Remembering the Life and Legacy of Harav Matisyahu Salomon zt"l, the Revered Mashgiach of Beis Medrash Govoah

Speaker 1: 0:00

It was b'mei matisio, during the days of Ramatisio Solomon to Khrine Levrecha, that we had clarity and that we had a leader, the Tyre and Musser had won a unified voice. But now he has been taken from us. Harav matisio Chaim Ben Etel passed away last week at the age of 86. And now, after hearing many of the different Khachmei Hadar give Hespeydim and Eulogies v'n Yetz and memories of the life and legacy of the great Mashiach of Matisio Solomon, z'khrine Levrecha, I'd like to summarize some of the points that I heard, given overarching theme of his life, of what he lived for, and to attempt to fulfill the mitzvah that is, giving a eulogy. I proceed with a great amount of concern and care in trying to fulfill this mitzvah of giving a eulogy, for it's brought in Shulchan Aruch, the mitzvah G'dayla. It is a great mitzvah, l'hespeyd Al-Hames to give a eulogy about the dead. Karoy properly, um mitzvah. So, and how is it done, shiyarim Kolo, to raise up your voice. Lo'imair al-Lov, divarim HaMashabir Mes'alav to speak words that break the heart of the listeners, k'daylaharabos in order to increase b'chia the crying hulahazgir shavachoh and to mention the praise of the deceased. It's also noted the intense and shocking truthfully punishment that lies waiting for someone that doesn't do the mitzvah properly. So here I'd like to make it known that it's just an attempt to be masgir the shvach, to give over the praises as best as possible of the great Rabbi Matzessyo Haim Benetoh. Now he was born in London a bit of a background of his life and where he came from to give some outline of just how much he accomplished. He was born in London to his parents Rebyakov and Rebetson Etel. He grew up in London before his family moved to gate 10 in the early 1940s where he really started to flourish, to a tzadik. A famous Chavrusashaft was had between him and Rebekheim Kaufmann, a future big time Talmud-Kachman, and Rasheshiva, 16 years. They learned together through Yashiva and through Kohlal, and then the masgih Ahmed, his masgih, his Reby Muvuk, his role model, the great Rebeleah Lapyan, who he studied by for actually not even a full year, and Matzessyo would still refer to Rebeleah Lapyan as his Reby Muvuk, his main teacher, and this was an impactful meeting and connection made between Romatis Yo and Rebeleo Lapyan, because Rebeleo Lapyan was a Talmud of the famed Kelm Talmud Tyra. He was a student of the great Rebsimcha Zisel Ziv Broida, the Altar of Kelm, and the Chachma and the Musur ideologies and philosophies of Kelm were handed over and taught to Rebeleo Lapyan during this year. These are many of the seeds of the Droshos, the discourses that he would give in his future. His first stellar was when he was a Mashiach of the Gateshead Yeshiva. He worked underneath Ramosha Shwab before taking over and becoming the main spiritual dean of the Gateshead Yeshiva, and this was for 30 years. He was the crown jewel of England. He was someone that made American Talmud Dechachalem say that Tyra is Averlayam it is across the water. Because they had Revmatas Yo, solomon, they had clarity and they had a giant among them. Then, in 1997, the great Revach Fogel, the Mashiach of BMG, invited and brought Revmatas Yo to be the Mashiach of Basemadreskavoha, bmg, the famous Yeshiva here in Lakewood, boasting thousands of students, brilliant, young, goliath. A place where the walls drip. The perspiration on the walls is fear of heaven, and that is where he really became a living legend. His wife during all of these years by his side, a Heligarrebbitsen, a Rebbitsen Miriam she was actually a descendant of the Pinaeishua. She passed away in 2016,. Many remember. And now for Matasio, he passed away last week. He has been buried in Jerusalem's Har Ha-Manuchah Cemetery and his sforum that continue to live on are titled Mat Naschaim, the gift of life. They truly are vaccinations. They are the typed up, edited Mouser Shmoozin discourses that he gave throughout his life, most specifically in BMG. There's also some English books about his Khenach philosophies, titled with hearts full of love. I'd like to touch on a couple of his unique qualities to be Mazkir Shavachar, to mention his praise. The first thing that comes to mind that the great rabbis, the Chachmahadar, spoke about him was exactly that the Lahazkir Shavachar that he would constantly mention others' praise. He had a way with words. He was an expert, brilliant orator, an exquisite conversationalist. He really is no wonder why his messages continue to stick, why everyone who goes to his Shmoozin went to his Shmoozin, would feel like they left with a goodie bag to take away, to take with them, full of Yer Shemayim. He would find ways to be Mazkir Shavachar, no matter who the person was. He was deeply connected and felt a real, intimate connection with Almonos and Yassomim. He was there for all of the widows and the fatherless. He would jokingly give his business card Call me anytime His imaginary business card saying I'm here whenever you need me, If you need to talk, like to think through a topic again. And his drusha, oh his drushas. They're what made him what he's most notably remembered, for it's not even the slightest wonder why they are so legendary and epic. His preparation for his Vadim were unrivaled. His message was always uniquely tailor-made for the audience, with a masterful audience awareness. He really lived with this Khenchlanar al-Pedarko to educate the youth on his path. So the message was always given in a way that could be internalized and heard by that unique and specific audience. The great Rev Zevnik of Presidential Estates Shul here in Lakewood once told a story how he was inside of the Solomon home when a group of boys on their graduation trip came to visit Lakewood and now they were here to hear some words of inspiration. He welcomed the boys in, asked them their names, brought them into his study and he continued to give adrasha about the importance of Parnasa and knowing that we do our part, but really everything comes directly from Hashem and the idea of Emuna in Parnasa. Remember, zevnik said this story. He mentioned that he had just finished a Vahd talking about maybe a higher level, something, a very intense idea for the Vahd that he was giving, and when he stopped to give over to the Bukhram to these young students on their graduation trip, understanding that these students came from this background, the Batish homes, homes where they would eventually be doctors and lawyers and dentists and accountants. This would be the message that they could take and do something with it. A brilliant Khinachlanaropi Darko. So it is not the slightest wonder that we still reference the Matna Shai and for so many foundational talks. Really dovetails nicely to mention, while he was so involved in the Klaal and being there for all the different rungs in society, the happy, the sad, the broken hearted and the full hearted. One great giant mentioned how Revatishyo had a beautiful warmth in his home and while often leaders of large organizations, leaders, public figures in the public eye tend to be busy, not always at home, somehow Revatishyo was a brilliant parent, a brilliant, constantly present spouse, a dad, a husband, which is hopefully, you understand, not a small accomplishment. Ramatizio made tremendous strides, really, truthfully, he started a revolution in the entire way that he taught Musser, the way that he brought Musser from Kelm to Rablapian, to Ramatizio, here to now BMG. He had brilliant tact in a way that he was able to in a way repackage the Musser Shmoos See people in Lakewood or Tamidecha Chalmim that are normally learning Gemara, the back and forth, the pilpul is a big deal. The sugya how does this passage of Talmud mesh with the other one, splitting hairs, thinking through? So Ramatizio kind of enjoined that with Musser he had a way of not just giving avat and speaking the concept out, but by taking the Talmud-Bavli that he had perfect, flawless control over and bringing out the Musser ideas in a very brilliant shear style. Akasha, here Rashi says this. If Rashi says this here we can ask a question does this work with the Ramban? And then, using a Musser idea to answer up in a Gemara shear, a certain pilpul style, with this finesse he was able to whip up the emotions and have his message land. It's not a small wonder that this Monday Vahd by Haber mentioned the great Rav, that there was more than a thousand people that would show up. He had the prophecy and the khachma of Mosheh and he didn't need the orator, the maturgamon, the spokesperson of Aaron. He was able to play the role of Mosheh and Aaron in this dark to have the khachma and to deliver it in a way that anyone can understand it. Woe to us that we lost the Mosheh. He really was the elected official for the Torah world. So many different people as running mates were vying to be the elected candidate. It was unquestioned it was Rav Matasyo. What he said was the final word. His words carried weight. One of the notches and the great legacy of Matasyo as a general of Rakhah was that 60,000 person rendezvous at City Field ballpark to educate, inform and inspire the Torah world about the dangers of Pentecost, the poor, unfiltered internet use and the dangers that lurk ahead. Insiders tell how this gathering was what actually sapped the energy and killed the Mosheh, for it has really not been well since then, in 2016 when it happened. Some even report that the Mosheh knew the toll that this maymed this gathering may take on his health Because it was starting up and taking a stance against the Yatesahara, the evil Satan and the attempts to spread the internet in a real, serious way, something that can be very detrimental to one's health. But yet, undeterred and adamant about it, he brought this gathering to fruition. The city field actually called to cancel the event when they saw that no women were allowed to come. It was discriminatory Two days before, more issues pushed back from other rabbinic forces. But he was adamant about it and he can still go and listen to the talks All the drushos given by the rabbis ashkikhim or sheyashivos, and how right Rav Matizyo was about the gathering and how telling the drushos were and how it actually was the launch of all the different organizations that are today what save so many People from falling deep into the abyss of issues with the internet. Rav Matizyo was stubborn and adamant. In his Yiddish guide he personified this Naftuli-Elekim-Niftaltimida. I guess no one who reaches the heights that he reached can get there without a certain amount of stick-tuativeness and determination. Rav Matizyo learned Musur's sforum, it should be noted, where every single letter was like tyroshe b'chsaav, every letter could be darshan. Thousands and bushels of halachos from the Masila-as-Yashoram, the Timur-divir, the Chayvah-salav, the Rabayn-u-Yayna on Ava's Mishle, with the Vilna-gayn Rabisr'al-Salaanter, all the different Musur works. They were at his fingertips and he learned them with the utmost care, concern and caution to bring out the messages. He was a tzadik, he was a khacham, he was a talmud-khacham, he was a khasid. He had epic self-control, epic semcha. He was noisle ba'oil-khaveiro, related to everyone, and he had a way of imparting that message to the people and crowds that he spoke to. Oy mehayolanu, how much have we lost? We lost the leader that can say iceberg dead ahead and steer us away from issues. But without him it can feel like we're just drifting at sea, just hopeful we won't bump into any icebergs, but with no great eyes to look forward and steer us away. He was perhaps the last manifestation of a real mashkiah, a kelmashkiah, a rabchatskulmashkiah, a rabyaruchimashkiah, a rablapyanmashkiah, a rabdeslermashkiah. He was the bridge to clarity, the bridge to tire, the bridge to Musur, the bridge to emus. And now he is gone. We cannot knock on his door and ask for advice, we cannot go to his vadim, we cannot see him smile or dance with the beautiful nashamas that he would inspire. He wasn't well for the very last few years of his life, and one great acharon suggested that that may be because he fully brought to fruition all of his kaikhas, as if his whole guf, all of his intellect, all of his capabilities, physical faculties in his human body were slowly breaking down because he had used them so greatly and manifested the potential and turned the potential into kinetic energy in such a fulfilled and perfect way that the body was almost useless anymore because of the amount of shlemus that he had accomplished. It was beme matisyo that we had clarity. It was beme matisyo that we had a leader. It was beme matisyo that Musur was alive. It was beme matisyo that we had a visionary. It was beme matisyo that we had one voice. It was beme matisyo that we had Tayra and Yira and Musur and one individual. And now he is no longer. Oy, how much we have lost because of the death of the great Mashiach, rev Matisyo. Solomon Zeichir Tzadek Ve Kodash Levrecha.