Harav Sroya Deblitzky /Develitzky ZT”L

About Wearer

Translated from Wikipedia:

Rabbi Srayah Divlitzky (15 Shevat 5686 / January 30, 1926 – 2 Av 5778 / July 14, 2018) was a Lithuanian Haredi rabbi, posek, mekubal, grammarian, philologist, and prolific Torah author. His books cover a wide range of areas: halachah, Kabbalah, grammar, derashah, biographies, history, prayer texts, and piyyutim.

Biography

He was born in Riga, Latvia, to Devorah and Betzalel Yaakov, who had been close to Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook when he lived in Bauska.[1] In 5694 (1934), his family made aliyah and settled in Tel Aviv, where his father founded a candy factory called “Tz.D.” (the initials of Tzlal/Betzalel Diblitzky).[2] At about age 13, alongside his studies at Gymnasia Herzliya, he began learning with Rabbi Yechiel Yisraelov in the Gra synagogue on Yarkon Street, and also grew close to Rabbi Yosef Tzvi HaLevi, the Av Beis Din of Tel Aviv. At around age 15, his family moved to Jerusalem, where he began learning in Yeshivas Kaminetz and Yeshivas Chevron. He became close to Rabbi Dovid Beharan and Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlap. He developed as a spiritual disciple of the Gra of Vilna [clarification needed], as a mekubal, and as a grammarian. In addition, Rabbi Diblitzky also learned with mekubalim from the Sephardic communities of Jerusalem: Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi, Rabbi Ovadiah Hedaya, and Rabbi Mordechai Attiyah.

In 5705 (1945), he married Chayah (who passed away in 5754 / 1994), the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Yanovsky, rabbi of Agudas HaKormim.[3] He lived in Tel Aviv and later moved to Ramat Gan, where he learned in the “Slonim Yeshivah” established and headed by Rabbi Shabsai Yogel. He began drawing close to Rabbi Avraham Yeshayah Karelitz (the Chazon Ish), and would daven vasikin every day in the minyan in his home.

At around age 27, he moved to Bnei Brak. In 5717 (1957), he established in his home a fixed minyan for Shacharis vasikin at the time of the visibly observed sunrise.[4] From then until his passing, he published more than eighty works, some books and some pamphlets, on a very broad range of subjects. His seforim became widespread in the religious and Haredi public, and he was considered an authority in Kabbalah, minhagim, traditional Hebrew grammar, the laws of mourning, and the teachings of the Gra. His haskamos appear on many contemporary Torah works.

Rabbi Diblitzky had one son and two daughters. His son, Rabbi Dovid, is an editor of the literature of the early Ashkenazic Rishonim, including the Raavyah, the Raavan, Shaarei Dura, and Sefer HaYashar.

In the last year of his life he became seriously ill. He passed away on Friday night, 2 Av 5778, at age 92. He was buried in Kiryat Shaul cemetery next to his wife.[5]

Some of his practices

Rabbi Diblitzky followed many distinctive practices, because unlike the common approach of often ruling halachah from relatively later seforim such as the Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Diblitzky would clarify the halachah from its earliest sources—Tanach, Mishnah, and Talmud. One example was his refraining from eating foods categorized as pas haba’ah b’kisnin, because the quantity over which one must make, according to some poskim, a berachah me’ein shalosh is the same quantity that, according to others, already requires Birchas HaMazon. Since if he ate a small amount he would be in doubt whether to make Borei Nefashos or Me’ein Shalosh, and if he ate a larger amount he would be in doubt whether to make Me’ein Shalosh or Birchas HaMazon, he would refrain and not eat such baked items at all, except during a meal in which he ate bread, where the mezonos items are covered by Birchas HaMazon on the bread.

Another distinctive custom of his was to daven Shacharis exactly at the time of the sunrise as actually visible in practice. בעקבותיו, many began doing the same (see references to some of these practices in the “Sefarim VeSofrim” forum).[6]

Rabbi Diblitzky used to place a thread of Techeiles (argaman kehah kotzim) in his tzitzis on his tallis katan, but not on his tallis gadol.[7] He also had the practice of wearing tefillin throughout the entire day, and even published seforim calling on others to do the same.

Rabbi Diblitzky was careful that there should be nothing false in the nusach of davening. For example, in Shir HaYichud for Sunday he would say “and we are on pure soil” instead of “impure soil,” because he was in Eretz Yisrael; and in Yekum Purkan he replaced the words “those in Bavel” with “those בכל אתר ואתר / in every place,” because nowadays there are no talmidei chachamim in Bavel.[8]

After the Six-Day War, he wanted to establish a day of thanksgiving, to be expressed by saying Hallel and setting a seudas mitzvah,[9] but later he retracted and noted that those words had been correct for their time.[10]

After the Knesset approved, in March 2014, the amendment to the Security Service Law dealing with drafting yeshivah students into the IDF,[11] he recited the berachah of “Baruch Dayan HaEmes” with Shem U’Malchus.[12]

His books

• Kuntres Achar Kosleinu — laws of tearing keriah over the city and the Mikdash, and matters related to the Kosel HaMa’aravi, Bnei Brak, 5727.
• Pe’er Yaakov — on the greatness of fulfilling the mitzvah of tefillin properly, Bnei Brak, 5727.
• Kuntres Eim LaMikra — on the entire Torah, the haftaros, and the megillos, Bnei Brak, 5732.
• Seder Tikkun Chatzos KeSeder HaArizal — with the relevant laws and a permanent chart for midnight and the time for Tikkun Chatzos, with appended laws of keriah over the Mikdash, Bnei Brak, 5732.
• Kuntres Masei Milchamah — responses and clarifications on mourning for missing soldiers of various kinds, and discussion of mourning at the time of gathering bones and transferring coffins, ahead of the transfer of war dead, Bnei Brak, 5734.
• Chukas Olam — an explanation of the Yom Kippur avodah according to Ashkenazic order; at the beginning are discussions about reading on Yom Kippur by candlelight, saying Ana Hashem in the confession of Ashamnu, and about Mussaf after seven hours on Yom Kippur, Bnei Brak, 5735.
• Sova Semachos — all the laws of sheva berachos, Bnei Brak, 5735.
• Kuntres Ari BaMistarim — biography according to the approach of Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv, published for the fiftieth yahrzeit, 27 Adar 5686 – 27 Adar 5736, Bnei Brak, 5736.
• Y”ג Ma’amaros, Bnei Brak, 5737.
• Zikaron Betzalel — an extensive explanation in the laws of keriah, Yoreh Deah siman 340, being volume 1 of the memorial work for Rabbi Betzalel Yaakov Diblitzky, Bnei Brak, 5737.
• Arba’ah Sefarim Niftachim — including derashos for the Yamim Nora’im and festivals of the year 5738; matters of hagbah and gelilah; rulings and clarifications in the laws of Chanukah, second part; and Pesach Einayim HeChadash, second part, an explanation and sourcing of the kavanos in the Chanukah candle berachos in the siddur of the Rashash, Bnei Brak, 5738.
• Machzor Kol Bo HaShalem — explained by the sages of Ashkenaz, such as the Raavan; completely reorganized according to the Vilna print with a collection of halachos, added tefillos, assorted collections, and words of awakening, Jerusalem, 5743.
• Mesos Kol HaAretz — details of the custom of making aliyah l’regel even today to the Kosel HaMa’aravi, and the order of what should be said there, together with a warning about the prohibition against entering the entire area of Har HaBayis, Bnei Brak, 5743.
• Zeh HaShulchan — on matters of Orach Chaim and Yoreh Deah; at the end, glosses and notes to the Chafetz Chaim, Bnei Brak, 5746.
• U’Vchein Tzadikim — collected practices of more than one hundred tzaddikim for the Yamim Nora’im, with an accompanying Kuntres HaTeshuvah on the mitzvah of teshuvah, Bnei Brak, 5746.
• Derosh Darash, Bnei Brak, 5746.
• Tikkun Tefillah — detailing all the nuscha’os and tunes of the prayers and readings for the whole year, Bnei Brak, 5746.
• Kuntres HaTeshuvah — thoughts, notes, and insights on the mitzvah of teshuvah, Bnei Brak, 5746.
• Laws of Tish’ah B’Av when it falls on Sunday, and the laws of the preceding Shabbos, Bnei Brak, 5748.
• Yerushalayim Harim Saviv Lah — on determining the day of Purim in the neighborhoods of Ramot and Har Nof near Jerusalem, to observe there as cities of doubt, Bnei Brak, 5749.
• Kuntres Matzeves Even — explaining the warning of the Arizal not to erect a tombstone within seven days of burial, Bnei Brak, 5749.
• Machsheves Betzalel — a commentary on the introduction to Rechovos HaNahar of Rabbenu Shalom Sharabi, Jerusalem, 5752.
• Biurim L’Kitvei HaRashash zt”l, Bnei Brak, 5752.
• HaIgeres HaZos, Bnei Brak, 5757.
• Palgei Mayim — on the laws of fasts for rain and the berachos for rain as ruled in Tur and Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 221 and 575 and 579, as they should be practiced today, Bnei Brak, 5760.
• Purim Meshulash — laws and customs of Purim that falls on Friday and Shabbos in Jerusalem, unwalled cities, and doubtful cities, Bnei Brak, 5765.
• Binu Shenos Dor VaDor — biographies, wills, and practices of gedolei Yisrael, and enactments and customs followed in the Gra synagogue in Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, 5766.
• Pesach Einayim HeChadash — an easy-language explanation of the Arizal’s kavanos in the siddur of the Rashash, with an opening collection on the importance of the kavanos and the rules of the siddur of the Rashash; eight parts in three volumes, Bnei Brak, 5768–5770.
• Kitzur Hilchos Moadim, Bnei Brak, 5766.
• Tena’im Tovim — conditions in the kavanos of the holy names and words of awakening, Bnei Brak, 5766.
• LaNefesh Tidreshenu — derashos for the Yamim Nora’im, Chanukah, Shovavim, on the Torah, and hespedim, in two parts.
• U’Zarach HaShemesh — customs of the vasikin minyan in Beis HaKnesses Tiferes Tzion, Bnei Brak.
• Ani L’Dodi — mussar and chizuk talks for Elul and the Yamim Nora’im.
• V’Hu B’Echad — explanation of kavanos in Krias Shema.

Besides his books, Rabbi Diblitzky published many articles on a wide range of topics in journals dealing with Jewish studies.

Derech Yesharah — after his passing, his student Rabbi Asher Porat published a sefer collected from his practices and writings.

External links

• David Tidhar (editor), “Rabbi Srayah Diblitzky,” in Encyclopedia of the Pioneers of the Yishuv and Its Builders, vol. 14 (1965), p. 4466
• Information on Srayah Diblitzky in the National Library catalog
• List of Srayah Diblitzky’s articles on the RAMBI website
• David Lang, “And I Have Been Sad and Chained, More Than a Thousand Years,” on the National Library blog HaSafranim, July 31, 2017
• Memorial thread in the Otzar HaChochmah forum
• Dvir Amar, “Accepted by All,” on Arutz 7, July 19, 2018
• All articles about Rabbi Srayah Diblitzky on Arutz 7
• “Srayah ben Betzalel Yaakov Diblitzky (1926–2018),” title page in the National Library

Footnotes

1. David Tidhar (editor), “Betzalel Yaakov Tzablitzky,” in Encyclopedia of the Pioneers of the Yishuv and Its Builders, vol. 14 (1965), p. 4510; Rabbi Srayah Diblitzky, Zikaron Betzalel, Bnei Brak 5769, p. 4.
2. Uri Avital, Mishot B’Mifalei HaCharoshes, Al HaMishmar, August 20, 1954, p. 4. The father financially supported the young Rabbi Shlomo Goren and his family (Gorontchik), through the mediation of his friend Chaim Nachman Bialik.
3. “A remembrance for those who have gone: the great Rabbi Ch. O. Yanovsky z”l,” She’arim, November 26, 1958, p. 3.
4. In this minyan he instituted distinctive customs. The customs of the minyan were collected in the sefer U’Zarach HaShemesh.
5. “The monument on the grave of the mekubal from Bnei Brak • watch,” on Kikar HaShabbos, August 21, 2018.
6. Rabbi Srayah Diblitzky on the Bechadrei Chareidim forum.
7. “Techeiles in our times.”
8. Regarding Shir HaYichud and regarding Yekum Purkan in the Otzar HaChochmah forum.
9. “Establishing a day of thanksgiving after the Six-Day War,” article by Rabbi Diblitzky.
10. Shome’a U’Mosif – Bein Pesach L’Atzeres (a collection of letters and responsa from Rabbi Srayah Diblitzky in an internal edition), p. 14.
11. Security Service Law (Amendment No. 19), 5774–2014, Sefer HaChukkim 2442, March 19, 2014.
12. “Rav Sh. Diblitzky on the draft law: ‘Baruch Dayan HaEmes,’” Bechadrei Chareidim.

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