R’ Binyomin Levitin z”l, one of the elder Chabad chassidim from the last generation who helped preserve the rich repertoire of Chabad niggunim, passed away on Sunday. He was 96.
R’ Binyomin was a son of R’ Shmuel Levitin, who was from the first talmidim in the Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in the Russian town of Lubavitch.
R’ Binyomin lived in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn for many years. He got married in 1945.
Musically gifted, he was chosen to be part of the historic effort to preserve some 175 chassidic melodies that have been handed down through the generations with multiple versions being passed down. A group of elder chassidim and some younger bochurim, who remembered the melodies as they were sung in Lubavitch, were selected to assist R’ Shmuel Zalmanov, head of the Nichoach organization. R’ Binyomin was one of the younger members, along with Rabbi Yitzchak Dovber Ushpal and Rabbi Mendel Tennenbaum, to collect, reconstruct and rerecord the niggunim.
R’ Binyomin is survived by his wife, Mrs. Shaindel Zelda Levitin; their children, Rabbi Sholom Ber Levitin (Seattle, WA); Mrs. Frayde Andrusier (Crown Heights); Mrs. Tema Gerlitzky (Crown Heights); Mrs. Devory Kornfeld (Seattle, WA); and R’ Yosef Levitin (Crown Heights); and many grandchildren.
The levaya was held yesterday.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com Newscenter/COLLIVE.COM}
Rav Levitan was the son in law of the famous Stoliner chosid Rav Nissin Pilchick ob”m.
Reb Shmuel Levitin zt”l, father of reb binyomin, was a famous chabad chosid, a big talmid chochom who headed the “beis medrash lerabonim” in communist Russia, was exiled to Siberia for a number of years because of his spreading of yidishkait, and later became the Mashpia of the lubavitcher yeshiva in New York.
reb binyomin’s daughter, tibl”ch rebetzin gerlitzky, is the wife of Rav Avrohom Gerlitzki Shlit”a, one of the Roshei Yeshiva of Oholei Torah, author of a few seforim.