C50 HAMODIA 6 TEVES 5773 DECEMBER 19, 2012 Tribute Harav Mendel Weinbach, zt”l, Rosh Yeshivah, Yeshivas Ohr Somayach BY YEHUDA MARKS Every Jew and His Personal courses dropped, in favor of Avodas Hashem business courses. And the Harav (Chuna) Menachem Harav Weinbach’s strength business student was more Mendel Weinbach, a pioneer of wasn’t just the sheer number of organized in budgeting his time the modern-day baal teshuvah Jews he brought to Torah, but and energy. Backpacking movement and cofounder and how he did it. Harav Weinbach became less popular; dean of Ohr Somayach In- understood that each Jew finds consequently, fewer Jewish stitutions, was niftar last Hashem in his own way, and he backpackers came to the Kosel. Monday after courageously found the way for each Jew to As hashgachah would have it, battling a long and painful find Torah and avodas before Black Monday Ohr illness. He was 79. Hashem — and make it his own. Somayach had already begun Harav Weinbach was the He would quote the bringing students in directly. beloved mentor, father and Rambam, who writes in Hilchos This enabled Harav rebbi to generations of Ohr Avodah Zarah that Avraham Weinbach, who was never Somayach talmidim around the Avinu, the first “kiruv activist,” prepared to take shortcuts, to world. And as a prolific author would answer every person adhere to his shitah of getting and sought-after lecturer for according to his knowledge. the talmidim into the learning of both men’s and women’s groups “Interestingly, we can hear Torah. Unlike the backpackers across the globe, Harav Wein- the same question hundreds of who were sitting on their bach’s zeal and power were a times, and I don’t think I’ve suitcases, Harav Weinbach source of inspiration for given the same answer twice!” could now dedicate his time to thousands of others. he said. “We find the answer those who remained for longer From the many talmidim at that the person asking the periods of time at the yeshivah. the levayah, one heard the same question will relate to, a gift that Although Harav Weinbach short sentence over and over is acquired with experience.” would not immediately start again. With beauty, love and truth, with Gemara, he did want his “I felt he was my father; I had he found the way to the hearts fresh talmidim to begin as soon nobody closer in my life,” was of so many lost neshamos. as possible. how they all felt. Even after a talmid left “We have witnessed how the In fact, his son said that at yeshivah, Harav Weinbach bore ma’or shebah, the light of Torah, home there was an argument him on his shoulders, acting as a brings them back to Yid- between the children as to father and rebbi; he guided his dishkeit,” he would say. whom Harav Weinbach loved talmidim with unending pa- “Nothing works like the more — them, or his talmidim. tience and understanding. He magic of Gemara,” was his Harav Weinbach was born on felt so close to his talmidim that motto. 4 Tishrei, 5694/1933 in Galicia, Daniel Friedman their simchos were his, and he Harav Weinbach admitted Poland. Before the outbreak of made every effort to actively that other factors, like the World War II, his parents, Reb there to learn with these flowing ahavas Yisrael made him participate in his talmidim’s Shabbos meals, are also vital in Yechezkel Shraga and Tshezye newcomers who could not yet give up his personal weddings, and the brisos, bar kiruv work. In fact, many of us Ginendel, moved the family to fit into a conventional advancement in Torah and mitzvahs and weddings of their have noted that a Rebbetzin’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. yeshivah. devote himself to Klal Yisrael.” children. cholent has often contributed He learned in Yeshiva Torah Eventually, Harav Weinbach Harav Weinbach chose Yeru- more to the teshuvah process Vodaath, where he received realized the need for a specially shalayim as the center of his The Light of Torah Study than a given lecture! semichah, and later in Bais designed framework for these activities, claiming that the Holy In the earlier years, Harav Yet he stressed that the study Medrash Elyon in Monsey. students. And that is how Ohr City played a great part in the Weinbach’s talmidim came from of Gemara means eisek haTorah, In 1960 he married, tbl”c, Somayach was begun. organization’s success. mekarvim such as Rabbi Meir being involved in Torah, Sheindel Lamm, an orphaned Various reasons have been “Although we have Ohr Schuster and Jeff Seidel, who engaged in Torah. When the Holocaust survivor whose given as to why Harav Weinbach Somayach branches around the would pick up people at the newcomers learn Gemara in a parents, Avraham Yisrael and chose to name the yeshivah after world, as well as many projects Kosel — especially young shiur, or with their chavrusa, it’s Rachel Lamm, Hy”d, from Harav Meir Simchah of Dvinsk, in America, which are all doing Jewish backpackers — and send no longer a passive enterprise. Belgium, were murdered in the Ohr Somayach. well, nothing can compare to them to Ohr Somayach. Yiddishkeit requires being Auschwitz. She arrived in New His son mentioned at the York at the age of 5 and was levayah that Harav Weinbach’s raised by her uncle and aunt, goal was to establish a center Shimshon and Lotte (Leah that would battle the secular Yehudis) Lamm. culture challenging Klal Yisrael, Two years after their and sin-mem-ches is the acronym marriage, the young Weinbachs for Shabbos, milah and chodesh, moved to Mattersdorf, Yeru- the three mitzvos the Greeks shalayim, where Harav wanted to annul. Weinbach later established the Harav Weinbach established Heichal Shmuel beis medrash. Ohr Somayach to fight the Yevanim and bring lost Jews Kiruv Through Torah back to their roots; how In the early 1970s, Harav appropriate that his petirah was Weinbach, together with Harav in the middle of Chanukah, Noach Weinberg, zt”l, and, ybl”c, commemorating the battle Harav Nota Schiller, founded against the Yevanim. Yeshivas Shema Yisrael for Harav Yitzchak Breitowitz, a baalei teshuvah, which was later talmid who later became a renamed Ohr Somayach. Harav maggid shiur in the yeshivah, Weinbach, along with Harav would say that aside from his Schiller, ybl”c, headed the greatness in outreach, Harav yeshivah until his last days. Weinbach was a gaon in Torah. But even before the yeshivah Even when he was extremely was founded, he would busy, he was able to prepare The Ohr Somayach beis medrash during the hespeidim. encourage others to donate “with lightning speed” deep hours for learning with baalei shiurim, quoting and clarifying the kedushah of Yerushalayim,” However, after 1987’s Black intellectually and practically teshuvah, as well as donating his the words of the Rishonim and he would say. In addition, he Monday, when the stock proactive to facilitate our own time for such learning. Acharonim. would explain that a strong markets around the world coming closer to Hashem. He was part of a volunteer “No doubt, he could have element in kiruv is detaching crashed, university students This shitah was the basis for group consisting of avreichim grown much higher in Torah, the secular Jew from his became more concerned with the more concentrated JLE from Mir, Brisk, Chevron and becoming a leading talmid environment, which occurs finance, and were less (Jewish Learning Exchange) other yeshivos who would chacham,” Harav Breitowitz said, when they come to learn in motivated to see the world. course, getting the newcomers contribute an hour here and “yet his incomparable, over- Yerushalayim. Enrollment in humanities into Gemara study. Tribute 6 TEVES 5773 DECEMBER 19, 2012 HAMODIA C51 With JLE, Harav Weinbach regular chareidi,” the Rosh was able to bring over hundreds Yeshivah stressed. of boys from America, Canada, However, he immediately England and South Africa for a added, our chinuch system is three- to four-week course in important, since we cannot risk Ohr Somayach, during which the dangers of our children time they were introduced to remaining entrenched in Gemara. tumah, nor would these baalei This isn’t an easy approach to teshuvah dare bring up their chazarah bi’teshuvah, but children the way they were knowing this was the correct educated. way, he went into it full force. Harav Weinbach was not Harav Weinbach would only busy with baalei teshuvah. relate the following story: When Sadly, chareidi circles have he first started the Ohr Lagolah recently directed more program, the Education Mi- attention to at-risk teenagers nistry sent a supervisor to check and dropouts, and in the past up on their work. few years he was also involved After meeting with the boys in “kiruv kerovim,” those who and taking part in the program, came from frum households and the impressed supervisor said dropped out. that it was lucky he hadn’t been “Kiruv kerovim is as the one to initiate this project. Past and present talmidim gathered on short notice in the pouring rain to accompany their beloved rebbi on his last journey. important, if not more so, than “If I had wanted to launch kiruv rechokim,” he would say. such a project, I would first have bringing baalei batim to Eretz reached the maximum — full- intense siyatta diShmaya that had to think over how to explain Yisrael to participate in kiruv fledged bnei Torah who live a baalei teshuvah get. In only a * * * the Gemara basics to programs. This initiative has Torah life. few years, they can reach the The levayah left from Beis nonreligious boys, how to evolved into the biannual “Walk into the Mir Yeshivah, level in Torah study of bnei Haknesses Heichal Shmuel in explain a chasurei mechsera Mentors Mission, spearheaded and you’ll find at least 50 Ohr Torah who have been learning Mattersdorf, where the mas- v’hachi katani and other such by Mr.