“It was the way he treated every person who came in off the streets with a sh’eilah, to share a chiddush, or even a simple thought on the parshah"

Photo: AEGEDOLIM

The accomplishments of Rav Yechezkel Roth ztz”l, Brooklyn’s Karlsburger Rav, were staggering: He authored seforim on the entire breadth of Torah, writing teshuvos that were contemporary and fresh in their approach and understanding of changing technology in a new world. His mastery of Torah included the hidden parts as well as the revealed, and the Rav would spend weeks in the holy city of Meron, near the tomb of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai, learning Kabbalah throughout the day and night. He would wear his bigdei Shabbos, including his shtreimel, all week long while in Meron, as he once explained to a writer for this magazine, “When we are with Rabi Shimon, we are in the realm of Shabbos.”

What made him unique, recalls a talmid, wasn’t just the genius, the tefillos, or the hasmadah. “It was the way he treated every person who came in off the streets with a sh’eilah, to share a chiddush, or even a simple thought on the parshah. The Rav understood that the people sought not just answers, but also validation. They always left not just with a teshuvah, but also with a feeling that they were valued.”

The Rav’s sudden passing at the beginning of this week leaves his chassidim bereft, but they take solace in the knowledge that his fresh grave in Meron just near Rabi Shimon is the fulfillment of his deepest desire.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 852)