It is with great sadness that I report the passing of 3 giants of the Torah world. All succumbing to COVID-19. R’ Dovid Soloveitchk, R’ Yitzchok Sheiner, and R’ Dr. Abraham J. Twerski. I never met any of them. But their reputation for expertise in their fields is well known.
I do not usually do obituaries for people I never met. But I would be remiss if I did not mention the passing of these three giants who passed in such close proximity to each other.
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| R' Dovid Soloveitchik (Wiki) |
The name Soloveitchik speaks for itself. R’ Dovid is the son of R’ Velvel (the Griz) whose works are studied the world over. He disseminated his father’s Torah for many decades in his yeshiva in Jerusalem until his Petirah. I did not agree with him on many issues, agreeing instead with his cousin, my Rebbe, R’ Ahron Soloviechik. But that does not take away form his greatness. It should be noted that despite the broad differences between R’ Dovid and my Rebbe, I know that they both respected and honored each other. Their differences never got in the way of their close family relationship. He was 99 years old.
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| R' Yitzchak Scheiner (VIN) |
R’ Yitzchak Scheiner passed away at age 98. He was Rosh HaYeshiva of Kaminetz and a member of Degel HaTorah’s rabbinic leadership. I know little else about him personally. But even though I have been critical of the Israeli rabbinic leadership in the past, it does not take away from the greatness in Torah their members have.
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| Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski (Matzav) |
Last but certainly not least is Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski who passed away at age 90. He was known not only in the Torah world but was known worldwide for his expertise in psychiatry. I cannot really do him justice in anything I could write. Instead I direct readers to a Cross-Currents article by Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein which will give you a glimpse into his greatness.
Baruch Dayan HaEmes.
