A General - In Humble Tribute to Rav Mattisyahu Salomon Zt'l - Essay

Dear All,

The following is but a simple, humble tribute from me, to commemorate the one month since the passing of Rav Mattisyahu Chaim Salomon zt'l, the legendary mashgiach of Beth Medrash Gevoha, in Lakewood, New Jersey. I have tried to write in the most respectful manner I can, and I hope to only bring honor to both Hashem, and to the elegant and elevated soul of this great Tzaddik.

With blessings,

Yitzy Schweitzer

A General - In Humble Tribute to Rav Mattisyahu Salomon Zt'l - Essay

A month ago, the Torah world lost a warrior, as the news of the passing of Rav Mattisyahu Chaim Salomon zt'l was heard all around the world. I personally only found out about this news a couple of days later, but when I did I was deeply shocked and surprised by it.

I was thinking about a way I could pay tribute to a man I had not heard much about, yet someone I obviously knew of and after much consideration and thought, I decided to compose an essay, albeit a short or long one, in his memory.

I used the word warrior to describe Rav Mattisyahu, as I felt it would to do justice to both him and to his namesake, Mattisyahu the son of Yochanan Kohen Gadol, from the story of Chanukah. This also ties in quite elegantly, since Rav Mattisyahus birthday was Erev Chanukah of the year 1937.

Throughout his life, from his time in Gateshead until the end of his time at Beth Medrash Gevoha, Rav Mattisyahu connected himself both to Torah and to his dear students, with whom, like a general at battle with his soldiers, he charged on with them, leading his talmidim to greatness against the tide and the relentless opponent known as the outside world, or more simply, distractions.

In a tribute article about him, I read of how he was always available at any given time, to help out his students or community members with whatever troubled them. From the student who had to leave Yeshiva, as he would not be able to learn properly, due to a problem he developed with his vocal chords, to the many families he helped when it came to getting their sons and daughters into good schools, he was simply just always there.

Continuing to fight. His shield that of the Torah. His weapons, his carefully chosen and holy words with which the forces of the outside were forced to surrender, in sheer respect and humility for this great sage.

Rav Mattisyahu was the mashgiach, as we know, in both Gateshead and Beth Medrash Gevoha, in Lakewood, but one thing which I also only recently learnt about him was that he was mashgiach ofGateshead during the time that one of my dear Rebbeim was learning there. That, in and of itself, is a connection for which, despite not knowing much about the great Tzaddik, I must show, in some way, my respect as he was one of the many Rebbeim to my Rebbi.

To close off on this short essay, in Pirkei Avos (The Ethics of our Fathers) it states "Your students' honor should be as dear to you as your own". I think one thing you and I, in our humblest of opinions can agree on is that Rav Mattisyahu always respected, honored and gave value to his students and their opinions or thoughts.

May his elegant soul be raised high towards the throne of Hashem and may he fight, like his namesake for the benefit of Klal Yisrael and may we soon merit to see, with him in our presence once more, the Geulah Sheleima.