Torah Jews Mourn Rav Shteinman

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman, the Rosh Yeshiva who was the towering figure of the frum Jewish community, passed away on Tuesday, 24 Kislev 5778.

He was 104.

Born and raised in Brest (Brisk), then part of the Russian Empire, Rav Shteinman studied by Rabbi Moshe Skolovsky, the Brisker Rav Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik, and Rabbi Aharon Kotler.

Upon reaching draft-age in 1937, he was subject to the Polish draft, He tried to evade the draft by starving himself, but he was declared fit to serve by the draft officer. He fled with other Brisk students to Switzerland.

With the outbreak of World War II, he became a war refugee and was incarcerated in the Schonenberg labor camp near Basel, where nearly all the inmates were Torah-observant. He was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust.

While still in Switzerland, he married Tamar (Tema) Kornfeld who was sent there from Poland to cure her respiratory problems. The couple had four children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Living in a small apartment on Chazon Ish Street 5 in Bnei Brak, Rav Shteinman was known for his extremely modest lifestyle. Until 2014, he slept on the same thin mattress that he had received from the Jewish Agency upon his arrival in Israel in the early 1950s.

In Israel, Rav Shteinman was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh L’Tzi’irim. He founded and led Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov and Yeshivas Torah B’Tifarta.

Following the passing of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv in 2012, Rav Shteinman was widely regarded as the gadol of the non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewish world and the Degel HaTorah political party in Israel.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called Rabbi Shteinman “A Torah giant and a teacher who gave thousands and tens of thousands of people direction in their lives. Despite his firm positions, he knew how to convey his ideas gently, in a pleasant manner, and with a great love of the Jewish people.”

“The rabbi was a tremendously dedicated learner, a Torah genius, kindhearted and generous, rich with the experiences of long life. He was a man whose wisdom was exceeded only by his humility,” Rivlin said.

In Chassidic circles, he will also be remembered for fostering peace and friendship between Chassidic and Litvish communities. He notably traveled abroad with the Rebbe of Ger to benefit Yeshivos and instructed Yated Neeman not to attack Chabad while the newspaper was under his guidance.

In recent years, Rav Shteinman met with Rabbi Yoel Kahn, the preeminent Chabad scholar and head reviewer of the Rebbe’s teachings. During their discussion, a copy of Chassidus Mevueres was given to him. “You ruined my night,” Rav Shteinman said, adding that he won’t sleep until he reviews the sefer.

After the terror attack on the Chabad center in Mumbai, India, in which 5 Jews were murdered, Rav Shteinman instructed to “add unity among the Jewish people.”

Rav Shteinman had been hospitalized multiple times in recent months amid growing concerns for his health. Hundreds of thousands of mourners attended levaya in Bnei Brak on Tuesday. There were no eulogies, as requested by Rav Shteinman in his will.

VIDEO: Rav Shteinman replies on rejecting boys from Yeshivas

Baruch Dayan Haemes.