[Photos below.] It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Rav Aryeh Leib Heiman zt”l, rov of the Bais Medrash HaGra in Bayit Vegan, Yerushalayim.
Rav Leib, who grew up in the United States, learned at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ, under the rosh yeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l. He later moved to Boston, where he opened a yeshiva, and subsequently settled in Eretz Yisroel. He served as rov of the Gra Shul in Bayit Vegan for forty years.
He was 80.
Rav Leib was known for his yedios haTorah, his unflinching bikush ha’emes, his tremendous ahavas Yisroel, and his constant desire to flee from honor.
He was the author of sifrei Chikrei Lev al Hatorah.
Rav Heiman is survived by his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Heiman. Rav and Rebbetzin Heiman did not have biological children, but raised five adopted children like their very own.
The levaya was held this afternoon at the Bais Medrash HaGra on Rechov Hapisgah in Bayit Vegan. Among the maspidim were Rav Ezriel Auerbach, Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi and Rav Yaakov Eliezer Schwartzman. Kevurah took place on Har Hamenuchos.
Yehi zichro boruch.
See below for photos of the levaya:
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
does anyone know his biethday?
Rav Aron Feldman said that R”Leib’s father was from the only ball habatim in Baltimore whose store was closed on Shabbos!
R’ Leib was the Rosh Yeshiva in a Yeshiva in Boston forty years ago when my husband, zatzal, was in the kollel. It was a kollel of one, large for those days. R’ Leib deeply desired that the Yeshiva be successful but only emes was the criteria to handle each situation. Political drei was not to be used, no matter how seemingly helpful it may be.
Ch. MIller, wife of R’ Michoel Miller, zatzal.
baruch dayan emes
He was from the possibly few bal habatim but he wasn’t the only one. I know of at least one of his classmates of whom the same was said.
Rav Leib was my loving brother…we saw very little of each other…I live’in florida….we kept in touch. I adored him from the day he was born. His entire life was dedicated to TORAH and gave of himself completely….his loss is sad and painful for our family and all who knew him…I am overcome w/sadness.
I knew him when he was growing up in Baltimore. His parents were vb\ery erhliche Yidden and they were store keepers who were very careful about their dealings. Reb Leib, Z’L was an outstanding Talmid of Rabbi Yaakov Bobrowsky Z’L who wazs his Rosh Yeshiva in Baltimore. JHe was also close to my uncle, Hortav Chayim Eliezer Samson, Z;’L who served as the Rosh Yeshiva and Dean of Yershivas Chofetz Chayim. Yehi Zichro Boruch.
he has many talmidim he made bnei tora
When the 1961 school term ended, my parents sent me to the Boston Rabbinical Seminary to spend a few weeks. Rabbi Leib Heiman, who was the Rosh Yeshiva, was a tall young man with an unusually long beard. Beards were a rarity in those days -even in Brooklyn. Together with the rebbetzin, they were an exceptionally beautiful couple. I was considerably younger than the other bochurim which probably explained why I was treated as their son, receiving an inordinate amount of affection.
The summer schedule was much lighter and the faculty was away. Rabbi Heiman became a counselor and a rebbe in addition to being the Rosh Yeshiva. He kept the bochurim occupied throughout the days and on weekends with regular field trips in addition to the classes. At a picnic he pointed to the countryside and exclaimed, Look at what a beautiful world Hashem has created!
It was Tisha BAv in the afternoon, and Rabbi Heiman was teaching the halochos of the day. When he got to the section of determining how much fasting those under Bar Mitzva have to do, he stopped abruptly, gave me a hard look and asked, Did you have breakfast? I answered in the negative (I just turned 9). He grabbed me by the arm and marched me to the kitchen, made a cereal and refused to return to the class until I finished the bowl to the bottom.
Rabbi Heiman had a wonderful sense of humor, sometimes cracking up the class. Yet he maintained his regal bearings throughout. At the end of the summer term, he drove me and some other bochrim to the Greyhound bus terminal. As we were boarding the bus, he quipped to the Irish driver, If the boys destroy the bus, send the bill to me.
He was the husband of the sister of my father. He was my uncle. My fathers father and grandfather were esteemed rabbis. Rav Heiman was a great baseball player and I played some ball with me in the 1960. I do not think he thought well of my baseball skills, but he never said so. I spent a summer in his and my aunt’s house/apartment in Israel in the late 60’s or early 70’s. She made great chicken schnitzel which I remember to this day. One of his daughter’s came to America for medical treatment. Magic tricks were a hobby mine and If memory serves me I asked him If was halachicly OK. If memory serves me, wIth his approval I performed some magic tricks for his daughter to lift her spirits as he watched. He was an american rabbi.