Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l
הרב שלמה זלמן בן חיים יהודה לייב אוירבך זצ"ל
Adar I 20 , 5755
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l
Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was born in 5670/1910. His father was Harav Chaim Yehudah Leib Auerbach, zt”l.
As a youth, Rav Shlomo Zalman studied in Yeshivas Eitz Chaim, where he was quickly recognized as an outstanding student. He was very close to the Rosh Yeshivah, Harav Isser Zalman Meltzer, zt”l.
In 5690/1930 Rav Shlomo Zalman married Rebbetzin Chaya Rivka, the daughter of Harav Aryeh Leib Ruchamkin.
In 5704/1944, a pre-shemittah year, Rav Shlomo Zalman published Maadanei Eretz, which deals with mitzvos pertaining to the land. Besides his own sefarim, many other sefarim include his halachic decisions. The most famous of these is Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah, which includes thousands of his rulings on hilchos Shabbos.
Minchas Shlomo, a compendium of Rav Shlomo Zalman’s halachic responsa, is required reading for every scholar and halachic authority. In addition, many of his articles on halachic issues were printed in numerous Torah journals. His teshuvos cover many fields of Jewish law such as medicine and technology.
In 5707/1947, Rav Shlomo Zalman was invited by former Rosh Yeshivah Harav Yechiel Michel Schlesinger, zt”l, to serve as the Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Kol Torah, where he stayed for nearly 50 years.
Rav Shlomo Zalman loved and pursued peace. He was always on good terms with everyone, maintaining friendly ties with scores of Torah leaders and Chassidic luminaries. They in turn greatly admired and respected him, not only for his purity of character, his amazing tzidkus and his unparalleled middos, but also as one of the foremost halachic authorities of the time.
Before he entered his house, Rav Shlomo Zalman would straighten his attire. He once explained his reason for this: “Ish v’isha zachu, Shechinah shruya beineihem, ‘If a man and woman are worthy, the Divine Presence rests between them.’ And certainly one must honor the Shechinah!”
On 20 Adar I 5755/1995, Rav Shlomo Zalman was niftar. His levayah was one of the largest ever recorded in Eretz Yisrael, with an estimated 300,000 people in attendance.
Zecher tzaddik livrachah.
https://hamodia.com/columns/day-history-20-adar-iimarch-27/
Stories of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l
Rav Yitzchok Freiman once told how, on a very rainy day in Yerushalayim, walking side by side to shul at a quick pace, Rav Shlomo Zalman grew visibly tired. As he sidestepped puddles, a small sigh escaped his lips.
Quickly recovering himself, he said out loud, “May Hashem not hear the tefillos of the wayfarers and travelers – we want rain!” He then began to explain the Gemora that discusses this idea: “Why did the Kohen Godol daven to Hashem on Yom Kippur that He not accept the tefillos of wayfarers and travelers? Surely, if the traveler is a Tzaddik he will not daven for the rain to cease when it is needed. And if he is wicked his tefillos will anyway not be heeded? Rather, the Kohen Godol was worried about an ehrlicher Yid who won’t actually ask for the rain to cease but might just sigh at the discomfort, because the rain might bother him at the moment. Such a small sigh from an ehrlicher Yid can cause a great stir in the Heavens – so take heed!”
Rav Shmuel Havlin once related that one year there was a shortage of hadassim. They discovered that a certain type of hadas grew in many Yerushalmi gardens and it did fulfill the requirements; it was meshulosh and an expert horticulturalist verified that it was from the same genus and species as the hadas we use.
Who then could pasken this sheila? Only Rav Shlomo Zalman, a respected posek who nonetheless did not shirk from paskening regarding modern technology and advances. The matter was presented to Rav Shlomo Zalman but he would not permit the use of the new type of hadassim. This hadas, he explained, is different from the one for which we have a mesora in Am Yisrael. Even if someone would argue that the hadas we use today is the wrong one, still we would prefer it over the new one. Why? Because the new one has no mesora. Better we all sit together with Klal Yisrael in Gehinnom than all alone in Gan Eden!
Rav Dovid Nadav related an incident from 1984:
“When Rav Shlomo Zalman used to arrive as Rosh Yeshiva to deliver his shiur in Kol Torah he would often be flanked on all sides by bochurim who wished to catch a glimpse of him or ask a quick question. The bochurim noticed that the taxi driver was zoche to long conversations, sometimes lasting several minutes, before the Rosh Yeshiva exited the taxi. One day, the conversation lasted some ten minutes. We were jealous. What could the Rosh Yeshiva discuss for so long with the driver when we wanted his attention?
“I dared to have the chutzpa and approached the young, non-religious taxi driver and asked him what he and the Rosh Yeshiva discussed.
“’What? You mean he is a Rosh Yeshiva?! I never would have believed it! I met him some years ago and he seemed like a nice old man and he asked and inquired about me, my family and background. When I told him I had once attended a religious school in my youth, he asked me if I remembered any stories from Tanach. I told him whatever I remembered about Bereishis and he seemed very interested. So each time I study stories and Sipurei Mikra, children’s books, and tell him stories about Tanach and he always listens and seems so interested that I always study more to tell him more stories. I would never have guessed he was a Rosh Yeshiva!’”
I once met a simple Jew who had emigrated from the former Soviet Union and who had no family in Eretz Yisrael. He and his entire family were permanent fixtures at all the Auerbach family simchas. When questioned how he was related, maybe a distant relative, he told the following tale of Ahavas Yisrael:
He had once met Rav Shlomo Zalman years ago and the Rav asked him about his background and family. When the young man admitted he had no family and was struggling all alone in Eretz Yisrael, Rav Shlomo Zalman said, “Listen, let’s be friends! My schedule is packed and very busy, so let’s arrange for you to meet and befriend my children. Then, when you attend our family simchas, we can also meet there and continue our joint mutual friendship!”
And so he befriended the Auerbach family and at each simcha he showed up with all his family as a relative. There he would happily meet and greet his “friend” Rav Shlomo Zalman. In fact, he became so much a part of the family that when his wife was due and gave birth early, he divided all his kids among the Auerbachs to stay – where else but with his new family?
(All taken from HaTorah HaMesamachas biography of Rav Shlomo Zalman, p. 276–280)
https://jewishaction.com/tribute/gentle-giant-rabbi-shlomo-zalman-auerbach-ztl/
It has been said that Reb Shlomo Zalman’s everyday actions were as much a lesson to us as his scholarly discourses and halachic rulings. In this, too, “he was a gaon,” writes long-time disciple, Rabbi Yehoshua Neivirt. He truly exemplified the injunction to behave in a manner which “would cause the name of God to be beloved on your account.” ——————–
The parents of a retarded child came to Reb Shlomo Zalman to discuss institutionalizing him. When he asked what the boy said about the proposal, they replied that it had not occurred to them to ask him. Reb Shlomo Zalman was irate. “You intend to evict him from his home and consign him to a strange place with a regimented atmosphere,” he told them. “He must be encouraged and not allowed to feel that he is being betrayed.”
He asked to see the youngster and the parents fetched him. “What is your name, my boy?” the gaon asked.
“Akiva.”
“Akiva, my name is Shlomo Zalman. I am the gadol hador, the greatest Torah authority of this generation, and everyone listens to me. You will be entering a special school now; I would like you to represent me and look after all of the religious matters in your new home.”
The boy’s eyes were riveted to Reb Shlomo Zalman’s face and the awestruck parents sat with their mouths agape as the Rav continued. “I shall now give you semichah which makes you a rabbi and I want you to use this honor wisely.”
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For many years, the local grocery store in Reb Shlomo Zalman’s neighborhood was run by a widow. To operate such a store consumed every ounce of the woman’s strength. Delivery vans would pull up at dawn and the truckers would deposit crates of milk and dairy products on the sidewalk. Later, the widow would drag them inside when she opened the store. One day, to her delight, she saw that the crates had been placed at the front entrance, considerably easing her workload.
This phenomenon recurred the following morning and continued day after day. One morning, the widow felt that she should thank the drivers personally, so she made a point of arriving at the store very early. However, to her amazement, when the vans appeared the men deposited her delivery on the edge of the sidewalk as they had always done in the past. Perplexed, she stood on the pavement wondering how the heavy crates had transported themselves to her door, when suddenly the figure of Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach appeared, tallis bag under his arm. One by one, he lifted the heavy crates, deposited them in front of the grocery store, and hurried off to shul.
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Reb Shlomo Zalman once confided to Reb Meir Goldvicht that when he was young he was easily irritated. “So,” he explained, “I informed my fiancee as soon as we became engaged that I wished to establish a simple method whereby I would never come to anger. She agreed to give me her full support, whatever that method should be. Then, in the cheder yichud, when we were alone for the first time after the chuppah, I told her the method I had devised.” He concluded with a twinkle in his eye, “The method was that if we were ever to disagree about anything — she is right!”
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After 54 years of marriage, the Rebbetzin passed away. At her funeral Reb Shlomo Zalman was heard to utter the following remarkable words: “It is customary to request forgiveness from the deceased. However, I have nothing to ask you forgiveness for. During the course of our marriage never did anything occur that would require either of us to ask the other’s forgiveness…”
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When Rav Shlomo Zalman passed away, a beggar in Sha’arei Chesed sobbed in her anguish: “Now who will say ‘good morning’ to me every day?” (Mi yagid li boker tov?)
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Towards the end of her life Reb Shlomo Zalman’s mother-in-law lost her sight and she could no longer recite Tehillim as she had so loved to do in the past. Reb Shlomo Zalman taped the entire book of Tehillim, so she could continue her practice.
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Shortly before he passed away he advised a young family member, “Learn well. Eat well. Sleep well. And always smile.”
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Dr. Abraham of Shaarei Zedek Hospital recalls that Reb Shlomo Zalman never disparaged an individual with whom he disagreed. He would merely say, “Aich zeh yachol lihyot? (How can that be?)”
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Though he was the greatest halachic authority of our day, and was particularly skilled at solving modern-day questions, Reb Shlomo Zalman abhorred any and all titles appended to his name. In his will, he requested that his headstone be no higher than that of his parents and he stipulated that “you may add to the headstone the following words. ‘He developed disciples in the Yeshiva Kol Torah and disseminated Torah to the many.’ Should someone wish to say words of eulogy, I strongly request that they be concise and not say words of praise about me.”
Most of the vignettes above are adapted from the book by Hanoch Teller, And From Jerusalem His Word, distributed by Feldheim Publishers.
https://jewishaction.com/tribute/gentle-giant-rabbi-shlomo-zalman-auerbach-ztl/