Harav Meir Greenberg passed away last night. He was a Gaon Otzum who was a talmid choviv of the late Rav Shlome Heiman, zt"l in Torah VoDaas and then went on to learn in Tomchei Tmimim in Otwock. He never forgot his former Rebbe or his shiurim, and made mention of them at every opportunity. Much of Reb Shlomo's shiurim were written by Reb Meir, and his own sefer - שיעורי גיטין - was full of mention of RSH. You might say he was one of a very select group of Reb Shlome's talmidim alive today. I had the zechus of seeing him sit and learn in the zal of the yeshivah in Morristown where he would come once a week and give a shiur. He would come in, sit down, and never take his eyes off the daf he was up to in gemoroh, unless you went up to him and asked him a question. He was a true example of Shekidoh, Hasmodoh and good middos, he didn't let his brain get in the way of dealing with other people.
I was told by some who claim to know that he had a close relationship with the Litvishe Yeshiva that was located in Paterson, that the bachurim there - supposedly top of the line - would come and red in lernen with him. They were apparently impressed by a Lubavitcher elderly yid knowing how to learn - it wasn't what they expected, it wasn't what they were taught. Reb Meir's son Heschel is a former shliach and current independent Rabbi in Buffalo who is very much like his father in learning. They say that Rabbi Greenberg senior was pretty radical in his beliefs regarding Moshiach and the identity thereo, even to the extent of writing "Yemos Hamoshiach" at the top of his letters. Reb Meir will be sorely missed by all those who merited to bask in his light, myself included.
ימות המשיח is simply a nicer way of saying עיקבתא דמשיחא.
ReplyDelete"Reb Meir's son Heschel is a "former" shliach"????????
ReplyDeleteYou probably meant "former" in a corporate governing sense, rather than in any spiritual meaning of the term. But people might be confused.
1)This is like world record stuff. a lubavitcher that really sat and learned. wow.(his fellow Lubobs must have thought that the old man had it all wrong)
ReplyDelete2)Hershel said,"He would come in, sit down, and never take his eyes off the daf he was up to in gemoroh, unless you went up to him and asked him a question"... They say that that actualy did once happen back in the 80's, but again I wouldnt believe everything I hear. (if anyone knows that story please confirm)
3)Do you know any details of how he went off? alot of us here are probably curious.
4)Hershel said,"You might say he was one of a very select group of Reb Shlome's talmidim alive today." Yes, VERY select. So select he was the only one. No one else joined the "Cot Hayedua".
"Former Shalich"
ReplyDeleteHeschel Greenberg is a really talented fellow who knows how to learn.Really.An anomaly in Lubavitch.He is also very well spoken and clear, another anomaly in Lubavitch.
Problem is he is a big,big Meshichist
I had the pleasure, during my time in Morristown, of many hours discussing halachic issues with R'Meir a"h. He once told me that he was R'Moshes first musmach in America, and about his interesting shimush with RMF in those days.
ReplyDeletei love meshichistin, they are the only lubabs that honestly say what they think...
ReplyDelete1. Rabbi Greenberg served for many years as shdot rav - chief rabbi - of Patterson, NJ today few Jews remain there.
ReplyDelete2. If memory serves me Rabbi Greenberg Jr. was very close to meir Abehsera and may have been responsible for bringing him to Chabad. I think Greenberg was active in Bighampton.
3. Again I seem to recall that Greenberg Jr. also had some Vishnitzer leanings. he is a very spiritual type of person.
הרה"ג ר' מאיר גרינבערג איז געווען א גוטן חבר מיינער. זיין יחס מיט הגאון הרב משה זצ"ל איז געווען אן אויסערגעוויינלעכער - ער איז געווען ממש א בן בית ביי אים. אין יענער צייט האב איך אויך געהאט שימוש ביי ר' משהן. ער פלעגט קלינגען דעם ליובאוויטשער רבין זצ"ל כמעט יעדע וואך כדי דורכצוריידן עניני כלכה אד"ג. נאך קבלת הנשיאות האט ער אויפגעהערט זאגנדיק אז יעצט האט דער רבי קיין צייט ניט.
ReplyDeleteר' מאיר איז אויך געווען דער
ליבסטער תלמיד ביי ר שלמהן זצ"ל
זאל ער האבן א ליכטיקן גן-עדן
R'Yaisef Doiv!
ReplyDeleteSholom!
Vu zaint ihr geven azoi lang?Mir hoben gebenkt noch dir!
Mir darfen aiych hoben do, vail ihr zaint an oihev sholom vos koomt adorech mit yeidem.
Rabbi Mendel Feldman formerly of Baltimore also learned by Rabbi Shoime Heiman and then went to learn in Tomchei Temimim in Poland, I am curious if their was a whole chevra that went?
ReplyDeletethere was a whole group of boys who learned in YTV and then went on to Lubavitch. They were Talmidim of Reb Yisroel Jacobson, a Lubavitcher Chossid and Rov who lived in Brownsville.
ReplyDeleteAbraham Hecht was another American who studied in Otvock.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can get a list from other posters?
I think that Berl Levy also went to Otvock
ReplyDeleteschneur
ReplyDeleteI think you might be mixing up the two Greenberg families.
it was Akiva Greenberg who brought Abehsera to Lubavitch. Pintos father.
dd said. You must be correct. My mistake
ReplyDeleteevery shliach is an independant rabbi. we each have to create our own financial support system....
ReplyDelete