Rabbi Boaz Lerner, 64, OBM

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Boaz Lerner, a tireless Chabad activist who helped build Mikvahs around Israel and the world, passed away suddenly on Sunday, 14 Iyar 5775.

He was 64.

During a visit to The Philippines in Southeast Asia where he was inspecting a new Mikvah that was being built, he suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away.

Lerner was known as an expert in ritual Jewish baths and was always willing to travel far and near to help with their intricate construction. Chabad rabbis in Israel relied on his opinion on these matters.

Last year, he authored a booklet titled “Mikvah Al Gabei Haotzar,” expanding on the bor-al-gabai-bor (pit-above-a-pit) system which was championed by the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, of blessed memory.

A resident of the Nachlas Har Chabad neighborhood in Kiryat Malachi, Lerner was involved with the community’s expansion. He established the Chassidic neighborhood of Nachlas Menachem and its Chabad shul and mikvah.

Lerner displayed his ingenuity with a few inventions such as the “Protective Kit” that includes the Chitas sefer and a tzedakah box for vehicles. He once prepared 20,000 bottles mixed with wine from the Rebbe for a blessing to Israel’s faithful settlers.

He is survived by his wife Orly and their children Rochel Shmuelevich – Beit Shaan, Menachem Mendel Ezra, Sholom Dovber, Schneur Zalman, Yaakov, Yosef, Rivka, Geula Tova and Moshe – all of Kiryat Malachi.

Baruch dayan haemes.