A talmid’s unconditional adherence to Rav Mattisyahu Salomon, the gadol who became his guide

I

was a 17-year-old bochur when I first met Rav Mattisyahu Salomon ztz”l, who was then serving as the mashgiach ruchani of the Gateshead Yeshiva.

I couldn’t have imagined then the impact he would have on my life, my marriage, my family, and my eventual career. But I did realize immediately that this was a rebbi who cared deeply about every talmid, that this was the person with whom I could fulfill the maxim “asei lecha rav.” I had found my rav, my rebbi.

In yeshivah, Rebbi took me under his wing as a father would for a child, and our connection stayed strong even after I left Gateshead. After some time in Israel learning and training in kiruv, I found myself at a crossroads and decided to come home to date. When I reached out to Rebbi though, he encouraged me to put dating on hold until after Pesach to give myself time to settle in. He emphasized that stability is crucial for establishing a strong foundation for marriage.

He also advised me that no matter what path I took, I should continue to learn Torah for at least half an hour every night. He didn’t pressure me to stay in learning with fiery speeches and foreboding predictions, nor did he give up on me as another lost soul. He threw me a lifeline, a connection to the world of Torah, one that he knew I had the ability to grasp and hold on to at this stage in my life.

I took his guidance to heart. I committed to nightly learning sessions, which together with the weekly shiur I attended given by the Manchester Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Yehudah Zev Segal ztz”l, indeed helped me feel connected.