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| Magazine Feature |

What Can I Give in Return?  

Aviezer Wolfson gave us "Mah Ashiv" — and so much more 


Photos: Family archives

Rabbi Aviezer Wolfson’s first claim to fame might have been his widely-loved composition of “Mah Ashiv,” sung in shuls during Hallel for the last four decades. But he was in fact a larger-than-life mechanech, marbitz Torah, mekarev, and philanthropist, blessed with exceptional intellectual gifts and a knack for igniting Jewish souls across the world — and in his own backyard

 

18 Tishrei 5785.

It’s Sunday, the first day of Chol Hamoed Succos that visitors from chutz l’Aretz can travel,and at the Kosel, the traditional Bircas Kohanim, Shacharis, and Mussaf service is taking place. As tens of thousands of Jews stand together, singing Hallel in unison, one niggun stands out — “Mah Ashiv LaHashem Kol Tagmulohi Alai (How can I repay Hashem for all His bounties to me) — a melody widely sung across Jewish communities worldwide for over four decades.

At that same time, not far away in Jerusalem’s Shaarei Chesed neighborhood, Rabbi Aviezer Wolfson, 87, the composer of that famed niggun, had finished davening in the neighborhood’s Minchas Chinuch shul and was spending the day learning in the shul’s succah. A few hours later, he was niftar.

While his claim to fame among many was his universally sung “Mah Ashiv” — originally recorded by Leibele Haschel on his solo album in 1980, and then rerecorded by Mordechai Ben David on Suki and Ding’s all-star Hallel album (Rabbi Suki Berry once told Mishpacha that at the time they didn’t even know who the composer was) — Rabbi Wolfson was in fact a larger-than-life mechanech, marbitz Torah, mekarev, and philanthropist.

Aviezer Shimon Yosef Wolfson was born in London into one of England’s prominent Jewish philanthropic families, led by his uncle, Sir Isaac Wolfson, with whom young Aviezer had a close bond.

While the wider family was Orthodox and had a warm place in their hearts for Torah, Aviezer’s father, Reb Shmuel Ze’ev Wolfson, upheld an uncompromisingly high standard of religious observance, particularly when it came to Shabbos.

“His steadfast commitment to halachah was so strong that he didn’t hesitate to dissolve a profitable business partnership when its Shabbos observance fell short of his principles,” says his grandson, Shmuli Lehrfeld. “He would publicly protest any desecration of Shabbos. On one occasion, he was asked to host members of the synagogue choir so they could attend Yom Kippur services, but when he heard that they typically traveled to synagogue by the London underground on Shabbos, he was appalled. From that point on, before Kedushah, he would dramatically bang on the bimah and announce loudly, “Kodosh, kodosh, kodosh — sung by the Holy Underground Choir!’”

As a young boy, Aviezer’s exceptional intellectual gifts manifested in many areas, including a remarkable aptitude for chess. After defeating England’s under-16 champion in a major tournament, he was invited to compete in the national British chess championship, only to discover that the final round was scheduled for Shabbos, creating a direct clash with his father’s principles.

Determined to find a solution that would uphold both his passion for chess and his commitment to Shabbos observance, Aviezer proposed a compromise: He would walk to the tournament venue and be careful regarding any type of chillul Shabbos.

However, his father, for whom the kedushah of Shabbos was paramount, wouldn’t hear of it. “Shabbos is Shabbos,” he said. “We don’t play games with Shabbos.” So together, they sought the guidance of Rav Yechezkel Abramsky, who at the time was av beis din of London. After hearing both sides, Rav Abramsky asked Aviezer’s father to step out of the room and addressed the young boy privately, “Playing chess on Shabbos might, at most, involve a rabbinic prohibition,” he said, “but honoring one’s parents is a Torah-level commandment, and your father is deeply troubled by the thought of your playing on Shabbos.”

The young boy’s decision to forego the tournament became a defining feature of his character. He grew into an ish emes — a man of unwavering truth — who consistently chose principle over convenience.

Excerpted from Mishpacha Magazine. To view full version, SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE or LOG IN.

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