hespedim were delivered at the yeshivah by Harav Aharon Schiff, shlita, the Rav of Antwerp, and Roshei Mesivta at the yeshivah.

The Rosh Yeshivah, Harav Yona Rechnitzer, shlita, described the niftar’s diligence in Torah, his understanding, and the joy he derived from his learning. His tefillah was deliberate and fervent, like that of a son pleading to his father. Moishy was also known for his sterling character traits. His peers saw him as a role model of a yirei  Shamayim.

The Rosh Yeshivah also tearfully cited the Midrash in Parashas Acharei Mos about a father at his son’s wedding who “went up to the roof and found that a snake had bitten him and that he had died and was thrown between the barrels. He waited until the meal was finished and said, ‘Rabbosai, you have not come to bless my son with a birchas chassanim, but rather with a birchas aveilim; you have not come to bring my son to the chuppah, but rather to bring him to burial.’”

The assembled sobbed aloud at the words of the Midrash, which were so apt.

Hespedim were also delivered by Harav Chaim Moshe Levy, a mashgiach in the yeshivah, and by Harav Yaakov Erblich, a Rosh Mesivta in the yeshivah ketanah of Chernobyl.

As the levayah made its way to Yerushalayim and Moishy was buried, his family wept at the thought that at this very time they were supposed to have been escorting another son to the chuppah. May they know of no more sorrow.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the May 31st, 2013 edition of Hamodia.