Rabbi Weinberg Inspired Students

LONNY GOLDSMITH
StaffWriter

A

gudas Yisroel-Mogen
Abraham Rabbi Dov
Loketch, an alumnus of
the Ner Israel Rabbinical
College in Pikesville, Md., appreci-
ated the "fatherly qualities" Rabbi
Yaakov S. Weinberg showed toward
his students.
"The rosh yeshiva [dean] was
unique in the fact that he was a
teacher to his students even in his
home" as well as the classroom, said
the rabbi of the Southfield congre-
gation.
Students would gather in Rabbi
Weinberg's living room each
Thursday night for an informal
class. "That opportunity afforded
us to ger to know him as a human
being and a reacher. It would be a
way to communicate to his stu-
dents that he's not only interested
in their academic achievements, but
also concerned with development
in their personal lives and in their
growth as accomplished members
of the community," said Rabbi
Loketch.
Rabbi Weinberg spent 12 years
as the rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel in
suburban Baltimore. On July 1,
many members of the Detroit
Orthodox community made the
pilgrimage to the yeshiva for the
rabbi's funeral. He died of cancer at
age 76.
Eulogies focused on Rabbi
Weinberg's accomplishments as a
renowned figure in contemporary
Judaism.
Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the
Novominsker rebbe from New York
and rabbinical head of Agudath
Israel of America, pointed to Rabbi
Weinberg's prowess at creating new
approaches in Torah study, and
cited his involvement with kiruv
(Jewish outreach).
Rabbi Weinberg "understood the
challenges of our generation,"
Perlow said. He understood the
lost ones and tried to return [souls]
to God in heaven like one has a
mitzvah [commandment] to return
a lost object to its owner."
After the funeral service, mourn-
ers reflected on how Rabbi

Weinberg, at the forefront of the
Rabbi Weinberg was a devoted
fledgling kiruv movement, encour-
family man, according to son-in-
aged students to become involved.
law Rabbi Yakov Sprung of West
Two alumni — Rabbis Chaim
Orange, N.J. He said Rabbi
Gibber and Reuven Drucker —
Weinberg doted on his children
with their wives founded Etz
and grandchildren, showering them
Chaim Center for Jewish Studies in
with gifts and, when they were
Baltimore in 1976.
young, playfully chasing them
Rabbi Asher Eisenberger, the
around the house and reading to
dayan (Jewish law judge) at Agudas
them.
Yisroel-Mogen Abraham, said
Rabbi Weinberg was a great
speaker.
"He was exceptionally brilliant
and charismatic, and was a pro-
fessional orator," said
Eisenberger, an alumnus of Ner
Israel. After hearing him speak,
"you knew you would walk away
with a new, novel idea. He
attracted people that way."
Thousands of mourners from
across the country came to
Pikesville; Eisenberger, who
spent 10 years studying at Ner
Israel, said they included alumni
from Michigan, California,
Ohio, Texas, Florida and
Minnesota.
Many members of the Detroit
community have been profound-
ly affected by the rabbi's death.
Rabbi Nathaniel Lauer, princi-
Rabbi Yaakov S. Weinberg
pal of the Sally Allan Alexander
Beth Jacob School for Girls in
Oak Park, said while in
Baltimore: "I am here because
I've come to pay tribute to one
of the great men. I have had fam-
ily who learned at Ner Israel with
Rabbi Weinberg.
"He was not only a beautiful
teacher of Torah in Baltimore,
but he was known for his knowl-
edge everywhere.
In 1945, at age 22, Rabbi
Weinberg began his career at Ner
Israel as a talmudic professor and
married his wife, Chana. He
became the dean of Ner Israel's
kollel, graduate program for mar-
ried students, in 1953.
He became dean of the Ner
Israel Yeshiva College in Toronto
in 1965, returning to Baltimore in
Considered one of the world's
1971 to become assistant dean of the
brilliant Torah scholars, Rabbi
kollel. He was appointed dean of the
Weinberg was renowned as much
school upon the death in 1987 of his
for his clarity, creativity and depth
father-in-law, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok
as for his breadth of knowledge. In
Ruderman, Ner Israel's founder and
addition to his general weekly lec-
first rosh yeshiva.
ture and Saturday evening musar

3)

Rosh yeshiva was
fondly
remembered for
being brilliant,
charismatic and a
great orator.

shmooze (ethical discourse) for Ner
Israel's undergraduate and graduate
programs, Rabbi Weinberg led 15-
20 small, weekly chaburot (semi-
nars).
"Those of us who wanted a rela-
tionship with the rosh yeshiva
sought him out and attended his
chaburos," said Sandor Nissel, a
student from 1976-1986. "You
were lucky to get into one."
Just two weeks before his death,
the rosh yeshiva, who was ordained
in 1944 at Chaim Berlin Rabbinic
Seminary in New York and was
fondly and respectfully called rebbe,
led chaburot in his home.
Throughout his years as an edu-
cator, Rabbi Weinberg formed
decades-long bonds with students
who not only turned to him for
guidance in tackling difficult tal-
mudic tractates, but for advice on
career decisions and personal strug-
gles. The rosh yeshiva also coun-
seled men and women locally and
abroad on matters ranging from
business ethics and Jewish outreach
to domestic strife, child rearing and
infertility treatments.
In addition to his wife, Rabbi
Weinberg is survived by their six
children; 41 grandchildren; and 20
great-grandchildren. He is part of
an accomplished family that
includes his brother, Noah, the
founder of Ohr Somayach and now
head of Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem.
"Noah considers his rebbe to be
his older brother," said Rabbi Tzvi
Hochstadt,. education director of
Aish HaTorah in Birmingham.
When Rabbi Weinberg would come
to see his younger brother in Israel,
"he would speak to a standing-
room-only crowd every summer
and give classes throughout the day
at all different levels," said
Hochstadt.
"The two things that made
Rabbi Weinberg were his ability to
articulate and the decisions he
made," Hochstadt added. "He was-
n't thinking about his term in office
and the community, but the Jewish
people for the next 100 years."

❑

Rona Hirsch of the Baltimore
Jewish Times, sister publication of the
Jewish News, contributed to this
report.

7/9
1999

Detroit Jewish News

141