It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Peretz Plitnik zt”l of Kiryat Sanz, one of the distinguished talmidim of the Mir Yeshiva and the legendary baal tokeia of Rav Yitzchok Hutner, at the age of 91.
Rav Plitnik was laid to rest last night in Yerushalayim. The levayah departed from Beis Medrash Ahavas Torah on Rechov Toras Chesed and continued to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.
Rav Plitnik a devoted talmid of Rav Hutner and later of his son-in-law, ybl”c Rav Yonasan David, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Pachad Yitzchak. He cleaved to their Torah and derech with every fiber of his being.
All who merited spending time in his presence encountered a living example of the unique tzuras ha’adam instilled in him by his rebbi, a figure of pure yiras Shamayim, blended with refinement, nobility, and an exceptional warmth toward every individual.
For many years, Rav Plitnik set his primary learning in the Mir Yeshiva and was among the pillars of the Ahavas Torah shul.
For decades, Rav Plitnik served as the baal tokeia in the presence of Rav Hutner. The lofty moments of reciting Lamenatze’ach and the tekiyos of the shofar that emerged from the depths of his heart, with awe and humility, remain etched in the memories of his admirers.
Alongside his profound avodas Hashem, Rav Plitnik was especially noted for his deep emunas chachamim. When he was approximately fifty years old, doctors ruled that he required urgent bypass surgery and warned that without it he would not survive. He sought guidance from the gaon Rav Yisrael Eliyahu Weintraub, who told him he could not decide and suggested they go together to the Steipler. After hearing the situation, the Steipler ruled emphatically, “They do not see.” Following those words, Rav Plitnik decided not to undergo the surgery.
Placing his full trust in the Steipler’s declaration, Rav Plitnik was granted many additional decades of life, ultimately passing away peacefully at age 91. With absolute emunah, he merited exceptional longevity in a manner seen by those close to him as beyond the natural order.
Rav Plitnik was zocheh to raise many talmidim and leaves behind a large and beautiful family: his wife, Rebbetzin Rivkah Plitnik, sons and a daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all continuing in his derech.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}
Not to take away anything from the choshuva niftar, even after he moved to Eretz Yisroel, Rav Hutner ZT’L came to the United States almost every year to Chaim Berlin for Rosh Hashana, where the Baal Tokea was Rav Shmuel Wolman Z’L.
Indeed your comment IS a subtle ” take away from the chushiva Niftar”
Maran Rav Hutner taught kavod hatorah, and your comment isn’t appropriate for this place and at this time.
The post is something of a bit of a hesped ( although much more can be said than just this article), and so, just as you wouldn’t say your comment in public, at such a Hesped, so too it shouldn’t be stated here .
Yehi zichroi Baruch
Obviously he’s not trying to take away. He’s pointing out how rampant sheker is!!
And he happens to be right! Rav hutner spent ONE R”H in EY. Peretz blew all the years afterwords. Get your info straight or no one will believe anything from you
No Maspid would ever blatantly lie in public so your point is moot.
It’s so sad that you nebach think that if you acknowledge someone else then it takes away from the kvod hanifter. Furthermore, this article gave me the impression that Rav Hutner was makpid to only hear tekiyos from the nifter which apparently not only isn’t true but it also takes away the kovod of the other baal tokeah. “Papper” was 100% right to respectfully point out the error. There is no excuse for sheker, regardless of whether it is written out-right or just insinuated. An error by omission is still an error. A “hesped” or in this case an obituary or a tribute is not immune from corrections. Why should the family of the other ba’al tokeah have to bite their tongues? Why is it their fault that the author overstepped and inadvertently trampled the kovod of their relative. If this had been a hesped, the next maspid to get up on speak, would have perfectly justified to gently clarify that the nifter was Rav Hutner’s baal tokeah “for a specific period of time.”
The article says ” for decades, Rav Plitnik served as the baal tokeia in the presence of Rav Hutner. The lofty moments of reciting Lamenatze’ach and the tekiyos of the shofar that emerged from the depths of his heart, with awe and humility, remain etched in the memories of his admirers.'”
And you write ( preposterously) “…, this article gave me the impression that Rav Hutner was makpid to only hear tekiyos from the nifter ”
Wow! No where does it say that or imply that.
Perhaps you are of the ” daaton kalos” gender. and you can misunderstand such a thing . This is understandable; nobody’s perfect . if so please be advised to ask a competent talmid chacham, as how not to misunderstand, and get wrong impressions, and misconstrue .
Especially since you go on to falsely accuse the writer of sheker !!?! As you wrote nehbach quote “There is no excuse for sheker, regardless of whether it is written out-right or just insinuated. ”
Perhaps you should think ” Theres s no excuse” for false sheker accusations, of an earnest writer, telling th truth.
The author said “for decades, Rav Plitnik served as baal tokeia in the presence of Rav Hutner”. That is an error, unless the author means after Shachris during Elul. I do not like to use the word Sheker, because I assume it was an honest mistake and that Rav Plitnik Z’L served as Baal Tokeia in Pachad Yitzchok for decades. To me the issue is that it is not Kvod Haniftar to say stories that are not true, especially when there is much that is true and special that can be said. Saying something untrue suggests we need to exaggerate or make up stories. How is that Kovod?
There is a real danger to stories like this. With the possibility of the Steipler being unique, typically “Emunas Chachomim” does not indicate asking a Talmid Chachom whether to have surgery which the doctors say is absolute pikuach nefesh. Rav Hutner insisted that his talmidim be grounded and would have told
a talmid to follow the doctors and have the surgery and probably would have yelled at him for even asking.
You seem to be saying., you know better than the talmid of rav Hutner, reb peretz ztl.
Rav peretz was so humble, he wouldn’t be bothered by your comment.
And you’re saying that u also know better than rav elya weintraub zt”l ! Wow.
עקבתא דמשיחא
Good point.
And you’re saying that u also know better than rav elya weintraub zt”l ! Wow. Kavod Hatorah?!
עקבתא דמשיחא
I’m also a talmid of Rav Hutner and stand by what I said.
And Rav Weintraub was steeped in Kaballa but while Rav Hutner was second to none in mastery of Kaballa, he didn’t encourage his talmidim to make life decisions based on it.
He always said, “ein lanu esek bnistaros “
Please identify yourself so we can take you seriously. People may know that you are a Bar Plugta of the great rav Elya and r. Peretz zt”l
Utter nonsense!! Nobody needs to “stick by” etc or etc or etc ad nauseam. Everyone knows that Harav Shmuel Wolman Zt”l was the legendary Baal Tokeiah appointed by Rav Hutner for decades. There relationship and interaction cannot be described as anyone who witnessed it wil attest to.
Peretz Plitnik, a special man with a special wife and wonderful family blew for decades in Pachad Yitzchok by Rav Yonason David. Did he blow once or twice for Rav Hutner? Yes. But that’s it. Stop attacking someone for correcting FACTS
Even ” papper” and truth is the truth ” don’t claim he only blowed for a yr or two!
So by you saying R peretz only blew once or twice or are disagreeing with ” papper” and ‘truth”. And of course u disagree with the article writer.
So that makes a daas yachid.
Ikvisa deMishicha. Ha’Emes tihe Ne’ederes.
The issue is probably with the way the incident was written up. We assume that the surgery was risk free and the doctors said it was pikuach nefesh. What if there were also life-threatening risks with the surgery? We take for granted that bypass surgery is routine. Was it so routine 40 years ago? Assuming there were risks on both sides, it makes perfect sense to ask an Adam Gadol for advice on how to proceed.
How did an article on a chashuva person who was just nifter turn into a slugfest?
It’s about חכמים הזהרו בדבריכם
It’s about kavod Haadam
It’s about kavod Hatorah
It’s about kavod haniftar and his connection to his great rebbi
It’s about being sensitive to the above and to the writer of the article. ( Btw I don’t know his name)
Yes. I am a talmid of Rav Hutner. He rarely identified those that he would quote. He wanted listeners to use their minds to weigh the idea presented. When we hear “so and so” said, we listen differently. You don’t need to know who I am. Just consider what I said.
I was not critical of Rabbis Peretz and Weintraub (incidentally, in my days he was known affectionately as “Eltchie Weintraub). I specifically said that the Steipler may have been an exception. My point was that the story should not be presented as “Emunas Chachmim” as if such a practice should be a typical course of action for an Eved Hashem.
The norm should be to listen to the doctors. That’s how the Rosh Yeshiva trained us.
There may have been other factors in play as the last comment suggests. But my comment is on the story as related.
Thank you. That’s better. And doesn’t sound of disregard and disrespectful to the ” hesped” .
Now Perhaps then Rabbi MK, you can tell us then,
Did r. Peretz blow by rav hutner for many yrs. in N.Y. as the article states, or did r. Peretz only blow for a yr or two as an “anonymous” claims. Thanks.
Thank you.
Rabbi Peretz definitely did not blow Shofar for Rav Hutner many times.
As it was pointed out, Rabbi Shmuel Wallman was the Baal Tokeah for decades.
I am not aware of Rabbi Peretz ever blowing for Rav Hutner.
… Rav Hutner. He rarely identified those that he would quote. He wanted listeners to use their minds to weigh the idea presented. When we hear “so and so” said, we listen differently. ”
Wow, beautiful. Thank you for that.
It’s another example of rav hutner’s genius and chinuch. Although he stressed kavod Hatorah, ( and therefore could have identified them, and expect the quote to be accepted and honored), at the same time, He was mechanech his talmidim to individualistic growth!
Classic Slabodka!
Correct