BD’E – Harav Meir Weinberg, Zt”l

By Hamodia Staff

Harav Chaim Meir Weinberg, zt”l. (Holy Shots/Tsemach Glenn)

Hamodia is saddened to report the petirah of Harav Chaim Meir Weinberg, zt”l, a magid shiur in the beis medrash of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas for over half a century.

Rav Weinberg learned in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and Bais Medrash Elyon, and was a chavrusah of Harav Mendel Zaks, zt”l, the son in law of the Chofetz Chaim, while learning in Rav Mendel’s kollel in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Rav Mendel served as his shadchan to tbl”c Masha nee Shimanowitz, the daughter of Harav Shaya Shimanowitz, zt”l, a rosh yeshiva in Yeshiva Rabeinu Yaakov Yosef (RJJ) who had been a chavrusah of Rav Mendel in Radin.

For decades, Rav Weinberg taught in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, at times giving the shiur for the first year beis medrash and at times a higher shiur, including delivering a shiur in Masechta Chullin to prepare the talmidim who were planning to learn Yoreh Dei’ah.

The levayah took place in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas at 425 East 9th Street (between Cortelyou Road and Ditmas Avenue) at 11:00 a.m.

The maspidim included Harav Yosef Savitsky, shlita, who spoke about how Rav Weinberg concentrated in his shiur on clarifying the sugya for his talmidim. “The pasuk in Malachi compares a Rebbi to a Malach. This is not in the physical sense, but rather just like a Malach only gives of the dvar Hashem without adding or subtracting anything, a Rebbi is charged with the same task of giving over the unadulterated dvar Hashem. Rav Weinberg was not interested in adding his own chiddushim, but his focus was on ensuring that the talmidim left shiur with clarity in the sugya.”

Hara Chaim Kitowitz, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva in Chaim Berlin, spoke of the summers he spent with Rav Weinberg in Camp Morris. “Someone asked a kushya, and before we even had a chance to grasp the question, Rav Weinberg with his lightening grasp already offered two terutzim. Yet he did this all with such pashtus, and his middos cloaked his greatness so that it was not apparent to all.

“In addition to his greatness in Torah, he excelled in his yiras Shamayim. The Maharal, on the Mishnah in Avos (1:5) which says that one’s house should be open and the poor should be welcome in your home, explains that one must feel the plight of aniyim, and the lack of compassion for them shows a lack of yiras Shamayim. The Weinberg home was open to guests of all kinds, and Rav Meir and his Rebbetzin made them all feel at home.”

Harav Leibel Wulliger, shlita, the Rosh Kollel Nachalas Dovid of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, reminisced of watching Rav Weinberg learning with great hasmadah when the yeshiva was still on South Ninth Street in Willaimsburg. “His mind was always involved in learning. We say by a siyum, ‘hadran alach veda’atan aluch‘ — we will return to you and our mind is on you. Just as a mother who leaves the home for a while reassures her child she will return, and calls every few hours to show she is thinking about him and plans on returning, so too when our minds are on the masechta we learned, it ensures that we will return. Rav Weinberg was always ‘da’atan alach,’ always thinking about Torah.”

His family stressed how as a father and a zeide, he always had time for them, whether to learn with them, offer guidance or encouragement. “Despite he great desire to learn, he gave us his full attention. And although he was the greatest man that I knew, and one would think that it might take a lot to give him nachas, he really showed us his interest and happiness in all of our accomplishments, no matter how small they truly may have been,” his grandson said.

The aron was flown to Eretz Yisrael where another levayah is scheduled. Kevurah will be on Har Hamenuchos.

Yehi zichro baruch.

(YTV)
(YTV)
View of the beis medrash during the levayah.
Harav Yosef Savitsky, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaas, being maspid. (Photos courtesy of YTV)
Harav Chaim Kitowitz, shlita, magid shiur in Yeshiva Rabeinu Chaim Berlin, saying a hesped.
Harav Yaakov Drillman, shlita, being maspid.
Harav Leibel Wulliger, shlita, Rosh Kollel Nachlas Dovid of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas delivering a hesped.
Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, so of the niftar.
Rabbi Menachem Weinberg, son of the niftar.

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