Hagaon Harav Yitzchak Scheiner, Zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Kamenitz

The Torah world suffered yet another great loss on Sunday, with the petirah in Yerushalayim of Hagaon Harav Yitzchak Scheiner , zt”l, venerated Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Kamenitz in Yerushalayim, at the age of 98, just hours after the petirah of Harav Dovid Soloweitchik, zt”l.

Harav Scheiner caught the coronavirus after he received his first dose of the vaccination, and his condition worsened in recent days.

On Sunday morning, his condition deteriorated and he was evacuated to the hospital due to breathing difficulties.

Many tefillos were held across the Torah world on his behalf, but he was niftar Sunday afternoon in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, at the time of the levayah of Reb Dovid Soloweitchik.

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Harav Yitzchak Scheiner was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. in Cheshvan 5683/1922. His parents were Reb Dov and Mrs. Perl Scheiner, zichronam livrachah.

As a bachur, he learned at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon and later at Yeshivah Torah Vodaath under Harav Shlomo Heiman, zt”l.

Toward the end of the 1940s, he married Rebbetzin Esther Leah, a”h, the daughter of Harav Moshe Bernstein, zt”l, the son-in-law of Hagaon Harav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah, Yeshivas Kamenitz in Belarus. Harav Bernstein served as a maggid shiur in the original Yeshivas Kamenitz, and later founded Yeshivas Kamenitz in Yerushalayim.

After his marriage, Rav Scheiner continued to learn at Yeshivah Torah Vodaath, where he was considered an outstanding gaon and the pride of the yeshivah. When his father-in-law immigrated to Eretz Yisrael to establish the Kamenitz Yeshivah in the 1960s, Harav Scheiner moved to served as maggid shiur at the yeshivah of Montreux in Switzerland.

After the petirah of his father-in-law, Harav Scheiner headed the yeshivah in Yerushalayim alongside his brother-in-law, Harav Asher Lichtenstein, zt”l. Following the petirah of his brother-in-law in 5758/1998 and later his cousin Harav Chaim Shlomo Leibowitz, zt”l, in 5776/2016, Harav Scheiner served as the central Rosh Yeshivah with his brother-in-law’s son at his side.

Harav Scheiner’s two sons and his son-in-law are also maggidei shiur in the yeshivah.

In 5763/2003, he was appointed to serve as a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel HaTorah. In 5767/2007, his Rebbetzin passed away.

His many talmidim across the world, from the decades of harbatzas haTorah, mourn his petirah.

His levayah will be at 8 p.m., from Yeshivas Kamenitz to Har Hamenuchos.

Yehi zichro baruch.