In February 2018, one of the giant Rabbanim and scholars of our generation passed away; a Rabbi who worked all his life, tirelessly and devotedly to spread the Torah and the fear of Heaven - Rav Shmuel Auerbach zatzal.

Torah-Box brings you a glimmering of the life of this exceptionally learned Gadol.

Reb Shmuel Auerbach was born on Yom Kippur 5692 (1931) in the Shaarei Chesed neighborhood of Jerusalem. His father, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rosh Yeshivat Kol Torah, was the most prominent Ashkenazi decision maker and one of the undisputed leaders of the Orthodox world over the last century. From birth, the young Shmuel was raised in an atmosphere imbued with Torah.

As a young boy, he was singled out for his exceptional assiduity and sharpness, which aroused the admiration of all who came into contact with him. While his classmates dashed out of class during recess to play in the courtyard of the Yeshiva of Etz Hachaim, the young Shmuel stayed behind with his Rabbanim to quench his thirst for Torah study. The latter observed his talent and aptitudes as seeds for his future greatness in Torah.

Reb Shmuel was very close to his father, Rav Shlomo Zalman, with whom he cultivated long conversations on Torah and Halacha. After his wedding, he was named the head of the Amshinov Chassidic Yeshiva, Shem Olam.

Throughout this period, the Rav grew attached to the Torah Giants of his time, including Rav Shach, Rav Mordechai Sharabi and Rav Yosef-Shalom Elyashiv.

The Rav continued to spread the Torah in various institutions, such as Yeshivat Itri, Kol Torah and the Sephardi Kollel Shem in the Bucharim district. He also hosted groups of students in his home. The latter testified that whenever a Talmudic question was formulated to him, the Rav answered as if he had just delved on the problem, even though he had not reviewed it in a long time!

In 1982, he created the Maalot Hatorah Yeshiva. He cultivated very strong bonds with each one of his students, offering assistance when needed and listening to all who requested his advice.  

He published two books, Darkei Shmuel (on the treatise Ohalot) and Ohel Rachel (ethical lectures reported by his pupil, Rav Yair Erlanger).

Rav Shmuel and his wife Rachel were not blessed with children. However, Rav Shmuel was the spiritual father of thousands of students across various institutions where he relentlessly diffused the Torah.

The Rav was widowed for 18 years and lived close to his Yeshiva. He was cared for by some of his closest students. He died of cardiac arrest on a Shabbat, at the age of 86. May his soul be bound in the bundle of the living! Amen.

"We could not have imagined such greatness if we hadn’t seen it ..."

After the terrible news of the death of Rav Shmuel Auerbach in the middle of Shabbat, preparations for his funeral began immediately. The capital's main roads were closed to traffic.

The funeral procession included tens of thousands of people, who made their way on the following Sunday from the Rav's Yeshiva to the Har Hamenuchot cemetery, where the Rav was buried alongside his wife.

The first to eulogize him was Rav Tzvi Friedman, who made a comparison between Mordechai of Megillat Esther and the strength of character of Rav Shmuel: "And this man did not kneel nor prostrate himself." A Jewish man, a Jew of yesteryear, ready to die for the integrity of the Torah! " Rav Shmuel's brother, Rav Mordechai, spoke tearfully: "The heavens are sobbing, a Chassid has left this world, how awesome, what love of Hashem, what fear of Heaven !... The walls here are engraved with his teachings. I am convinced that the Vilna Gaon, whom he so admired came out to welcome him in heaven ... "

Rav Boruch Shmuel Deutsch, one of the leaders of Kol Torah, said: "We could not have imagined such greatness if we hadn’t seen it ..."

The last speaker was Rav Yossef Patrov, one of Reb Shmuel's closest students. He spoke of the Rav's purity of heart, adding that he struggled solely to benefit the Jewish people and never to derive honors.

May the memory of the Tzadik be a source of blessing for all the Jewish people, Amen!

"When the Rav heard the couple's request, the expression on his face was momentarily transformed ..."

The following story was told by one of the people who regularly rubbed shoulders with the Rav. This person brought along a French couple, who came to request blessings from Torah Giants in Israel, so they could bring a child into the world.

"The Rav was unbelievably approachable and concentrated" David recalls. “From his scholarly rank, the Rav, who carried the Torah world on his shoulders, abandoned his books to concentrate intently on the couple. After some talk, the husband explained that he and his wife had been married for several years but had no children.

Upon hearing these words, the Rav’s facial expression metamorphosed literally in an instant. His smile disappeared to give way to pain. He closed his eyes and blessed them with unimaginable fervor. "Such was Reb Shmuel's greatness: he felt the pain of others like his, and rejoiced at the joy of his neighbor.