R' Rav Zalman Nechemya Goldberg, ZTL (VIN) |
The apple doesn’t fall that far the tree. That expression is usually applied to someone that is praised for the same qualities that their father had. Although not his actual son but son in law, it can certainly apply to Rav Zalman Nechemya Goldberg. I suppose that had something to do with why his father in law, Rav Shlomo Zaman Auerbach chose him for his daughter. (In the yeshiva world the Gedolim usually choose the most suitable Talmid Chacham they can find, Rav Sholomo Zaman chose well.)
To show what kind of humility he had, when my son received Semicha from R’ Zalman Nechemya, he told my son that he should get a better Semicha since he didn’t think his was recognized enough.
I rarely do eulogies for great people unless I had a personal connection to them or I was is some way inspired by them. The truth is that I do not know that much more about him than what I just said. But his greatness in Torah and humility demanded that I should publicly mourn his loss. I will therefore end with an letter I got from a modern Orthodox admirer who had actually met him.
History will record his gadlus be'Torah. Beyond the world of Askanim, he maintained relationships across the Orthodox spectrum giving Shiurim at Chasidic institutions and Hesder yeshivot. I had the zechut to be invited to a Shiur he attended on the dateline; his Hadras Pannim was an offshoot of his FIL. A classic posek explaining reality to a Rosh Yeshivah.
He ultimately is responsible for the RCA prenup. Like his FIL, he worked hard to understand medicine and technology.