By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Sholom Rivkin, considered the last official Rav Roshi of a city in the United States as Chief Rabbi Emeritus of St. Louis Missouri, passed away Motzoei Shabbos at the age of 85.
Rabbi Rivkin was the son of Rabbi Moshe Dovber Rivkin, Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Torah Vodaath who was a talmid of the original Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in the Russian village of Lubavitch.
His father merited to serve the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe Rashab before his passing and later wrote the sefer “Ashkavta D’Rebbe.”
Rabbi Shalom Rivkin learned in Torah Vodaath and Bais Medrash Elyon and was a close talmid of Rabbi Shlomo Heiman and Rabbi Reuven Grozovsky, both OBM.
“The world perhaps saw him as something else, but he was a Chosid who was steeped in Chabad Chassidus,” said Rabbi Yosef Landa, Director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis and Chairman of the Vaad Harabanim of St. Louis.
“He used to say, that although he was never an official talmid in Tomchei Tmimim, he was an “honorary Tomim” as the Frierdiker Rebbe once wrote that title about him in a letter,” Rabbi Landa told COLlive.com.
In 1949, the Ohev Shalom Nusach Ha’Ari shul in St. Louis asked the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn to send them a Rov. He recommended Rabbi Rivkin to the task and instructed him to take the rabbinical position.
Rabbi Rivkin later served as Rov in the Bikur Cholim shul in Seattle, and Young Israel of Bayswater, NY and also served on the Bais Din of the Rabbinical Council of America.
In 1982, he assumed the position of Chief Rabbi of St. Louis and Av Bais Din of the Vaad Ho’eir (OV) where he oversaw the Kashrus and other Halachic matters in the city.
He was a renowned expert in Hilchos Gittin and other areas of Halacha. He was known for his tremendous Ahavas Yisroel and care and concern for Yidden of all backgrounds.
“We were very close and I was honored to call him a friend,” says Rabbi Landa. “We learned chassidus together and he loved the Rabbeim.”
A levaya was held Monday in St. Louis and Tuesday at Torah Vodaath in Brooklyn. The niftar will be taken to Israel where there will be a levaya at the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim at 6:30 pm on Tuesday evening.
The kvura will be on Har Hazayzim near his parents and late wife, Rebbetzin Pepi (Zuckerman) Rivkin who passed away this past winter.
He is survived by a son, Rabbi Bentzion Rivkin, and a daughter Yocheved Rubin.
Baruch Dayan Haemes.
Rabbi Rivkin, z”l, gave me my first “smicha”–a letter conferring upon me the title “rabbi”–so that I could serve as a much needed civilian chaplain at the nearby Army training camp, Fort Leonard Wood. Nearly two decades later I received a f”regular” smicha from HaRav Dovid Shochet of Toronto. But Rabbi Rivkin had the ability to think and act outside the box when the spiritual wellbeing of other Jews was at stake (the Jewish soldiers at the at the camp were being “ministered” to by an evangelical chaplain). In my book, that makes him more a Chossid of our Rebbe… Read more »
Cousin!
What about Rav Teitz in Elizabeth?
So how is he related Rabbi Noach Heber from Chabad of the Plaza District?
Rabbi Rivkin was one of the kindest gentlest souls who lived! He was a chossid in the true meaning of the word. He will be missed by all those who knew him and by the whole st. Louis community and the world over!! BDE
Baruch Dayin Emes
Rabbi Rivkin’s father was the “gehoibene chossid” R’ Berel Rivkin who can be seen standing behind the Rebbe in the farbrengen pics from 1951-1980 (approx. time of his passing). R’ Berel was also the Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaas. What the article does NOT mention is that Rabbi Sholom Rivkin’s mother was Nacha Heber Rivkin – Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka’s closest friend, and was herself the daughter of R’ Yakov Tuvya Heber, a dear friend and chossid of the Rebbe Rashabs. Nacha was zoche to be brought up in Rostov and educated alongside the 3 daughters of the Frierdiker Rebbe –… Read more »