These words are being written as the family of the founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Bais HaMedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore, Rav Zvi Dov Slanger, zecher tzadik livracha, is getting up from shiva. The sudden loss of this vibrant leader has cast a pall on the city and shocked those close to him.
I shall attempt in this article to relate some stories, some of which were told during shiva, others from my personal experience, to present a picture of the Rosh Yeshiva. I acutely recognize that whatever I write will fall well short of the kavod that Rav Slanger deserves, but I will do my best.
Any appreciation of Rav Slanger has to start with his appreciation of the Gedolim of recent generations. He was privileged to know and have personal relationships with Rav Elya Lopian, the Brisker Rav, the Chazon Ish, the Steipler, and the Satmar Rav, zichronam livracha, among others. He had a long and very close relationship with Rav Schach, zt”l. Rav Slanger’s greatness began with his ability to incorporate the middos of these great people into his very being. His son, Reb Elyasaf, lehavdil bein hachaim lechaim, said at the levaya that the Rosh Yeshiva was so close to these Gedolim that he “lived Rav Lopian, he lived Rav Schach.” He related a story at shiva about a time when Rav Lopian was to visit the Zichron Yaakov Yeshivah where the young Rabbi Slanger was learning. He was
delayed and, after waiting an appropriate time, the yeshiva began to daven Maariv. Of course, that is when Rav Elya arrived, and he took a seat in the back of the beis medrash next to Rabbi Slanger. Many years later, Rav Slanger told his son that he could still hear the beautiful and unique Krias Shema of Rav Elya. Reb Elyasaf asked if his father could replicate it so he could hear it. When Rav Slanger complied and began to say Krias Shema, Reb Elyasaf thought he was joking. The Krias Shema that Rav Slanger was saying sounded just like the beautiful one of Rav Slanger himself. And then he understood. His father had been so affected by Rav Elya’s Krias Shema that he instilled it into himself and said it exactly the same way!
During his recent hospitalization, the Rosh Yeshiva was focused on leaving the hospital and returning to the yeshiva to do the work that he felt must be done. On one occasion he was alone for a moment and actually disconnected the monitors, causing alarms to go off and hospital staff to come running. When Reb Elyasaf told him that it just was not “shayach” for him to leave at that time, Rav Slanger’s response was telling: Rav Schach would leave, he told his son in Yiddish; if he would, so must I.
Another window into how Rav Slanger viewed himself is evident in a story told Ayson Englander at the shiva home. Reb Ayson was a bachur in the Rav’s shiur and was trying to find a particular sefer. He approached his Rebbe to see if he might have it. I’m sorry, said Rav Slanger, who by that time had lived in America for many years, but it’s at home in Bnei Brak.
Rav Slanger wore long payis that he tucked behind his ears. It was related during shiva that this was not his custom growing up in Hungary, and in fact he had not adopted this practice until he was a magid shiur at Ner Yisrael. Why did he change? It seems that he had a talmid with similar payis who was being made fun of by some of the other talmidim. If I also grow payis, the Rebbe told the talmid, they won’t be able to make fun of you anymore. And so, he did.
The Rosh Yeshiva was in Bergen Belsen for about eight months as a boy of nine or ten years. Reb Elyasaf repeated many times that he left that gehinom not with bitterness, not with questions, but with hakaras hatov. For the rest of his life, he valued a slice of bread; he was machshiv a blanket. On the first night of his yeshiva’s existence, there were 15 boys in the dining room to eat the catered dinner of chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. These American boys ate some of the chicken and the potatoes, and those who did not like the vegetables left them on the plate. Reb Elyasaf said his father was horrified. Horrified! How could food be wasted? How can its availability not be cherished?
It was mentioned at the levaya that Rav Slanger, a very popular Rebbe at Ner Yisrael, had reached the age of 65 when he founded the Bais HaMedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore. How many people begin such an arduous endeavor at that age? How many people at the age of 83 undertake a massive (and very expensive) expansion of their school? Rabbi Shaul Sinsky, shlita, who gave shiur at the yeshiva for many years, had a pshat as to what motivated Rav Slanger to do so. The Torah in Parshas Mishpatim tells us in one place “naase venishma.” But a few psukim before, the Torah says just “naaseh.” We will do! The Jewish people were so in love with the Ribono Shel Olam (G-d) at that point that they felt the need to express this love. We must do! We must demonstrate our desire to be close to Hashem. Rav Slanger was such a person, a “naaseh” person. He had such love for Hashem Yisborach and the Jewish people that he always was searching for a way to express this love and do something to help Klal Yisrael. Age was not a factor.
The Rosh Yeshiva had many, many nisyonos, many difficulties to confront, but Reb Elyasaf says he never once heard any complaint. My son, Yehoshua, who learned at the yeshiva for several years, bolstered this point. Two years ago, he went to visit the Rosh Yeshiva at his home. Rav Slanger was in tremendous back pain at the time, but insisted on coming into the study to be mekabel his talmid. Shua told me that it was painful to watch, that each step for the Rosh Yeshiva was excruciating and that he did not even go to his chair, but instead sat down on the same side of the desk as my son. But what did he tell him? This is the best thing, Rav Slanger said. It is only pain, it is not dangerous, and a person can learn until 120 with back pain!
Speaking of sitting, Rebbitzen Cohen, the Rosh Yeshiva’s daughter, said at shiva that her father never sat on a couch. A chair is to sit in, he thought, a bed to sleep in. A couch? Nisht ahin, nisht aher, not one and not the other! And he had no pretensions. His daughter told me that if he needed something, he would get up himself and not “trouble” anyone else for help.
My wife, Leslie, once had a paper to deliver to Rav Slanger when he and his family lived on Hal Circle. She called to make sure that they were home, and the Rosh Yeshiva tried to insist that he come to our home to get the paper instead. Only when my wife assured Rav Slanger that she had to go out anyway was he persuaded to allow her to make the delivery. He waited at the window for her arrival and came outside to escort her into his home to drop off the paper and to greet his Rebbetzin. He then walked with her back to the car.
My personal experience with Rav Slanger began with my son’s becoming his talmid. The yeshiva was at Ner Tamid Synagogue at the time, across the street from our house. I would often daven Maariv with the yeshiva and frequently attended a shiur given by Rabbi Emanuel Goldfeiz just before prayers. Many times, the Rosh Yeshiva would greet me with his magnificent smile and delight in telling me that I was now fully admitted as a student in his yeshiva!
When Rav Slanger decided to attempt to purchase the Summit Country Club, the current home of the yeshiva, I had the great zechus of being asked to be of assistance. It was not an easy process for the Rosh Yeshiva. He was a person who could not imagine, could not understand, could not be soveil the concept of not paying a bill on time. (Reb Elyasaf said at shiva that one of his greatest fears was that he had money that somehow did not belong to him.) There were many nights that I sat in the school office with Moshe Rappaport, and we watched the Rosh Yeshiva silently struggle as he considered whether this was an endeavor that he could responsibly undertake.
In the end, why did he decide to go forward? Because Rav Schach told him that he should do so and gave him a bracha that he should be matzli’ach (successful). With that in hand, how could the yeshiva not succeed?
There was much palpable siyata d’shmaya. A contract with an agreed upon price was turned down by the country club at the last minute. Despite all the agonizing, all the agmas nefesh, Rav Slanger accepted this without complaint. And he was rewarded when negotiations were revived several months later and the deal was consummated – at a purchase price that was over $400,000 less than the original!
Rav Slanger had a smile and an unassuming attitude that made everyone feel comfortable. Sol Levinson has a website which allows friends to post remembrances of the departed. One of the first postings is from the couple whose property adjoins the yeshiva’s property: “Very sorry for the loss of a great man. We are privileged to have known him and to be his neighbor.” Three other postings are from employees of the banking institution from which he obtained the refinance for the current expansion. A sample: “I am so saddened ...I always enjoyed our interactions. I will always remember his kind and thoughtful words and having the strongest handshake...even as an elderly Holocaust survivor.” All of these people are non-Jews, as are the hospital employees for whom Rav Slanger was concerned during his hospitalization. He asked that his family not just bring food for him, but also for them.
My family and I had the zechus (privilege) to become close to this great man, the epitome of an anav (humble person) and an eved Hashem (servant of G-d), an example of what a person should be. I had the honor of working with him on many occasions, and we sometimes talked several times a day. (“Hello, it’s Rabbi Slanger calling.”) Never once, not one time, never, did a call end without the Rosh Yeshiva saying to me, “Thank you, Mr. Silverberg, thank you very much.” These thanks were not said by rote. They were sincere, heartfelt, and genuine, even if I had not done very much since our last conversation a short time before.
Now I must tearfully express my thanks to the Rosh Yeshiva, zecher tzadik livracha, and to the Ribono Shel Olam for allowing our family to be close to his.
Yehi zichro baruch.
This article is reprinted from the Pesach Kuntress of the Bais Medrash of Ranchleigh, Lemaan Tesapeir. Copies of this kuntress and past years’ kuntressim are available as PDF files at https://www.zichronyaakoveliyahu.org/publications.html.
