BD”E: Harav Aharon Moshe Schechter, Zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin

By Hamodia Staff

The Torah world was thrown into mourning with the petirah of Harav Aharon Schechter, zt”l, one of the ziknei Roshei Yeshivah of the generation.

Rav Aharon was born circa 1928 in East New York, a neighborhood which had many Yidden but few who sent their children to yeshivah. It has been said that on Yom Kippur, their were ten thousand absences in the public schools of that neighborhood as the children went to shul on that day.

Rav Aharon’s parents, Reb Yosef and Fruma Rochel, sent their sons to Yeshiva Toras Chaim, which was under the leadership of Rabbi Yitzchak Schmidman, zt”l. Rav Aharon always remembered the chinuch that Rav Schmidman provided, and a plaque in memory of Rav Schmidman is affixed in the beis medrash of YRCB near Rav Aharon’s seat.

After graduating elementary school, Rav Aharon attended Mesivta Rabbeinu Chain Berlin, where the Rosh Yeshivah, Hagaon Harav Yitzchak Hutner, zt”l, took a special interest in him, as he saw his potential for gadlus. Rav Hutner invested much energy in guiding and mentoring his talmid, and Rav Aharon reciprocated by bonding with his Rebbi. Rav Hutner gave private shiurim to several select talmidim, which of course included Rav Aharon, (the Novominsker Rebbe) Harav Yaakov Perlow, zt”l, and, ybl”c, Harav Yonoson David, shlita, who would later become his son-in-law.

For a short period, Rav Hutner sent his prize talmid to learn in Beis Medrash Govoha of Lakewood so that he could imbibe the radiance of Hagaon Harav Aharon Kotler, zt”l.

Rav Aharon married Rebbetzin Shoshanah (Hentcha Rosa) née Leichtung, and soon began delivering shiurim in the yeshivah alongside Rav Yonoson. In 1957, at the urging of Rav Hutner, Rav Aharon published Avodas Aharon, a sefer based on the Rambam in Hilchos Beis Habechirah. In his approbation for the sefer, Rav Hutner extolls the mechaber as having the middos of both Moshe and Aharon, which encompass both the ohr haTorah and the ohr ha’avodah.

Rav Aharon cleaved to his Rebbi throughout his life, and when Rav Hutner moved to Eretz Yisrael to start Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchak in Yerushalayim, Rav Aharon was placed at the helm of the yeshivah in America.

“It’s interesting to note that although Rav Aharon was the consummate talmid of Rav Hutner, in many ways he acted different. Rav Hutner did not daven with the yeshivah during the week, while Rav Aharon hardly ever missed a tefillah in the yeshivah. While Rav Hutner did not learn in the beis medrash and did not learn with his talmidim as a chavrusa, Rav Aharon was in the beis medrash every day, and often took bachurim and yungeleit as a chavrusa,” a talmid of Chaim Berlin said. “Perhaps it is because even when he was the Rosh Yeshivah, he always considered himself to be somewhat of a talmid and wanted to remain so.”

In the half century that Rav Aharon led the yeshivah, he helped transform it into one of the major mekomos haTorah in New York, and today the yeshivah has an enrollment of over 1800 talmidim from pre-school through their Kollel Gur Aryeh. The entire Midwood neighborhood where the yeshivah is located is permeated with the ruach of the yeshivah as it acts as a beacon of light which illuminates its surroundings and as a magnet drawing in the residents of Midwood to imbibe in the Torah and avodah of the Roshei Yeshivah and the talmidim.

During the summers, the yeshiva relocates upstate to Camp Morris in Woodridge, New York, where the talmidim continue their learning while the residents of the camp bask in the glory of the yeshivah. “Rav Aharon did not give directives as to how the residents are expected to behave, but just being in his presence obligated all to emulate his ways and live up to his standards,” a longtime resident remarked. “If you spent the summer there, you would not be running out on Motzaei Shabbos to mix with others in restaurants, since the spirit of the yeshivah, along with its uplifting Shabbos, made you feel that this is not what a ben Torah should be doing.”

Although Rav Aharon’s health has been in decline for the past few years, the tzurah he instilled in the yeshivah continues to maintain what he expected. He exuded hisromemus, acting in accordance with the lofty levels of a ben Torah, and his talmidim emulated what they observed. His davening, his care for others, along with his devotion to Torah were the model for them to follow.

As word of his passing became known, arrangements were made for the expected crowds, and the streets around the yeshivah were cordoned off by the NYPD. By noon, thousands of people filled Coney Island Avenue between Avenues L and M, with the beis medrash, library and dining room filled to capacity. Although a light rain began to fall, the people gathered outside remained in their places as Rav Asher Seigfried, shlita, a longtime Rebbi in the Mesivta, led the tzibbur in reciting Tehillim.

Harav Shlomo Halioua, shlita, the Rosh Yeshivah and the son in law of Rav Aharon, spoke first as he bemoaned the loss of his father-in-law and the manner in which it shattered his family and talmidim. He spoke how he led generations of talmidim and indeed guided the entire community and Klal Yisrael. “He inherited (from his Rebbi) and bequeathed (to his talmidim), he was a lomeid (learned for himself) and a melameid (taught others). Even when he was no longer active (over the last years), his presence influenced all who were in his sphere,” Rav Shlomo said. “He was attached to truth, and he embodied the concept of ashrei ish shelo yiskacheka (Mussaf, Rosh Hashanah) and ashrei adam oz lo vach (Tehillim, 84:6).

Harav Eliyahu Yormark, shlita, R”M in the yeshivah and a son-in-law of the niftar, prefaced his remarks by saying he is not worthy of saying a hesped but will give a personal appreciation. “For 26 years, I attended his shiur in Maharal which he delivered on Friday,” Rav Yormark related. “I cannot say I understood it all, but it was obvious that the Rosh Yeshivah lived what he was teaching. It was part of his being, and he connected the upper spheres with the material world.

“There was no place for katnus (smallness) not shiflas (lowliness) in his presence. His rischa d’Oraisa (fervor for Torah) burned all that away. His words were always measured, and he would correct anyone who misquoted him because it often misconstrued his intent.

“He also showed a tremendous chashivus for every Yid. There was a time several years ago when he was ill with the flu and he fell to the floor. When I and another person lifted him to his bed, he asked for some water since he was extremely thirsty. He was so weak that we had to prop him up so he could make a brachah and take a drink. Despite his weakness, he asked that we bring him a phone, since there may be someone who needs him and he must be able to speak on the phone. When the doorbell rang, he insisted we let the person in, despite his weakness. He was never too tired to help another Yid.”

Harav Yitzchak Meir Sendrovitz, shlita, a R”M in the yeshivah and a son-in-law of Rav Schechter, began by quoting the Gemara in Moed Kattan which says that if a Rebbi is like a malach Hashem Tzevakos, then you should seek Torah from his mouth. “We see that a Rebbi is compared to a malach. The Midrash in Bereishis tells us that each blade of grass has a malach which hits it and commands it, ‘Gadeil! Grow!’ The Rosh Yeshivah was akin to such a malach, as he constantly pressed us to grow. He stressed the importance of how a ben Torah is to act, and if he felt it was unbecoming of a ben Torah to do something, he would say, ‘Dos past nisht!’

“He would often quote the words of the Mesilas Yesharim which state that the purpose of a person in this world is l’hisaneig al Hashem. Sefarim tell us that the eternity of our nefesh is sustained by the taanug of our mitzvos. You could see the excitement he had for any words of Torah, whether the question of Rav Akiva Eiger or a Rashi in Chumash. By my own aufruf, he was busy teaching some Russian Jews about Bereishis!

“He was a furnace of yiras Shamayim, and once he came to the conclusion that something was emes according to the Torah, no one could alter his decision, no matter how hard the winds blew.”

Rabbi Nosson Schechter, the son of the Rosh Yeshivah, began by saying that the Rosh Yeshiva was a father: a father to his children, his grandchildren, and his talmidim. “Yesomim hayinui v’ein av,” he bemoaned.

Rabbi Schechter told of a time that someone came to discuss a problem with his father, who spent a long time pondering the issue. When he was asked what he was thinking about for so long, he responded, “I was thinking how my Rebbi (Rav Hutner) would answer this question.”

He told how his father respected every person, and even if he disagreed with the person on an issue, he still treated him with respect. Yet this did not deter him from remaining steadfast in his opinion; once he concluded what he felt was emes, he was immutable.

“In the letter that Rav Hutner wrote when my father published Avodas Aharon, Rav Hutner noted that the name was appropriate, since my father embodied the middos of Moshe in his ohr haTorah and Aharon in his ohr haAvodah.

“There was a time when he had a cold on Succos and was unsure if he had to sleep in the succah. After the seudah, he asked for a Shulchan Aruch, and spent two hours examining if he was obligated to sleep in the succah or not. In the end, he slept in the succah with an extra blanket.

“I would like to add that he had the middah of Aharon who was oheiv es habriyos umekarvan laTorah. He loved people and brought them close to Torah. I remember when a person came to him to request his assistance with some personal need. My father asked him if he set aside time for learning. When he answered in the negative, my father replied, ‘If you set up a seder to learn, I will assist you!”

His grandson, Rabbi Yitzchak Schechter, was the last hesped before the aron was taken for kevurah in Beth David Cemetery on Long Island.

Harav Aharon Moshe Schechter is survived by his sons Harav Mordechai Zelig and Rabbi Nosson; his daughters Rebbetzin Halioua, Rebbetzin Yormark and Rebbetzin Sendrovitz; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren who follow in his illustrious ways.

Yehi zichro baruch.