It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Avrohom Mordechai Isbee zt”l. He was 79 years old.
Rav Avrohom Mordechai was born in the United States, where his family lived in Detroit, Michigan. He was a son of Rav Tzvi Yaakov Isbee and a grandson of Rav Nechemia Isbee.
Reb Tzvi Yaakov’s daughters married noted talmidei chachomim, Rav Shalom Shapiro shlit”a and lhbcl”c Rav Asher Zelig Rubinsteinm zt”l.
Rav Avrohom Mordechai attended Telshe Yeshiva and later moved to Eretz Yisroel.
He became known as one of the greatest talmidei chachomim in the Gerer chassidus and was selected by the Lev Simcha of Ger to serve as a maggid shiur at the Gerer Yeshiva Bais Yisroel in Ashdod.
Over the years, hundreds of talmidim learned under Rav Avrohom Mordechai, who was known as a gaon of rare caliber.
Rav Avrohom Mordechai was a world-class genius and masmid, who was also an exceedingly humble man and a hidden tzaddik.
About a decade ago, Rav Avrohom Mordechai contracted Alzheimer’s. His family monitored his condition and supported him around the clock, but it was a source of overwhelming sorrow to them to see their brilliant father in this state, to have to answer his confused questions, and to see that he could not recognize even his closest family members.
The following is an astounding story about Rav Avrohom Mordechai, recorded in the book Food for Thought:
During the winter of 2015, his grandson got married, and the father of the chassan discovered, to his surprise, that there is a wonder drug that could bring about an amazing turnaround for a few hours; after taking it, the patient returns to himself to some extent, albeit only for a short amount of time. The drug’s side effects are too damaging for it to be taken regularly, but it can be taken once every few months. The family planned to give the pill to Rav Avrohom Mordechai on the day of the wedding, so he could partake in the simchah and speak to the guests. What could bring the family more joy than that?
Several hours before the wedding, Rav Avrohom Mordechai was given the pill, and he became more lucid than he had been in months. “Abba,” his son said, “I am marrying off my son. We are taking you to the wedding.” Rav Avrohom Mordechai, suddenly remembering his son and grandson, trembled with excitement and was happy to embrace them, but he announced that he did not intend to go to the wedding.
“Why?” cried the disappointed family members. They presumed that his faculties were still impaired.
“I have missed many hours of learning,” Rav Avrohom Mordechai replied.
He proceeded to sit and learn for 15 hours, taking notes in his notebook in his compact handwriting.
Only one of his sons was capable of deciphering his father’s handwriting, and he went to the house to determine whether the notes were sensible or if his father’s mind was impaired as before. Perusing the notes, the son was astonished: Rav Avrohom Mordechai had written many pages of notes on Maseches Bava Basra and a few on Maseches Pesachim. The notes on the previous pages in the book, which had been written several years earlier, were also mostly on Maseches Bava Basra, with a few pages on Maseches Pesachim!
Rav Avrohom Mordechai is survived by his dedicated wife and his wonderful family.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}
related to R’ Yitzchok Isbee z”l?
Brother of Rav Yitzchok Isbee of Yerushalayim. First cousin of Rav Yitzchok Isbee, son in law of Rav Dovid Kronglass, who was a rav in Brooklyn. Both Isbee families were raised in Detroit.
I believe Rav Isbee of Flatbush was raised in the Bronx where his father was a Rav.
Rav Yitzchok Isbee, the Mora Dasra of Agudas Yisrael Beis Binyomin was raised in the Bronx. His father was the Mora Dasra of Young Israel of Astor Gardens.
I knew him personally , words can not describe the anivus and tzidkus of this great Talmud chochom. His eishas chayil was always at his side and is a tremendous balas chesed
The story is astounding. Has anyone else been documented as using this pill?
He was also a mashiv in Kaminetz Yeshiva when i learned there in 1997-1999
נשבה ארון האלקים
שברי לוחות מונחין בארון
That story is unbelievable!!!!
There is a good reason that the story is unbelievable. Literally unbelievable. Rav Isbee was a gaon and a tzadik, and doesn’t need stories like that to validate that fact.
He was a son in law, to R’ Yosef Hess from Williamsburg.
The Isbee family from Detroit were Gerer Chasidim and Rav Avrom Mordechai ZTL was from the original chabura of 12 Bochurim sent in Elul 1960 from Telz Cleveland to Chicago to start the Telz Yeshiva of Chicago.
I remember him sitting in the dining room in Ohr Somayach like a Poshute Person speaking with the Bochurim with utmost humility.
Yehi Zichro Boruch.
BE”H
He spent most weekday evenings at Ohr Somayach, ate dinner there, gave a chabura once week to the newer guys. Could answer any question in the world, and I had a lot of interactions with him, he made bracha achrita at my chasuna.
Here’s the story I witnessed:
He gave our bekiyus chabura on Bava Kama a small shiur in iyun once a week. On the walk from the beis medrash to the shiur room, he asked me, “What dafim did you do this week?” I told him which 2-3 we learned, and he came in, about a minute later, with a full 1 hour shiur from various sugyos with the mareh mekomos in R’ Akiva Eiger!
He NEVER looked inside, although he always opened a sefer and had his finger running around as if he was looking inside. He once gave a shiur like that with an Artscroll chumash!
A Gaon Adir! BDE!
He was a tremendous Tzaddik – I don’t understand why it is not mentioned that he was a highly regarded maggid shiur at Ohr Somayach – I used to go to his chaburos often – it always seemed to me that he was living that which the Rebbe R’ Eliemech zya wrote in the Tzetel Katan to imagine that someone was standing over him and telling him to keep the hanhagos written there. Yehi Zichro Baruch
BH His Shiurim in the Ohr Samayach Beis Hamidrash were an event. We all looked up to him but he never looked down at us. He lifted us up! Sweet person. Chaval D’iavdin.