עולם התורה באבל • נפלה עטרת ראשנו – Rav Chaim Dov Keller zt”l

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It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Hagaon Rav Chaim Dov Keller zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago. He was 90 years old.

Born in New York City in 1930, Rav Keller attended Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon and then joined Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned under the roshei yeshiva, Rav Chaim Mordechai Katz and Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, the latter of whom became his rebbi muvhak.

He became renowned for his brilliance and hasmadah, and was recognized as a budding talmid chochom.

He married his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Devorah Keller a”h, a daughter of Rav Leizer Levin zt”l, rov of Detroit.

In 1960, Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago was founded by Rav Avrohom Chaim Levin and Rav Chaim Schmelczer. A year later, Rav Keller, Rav Levin’s brother-in-law, joined as rosh yeshiva.

Rav Keller served as a member of the nesius, or presidium, of Agudas Yisroel of America and was a speaker at a number of Agudah Conventions.

Rav Keller, in addition to his remarkable Torah erudition and vast yedios haTorah, had a remarkable ability to convey hashkafas haTorah with clarity, both in speeches delivered with flowering oratory and in writing, utilizing his talented pen. Rav Keller became a most eloquent spokesman for Torah Jewry, encapsulating the proper outlook on contemporary issues with unparalleled lucidity and forthrightness.

Rav Keller was a noted mechadeish in all areas of Torah, and some of his chiddushei Torah were published in his multi-volume Sefer Chidekel.

Rav Keller’s rebbetzin passed away a number of years ago and he married his second wife, Rebbetzin Shulamis (Prager).

Rav Keller is survived by his wife, Rebbetzin Shulamis (Prager) Keller; his children, Rav Shmuel Yeshaya Keller, rosh yeshiva at Telshe Yeshiva in Chicago; Rav Elya Meir Keller, R”M at Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah of Lakewood; Mrs. Craindell Mannes, principal at Bais Yaakov High School in Chicago; Mrs. Sori Schechter, principal of Bais Yaakov of Lakewood; Mrs. Chani Treff of Lakewood; and Mrs. Leah Bogen of Yerushalayim; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The levayah will be held at 5 p.m. outside of Telshe Yeshiva Chicago, located at 3535 West Foster Avenue in Chicago, IL. Additional seating will be available in the yeshiva‘s backyard. Seating for ladies will be available outside of CarFix at 3555 West Foster Avenue. Parking will be available at Northeastern Illinois University, Lots H, J and L. The yeshiva‘s bais medrash will be closed. Please observe all CDC recommended social distancing guidelines.

To watch a livestream of the levayah, log on to tinyurl.com/RabbiChaimDovKeller-Levaya. To listen, call 563.999.1235.

A levayah will be held in Lakewood, NJ on Tuesday at 12 noon at Beth Medrash Govoha’s Bais Aron Bais Medrash on Tenth Street. Audio hookup can be accessed at 563.999-1235.

Kevurah will take place in Eretz Yisroel on Wednesday, with the aron arriving on Flight UA90. Kevurah will be held in the Ponovezher Bais Hachaim in Beni Brak.

Yehi zichro boruch.

Photos (c) 2020 Flash 87 Images:

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{Matzav.com}


6 COMMENTS

  1. What an aveidah!
    Rav Chaim Dov was a gaon in Torah, brilliant in many many ways, bearer of a torch of a mesorah, on of the guiding lights of the Torah world. We will miss him dearly.

  2. What a loss! The original generation of Telz Chicago is no longer here, and we no longer have that chain in our mesorah. His pristine clarity on matters of hashkafa was a foundation for my childhood.

    Although Rav Chaim Dov was in Telz for nearly 60 years, he joined Telz a year or two after the yeshiva started. It was Rav Avrohom Chaim Levin and Rav Chaim Schmelczer who actually started the yeshiva.

  3. And he felt the compelling need, the chov kadosh, to spread Chochmas Torah, Daas Torah, Kovod HaTorah, Hashkafas HaTorah, and Minhag Yisroel to those with little exposure to, and sometimes with little realization of, their neshamo’s desire and thirst for it. This was evident year after year when he attended the Gatlinburg Torah Retreat – conceived, organized, and run by HaRav Meir Belsky zt”l, at the time Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of the South located in Memphis, TN – (for adults throughout the South back in the 60s and 70s before Gateways, Discovery, or Project Inspire).

  4. Boruch Dayan Haemes

    He feared Hashem in a great way. Therefore, that fear of Hashem made him not ever consider fear of a mere mortal, when it came to fulfilling what Hashem wanted of him. He was fearless full of fear and love of Hashem, His Torah and His nation when dealing with those who attempted to pervert the Torah.

    BTW he attended public school and only joined Yeshiva College for either high school or college

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