Rabbi Shmueli, Shlit"a – A Hilula for three great righteous leaders: Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh), and Rabbi Avraham Monsa on the 20th of Elul ,5784

Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian zt"l: Humility and Eternal Vigilance

Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian was widely known to possess the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). When he was just ten years old, his parents immigrated to the United States. Young Eliyahu refused to join them so he would not neglect his Torah study. He stayed behind to learn in Lomza and later moved to the great yeshiva in Kelm, studying under his primary master, Rabbi Simcha Zissel. Following his marriage, he served as a teacher at the Kelm Yeshiva. In 1948 (5708), he immigrated to the Land of Israel, where he became the Mashgiach (spiritual supervisor) of the Kamenitz Yeshiva and later the revered Mashgiach of Kfar Chassidim.

He was extraordinarily fluent in the entire Talmud (Shas) and the Six Orders of the Mishnah. He also studied Kabbalah under the author of the Leshem Shevo Ve'achlama (the grandfather of Rabbi Elyashiv). In his youth, he met the author of the Sfat Emet, who told him: "You do not need my blessing". Rabbi Eliyahu was also blessed with a revelation of Elijah the Prophet (Gilui Eliyahu) and authored the monumental work Lev Eliyahu.

Despite his greatness, he was exceptionally humble. While serving as Mashgiach in Kfar Chassidim, a student arrived late in the middle of the night with nowhere to sleep. Not wanting to disturb the other students, the Rabbi hosted him in his own room, covered him to keep him warm, and stayed up. The student overheard the Rabbi repeating a single verse hundreds of times: "And you shall not bring an abomination into your house..." (Deuteronomy 7:26). The young student wept, mistakenly thinking the Rabbi was calling him an abomination.

The next morning, after prayers, the student broke down in tears before the Rabbi. Rabbi Eliyahu reassured him: "Heaven forbid! When I enter the yeshiva, 500 young men stand up out of respect for me. Pride is the ultimate abomination! Therefore, I repeat this verse hundreds of times to remind myself not to allow pride into my heart. It had nothing to do with you".

To further ease the student's mind, the Rabbi offered a parable:

Imagine a bomb sitting in the corner of a room. Decades pass, hundreds of people walk by, and it never explodes. Does that mean the danger has disappeared? No, a bomb is still a bomb! The trait of pride is the most dangerous bomb of all, which is why I must constantly guard myself against it.

Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman zt"l: Rebuilding from the Ashes

Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the Ponevezher Rav, arrived in Israel after the Holocaust broken and shattered, yet determined to rebuild. He traveled extensively to collect funds, save children, and construct institutions. Notably, he established the "Batei Avot" homes in Bnei Brak to rescue and shelter orphaned children, including the Teheran Children. Recently, while comforting a grieving family in Ramot whose son was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident, it came to light that two brothers of the deceased were currently studying at Batei Avot in Bnei Brak. The institution continues to raise good Sephardic students, and the entire yeshiva came to offer comfort to the family.

The Ponevezher Rav was renowned for his sharp wit and clever solutions in raising funds for Torah:

• The Benefactress's Portrait: A wealthy woman offered a large donation on the condition that her portrait be hung inside the study hall (Beit Midrash). The Rav replied: "In the study hall? No, I want your picture hung in my private office right next to me". She agreed, gave the donation, and later came to inspect it. The Rav had placed the picture off to the side in his office where he would not stare at it, cleverly fulfilling the agreement while preserving the sanctity of the yeshiva. (He also famously placed an Israeli flag on the yeshiva roof).
• The "Bareheaded" Yeshiva: Donors once promised a large sum if students in his yeshiva studied without skullcaps (kippot). The Rav agreed and signed the contract, accepting a heavy penalty clause if any student wore a kippah. He then used the funds to establish the "Ohr HaChaim" girls' institution. When the donors arrived demanding to see students learning without kippot, he showed them thousands of young women studying—none of whom wore kippot!

Rabbi Avraham Monsa zt"l: Holiness Amid Devastating Poverty

Rabbi Avraham Monsa was a holy Kabbalist who taught esoteric Torah and prayed with deep mystical intentions (kavanot). He often served as a cantor (chazzan) at the famous Beit El Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

He was the son of Rabbi Yaakov Monsa and the uncle of Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer. His family lived in the same courtyard in Jerusalem as my mother's family, next to the family of the Kaf HaChaim Sofer and the Toledano family. My mother and the neighbors still recalled my parents' wedding taking place right inside that courtyard.

Rabbi Avraham authored the beautiful biographical work Pedeh Et Avraham, detailing his origins in Aleppo and Damascus, and the family's life in the Bukharim neighborhood. After his mother passed away, his father remarried, and the children were raised by their grandmother. He and his older brother, Rabbi Yosef Monsa (who became the head of the ritual slaughterers in the Old City), grew up in extreme poverty:

Their father had only a single slice of bread to offer. He would tell young Avraham and Yosef:

"If you studied well today, I will give you the slice of bread and I will go hungry. But if you did not study well today, then I will eat it".

The brothers would study with intense diligence, competing over who had learned best to earn that single slice of bread. Often, they went to sleep on empty stomachs, hoping their father might bring home a piece of dry bread, only to find there was none. Out of that profound poverty and ultimate sacrifice grew world-class Torah giants.

Concluding Prayers

May this study and remembrance serve for the elevation of the soul (Le'ilui Nishmat) of Shalom ben Simcha—may the Spirit of the Lord grant him rest in the Garden of Eden.

And also for the elevation of the soul of Dona Dina bat Serira. May their memories be a blessing.