By Rav Shlomo Gottesman
The petirah of Rav Dovid Kamenetsky zt”l on Motzoei Shabbos, as Klal Yisroel prepared to begin supplicating the Ribbono Shel Olam with Selichos, was an aveidah gedolah, a painful loss on many levels. The world of Torah scholarship and research lost one of its most brilliant and impactful luminaries, a gaon in so many fields of Torah. Hundreds of others lost a good friend and peerless chaver tov. I, along with a small circle of close mekurovim, feel as if we have lost a brother.
Our Master, the Gra
The broadest impact will be felt by those in the Torah world thirsty to drink from the Torah of amudei olam, the great pillars of Klal Yisroel, most prominently Adoneinu, the Gaon of Vilna. Rav Dovid was the acknowledged dean of all matters pertaining to the Gra and bais medrasho. He had an unmatched encyclopedic knowledge, acquired over decades of painstaking work and yegiah, of all of his many complex works, both in print and manuscript. He was totally and intimately familiar with any writings, well-known or obscure, connected to the Gaon and his wide bais medrash, and every scholarly issue in this challenging and abstruse field. He had the unique ability to look at a manuscript fragment and immediately identify the author, the place and time of authorship, and every associated detail. Imagine the zechus of bringing to light hundreds of pages of Toras HaGra and his disciples. This zechus came only as a result of the aforementioned backbreaking years of painstaking research at the highest standards.
The Pathways of Tefillah
Similarly, the world of tefillah is indebted to Rav Dovid for his brilliant contributions in understanding how our nuscha’os developed and for world-class insights into the editing and publication of siddurei tefillah. He had acquired, without any fanfare, before it was fashionable, a complete collection of priceless early prints of siddurei tefillah. He knew everything about every manuscript and every siddur published in the formative years of the development of what we now know as our minhagei tefillah, and he published outstanding research in the field. His path-breaking articles on the nusach of the Gra combined, uniquely, his mastery of two related disciplines and remain the epitome of knowledge in this vital field.
Rabbon Shel Kol Bnei Hagolah
Perhaps the crowning glory of Rav Dovid’s life was his decades-long dedication to bringing to light a full and clear portrait of rabbon shel kol bnei hagolah, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky. Whatever we knew about this towering giant has now been superseded by Rav Dovid’s monumental two-volume biography, which contains thousands of pages of new information, documents, letters, and other hitherto unknown insights into the life and impact of this giant.
How many yegios did Rav Dovid undertake until he merited to portray this unique figure in modern Jewish history with the proper kavod that he deserves? Rav Chaim Ozer’s acknowledged brilliance, total recall of all of the Torah, and his genius, including his renowned ability to write multiple teshuvos simultaneously, were well-known to the Torah world, as were his pristine tzidkus and character.
However, how much Rav Chaim Ozer sacrificed of his own learning to lead the Torah and yeshiva world, particularly in the turbulent inter-war years, was not as readily known. By bringing to light Rav Chaim Ozer’s incredible involvement in every aspect of the leadership of Klal Yisroel for those difficult three decades, we are only now able to appreciate the greatness of this unique individual. Hundreds of new documents, unearthed by Rav Dovid, testify to the unbelievable sweep and scope of Rav Chaim Ozer’s gadlus, and these revelations bring much-needed kavod to this historic, once-in-a-generation, gadol.
Sharing the Wealth
To his wide circle of friends and acquaintances, Rav Dovid was known as the ultimate lev tov, a good and generous heart. There are many scholars who spend their lifetime researching subjects and acquire a large knowledge base in their area of expertise. They are often wary of sharing the fruits of their labor with others. Why, indeed, should they? Few wealthy business moguls routinely share their business secrets with others. Not so Rav Dovid. He would take countless phone calls from scores of talmidei chachomim toiling in his many fields of expertise. He would happily spend many hours sharing his priceless knowledge with all, even people he did not know. His friends, including me, would often ask him to cut down on these “free” consultations, but he simply could not. “How can I not help someone? I don’t own this Torah information! I just happen to know it. I am lucky to be able to share it.” If one were to make a list of introductions to seforim that thank Rav Dovid for his invaluable help, it would be quite a long one indeed.
What Can I Do for You?
This willingness to share the wealth was not merely reactive. If Rav Dovid felt that he could provide something to someone, he would do so proactively. Our dear mutual friend, Rav Lipa Geldwerth, a founding editorial board member of Yeshurun, is a scion of the family of the revered Tchebiner Rov. Last year, when Rav Dovid was already well advanced in his horribly debilitating illness, Rav Lipa went to visit him. After some scholarly conversation, Rav Dovid rose, went into his study, and emerged with a letter written by the Tchebiner Rov to an uncle of Rav Geldwerth, which he then gifted to him.
They had not even been discussing the subject, but Rav Dovid, among the myriad bibliographical items stored in his brain, remembered the connection and, without being asked, sought to make his visitor happy. This came from an exalted trait of farginen, a willingness to share the riches of the Torah in all its glory.
Similarly, a visit by me after the horrific Simchas Torah attacks produced a startlingly powerful tape of his revered grandfather, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, spoken in private in the immediate aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. “I have been waiting for years for the right time to make this public. Now is that time!” When I started fussing about the difficulties involved in transcribing a fifty-year-old recording, Rav Dovid was quick to assuage my concerns. “Don’t worry about anything. I already transcribed it for you. It’s taken care of.” This was the typical way he did things for others, whether individuals or the klal. The work involved was invariably much more difficult than portrayed, but no matter. “I’ll do it for you.” That thoughtful gesture produced an important article in this very distinguished forum. “It should go into the Yated. That is where my zaide’s message belongs.”
A Princely Bearing
This ayin tov was just one facet of a person with a sterling character who exhibited nobility, grace, and indeed ne’imus, a pleasant bearing in all of his interactions. In my thirty years of close friendship, I do not remember Rav Dovid once raising his voice or being annoyed in any way. He handled every nisayon with the same calm, equanimity, and pleasant demeanor. In every interaction, he personified kavod and noble behavior. Life in the fast lane of Yerushalayim, starting in the 1980s, as an American oleh, was not always simple. However, once Rav Dovid and his esteemed rebbetzin, the daughter of Rav Mordechai Neustadt, decided that their future lay in Eretz Yisroel, they handled every inevitable twist and turn with the same judicious serenity based on unshakable bitachon and unwavering emunah. They built a beautiful family, sons and sons-in-law all talmidei chachomim, and savored the exalted ruchniyus and Torah precincts of Yerushalayim.
A Bond Forged by Accomplishments
Both of these two aforementioned groups will surely mourn the loss of a remarkable person. But it is to smaller groups of people, privileged to work with him closely for decades, during which particularly close relationships were forged, where his absence will be most sorely felt. His shul and neighborhood in Har Nof, which he was instrumental in supporting with dedicated askonus, wisdom, and wise counsel, are one such group. For me personally, it was our bonding together as founding members of the Torah compendium Yeshurun that forged this special relationship. I was well acquainted for years with Rav Dovid as the “kid brother” of one of the distinguished roshei yeshiva of Philadelphia, Rav Sholom Kamenetsky, one of my oldest and closest yedidim. Rav Dovid had been several years behind me in high school, and as I looked around for experts to help found what we hoped would become a distinguished publication, his name kept on coming up as an expert in so many crucial fields. I visited him in Yerushalayim and convinced him to sign up, despite his protestations that he had no time to take from his then nascent publication endeavors. I would not take no for an answer and a bond of brotherhood was forged that only was broken this week by his histalkus.
30 Years of Accomplishment
I coaxed scores of fascinating and highly important articles out of his fertile brain, many of which remain world-class till today. In the formative years of Yeshurun, the major project that ensured its success in the Torah world was the three-part trilogy on Toras HaGra. The incredible hatzlocha of that project was directly related to the work of Rav Dovid. Not only did he write important maamarim himself, but he guided us with general advice and helped recruit young writers to contribute — no easy task. This intimate collaboration lasted thirty years until the publication of Yeshurun 49, the latest volume, which contains an extended chapter of the then-unpublished second Rav Chaim Ozer book, related to the founding of Agudas Yisroel. I knew that we were facing a race against a sad, impending deadline and wanted to honor our dear friend and colleague with a sample of his full book, as we davened that the full manuscript would come out in his lifetime. Graciously, the Ribbono Shel Olam granted everyone’s request, and Rav Dovid, his family, and his numerous followers merited to see first the excerpt, and then the entire magnum opus published, as a living testimony to the author.
The Glue That Bound Us
Our joint work over the years was often excruciatingly challenging, as it always involved painstaking research, which required the dedication of much time, under very tight time deadlines of a large and sophisticated semi-annual publication. No matter, Rav Dovid was unflappable and always available. I particularly remember my work on the biographies of Rav Avrohom, the son, and Rav Yaakov, the grandson of the Gra. As a neophyte in this highly specialized field, I needed a lot of assistance. Rav Dovid patiently shared his time and resources to guide what became a much-cited series of maamarim. Working closely together under challenging circumstances produces a special sense of camaraderie, a unique brotherhood. You need to have the right mix of committed people, and Rav Dovid, with his inimitable blend of brilliance and high character, personified the best of this group. He was the glue that held us together and made it work. We did occasionally bicker, like siblings are wont to do, but that was a sign of our closeness. In fact, a few years later, Rav Dovid sealed this by being meshadeich with a fellow Yeshurun editor, Rav Tzvi Gertner, the noted Yerushalayim dayan and world-class expert in Even Ha’ezer, who served with distinction as the halacha editor of Yeshurun. There is no better way to get to know a mechutan than to work with him under pressure!
Yeshurun, Yoshor, Straight and Naha, Noble
I watched the levayah and hespeidim with an overwhelming sense of loss. Rav Avrohom Meir Steinfeld, the rov of Rav Dovid’s kehillah, pointed out that Klal Yisroel is denoted by the moniker yeshurun because this is what the Ribbono Shel Olam expects of us: yashrus, honesty, and sincerity in all our dealings in both ruchniyus and gashmiyus. Rav Dovid’s entire being personified yashrus, in all the meanings of the word. It was the guiding light from which he never strayed.
A Scion of Princes
Rav Steinfeld, an old chavrusa of mine, also pointed out that being the scion of princes of Torah, the son and grandson of gedolei Yisroel, is not always an easy burden to bear. Many in such positions do not live up to such high standards. Rav Dovid was able to establish his own very successful identity while at the same time bringing much kavod to his distinguished legacy. Everyone who knew him saw him as a personification of the talmid chochom who Chazal (Yuma 86a) praise: observers thank his father and teachers for having taught him Torah. By his princely demeanor and dedication to excellence, Rav Dovid truly exemplified someone the Ribbono Shel Olam could be proud of.
In the Shadow of Greatness
Sometime after Rav Dovid had been diagnosed, I suggested to him that we travel to the kever of the Vilna Gaon to daven for his refuah. What better venue to do so? Who could be a more powerful interlocutor for him with the Ribbono Shel Olam than the revered Gra? He agreed that it was a good plan. Unfortunately, his circumstances no longer allowed for long trips, and “lo istaya milsa,” we were not able to go together. Instead, about 10 months ago, I found the opportunity for a trip to Vilna, a first for me. I had planned to visit the final resting place of both the Gaon and Rav Chaim Ozer with the hope of davening for my yedid nefesh. An unexpected snowstorm delayed my flight, and I only merited a relatively short visit to the tziyon of the Gaon. There, as the shadows of a cold Vilna winter day lengthened, I trembled, both figuratively and actually, in that famous austere ohel. I beseeched the Gaon to intercede, as only he could, with the Ribbono Shel Olam, on behalf of someone who had devoted so much of his life to uncovering and helping illuminate the secrets of his Torah. As I turned to leave, I went back one more time to the tziyon of the ger tzedek, who gave his life al kiddush Hashem, to add his zechuyos to the supplication.
The Heavenly Kloiz
Unfortunately, it was not to be, and on the night of Motzoei Menucha, Rav Dovid’s elevated neshomah, purified by months of yissurim, went up to the heavenly precincts. His many adherents would like to think that if anyone would be admitted to the kloiz of the Gaon in Shomayim, it would be Rav Dovid. Perhaps he would be escorted in by Rav Chaim Ozer himself, the Gaon’s unofficial successor as the leader of Vilna Jewry. After all, who better to proclaim on his behalf, “Ashrei mi sheba lekan vetalmideinu beyado!”
Yehi zichro boruch.
