It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Matisyahu Chaim Salomon zt”l, mashgiach of Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, NJ.
Rav Salomon was the mashgiach of Gateshead Yeshiva, a position he held for more than thirty years, before the mashgiach and his rebbetzin moved to Lakewood in the late 1990s.
Rav Salomon was a unique baal mussar and mashpiah, who throughout his decades as a marbitz Torah and mashpiah impacted tens of thousands of people across the globe through his powerful shmuessen and unparalleled oratory.
Rav Salomon was born in Gateshead, England, a son of R’ Yaakov and Ettel Salomon, and he received his formative chinuch in London.
During his yeshiva and kollel years, he learned for 16 years with Rav Chaim Kaufman, who went on to found the Gateshead Yeshiva L’tzeirim.
Rav Salomon also learned under the famed mashgiach Rav Eliyahu Lopian and later considered him to be his rebbi muvhak.
Rav Salomon became mashgiach ruchani of Gateshead Yeshiva, a position he held for more than 30 years, as mentioned. He was mashgiach in Gateshead Yeshiva initially under Rav Moshe Schwab and then as the senior mashgiach, before moving to Lakewood.
A number of seforim have been published based on his shmussen and shiurim under the title Matnas Chaim on topics including the Yomim Noraim, Moadim, Sha’arei T’shuva L’Rabeinu Yonah, Mesilas Yesharim, Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh, and Kinyanim. The book With Hearts Full of Love is based on a series of talks from Rav Salomon.
Rav Salomon’s passing marks the end of an era, Klal Yisroel losing one of its great mashpi’im and mussar personalities whose guidance in Torah, hashkafah and chinuch was sought for decades.
Rebbetzin Salomon passed away in 2016.
Rav Salomon is survived by his wonderful family of children and grandchildren.
The levayah will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, at 12 noon at Beth Medrash Govoah’s Bais Yitzchok Bais Medrash on 7th Street and Private Way in Lakewood, NJ. The aron will then be flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah there. Thursday evening, a levayah will be held at 7 p.m. at Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim, followed by kevurah on Har Hamenuchos.
The live hookup numbers for the levayah are: 347-202-0666, 712-432-4305, 732-645-9444, and 857-347-0100, PIN 125-000, 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
A Giant!!!
Bde
From Sefer Zera Shimshon Parshas vayechi: It is written, “ki mipnay hara’ah ne’esaf hatzaddik– because of the impending calamity the tzaddik is gathered. Meaning, that before Hashem brings a calamity, a tzaddik passes away. We find in Chazal two seemingly contradictory explanations why this is.
One explanation is that when there is a decree against Klal Yisroel Hashem picks and takes away a tzaddik from this world in place of other people. According to this the pasuk means that because of an impending calamity, Hashem gathered a tzaddik in order to save the others from that calamity.
The second explanation is that tzaddikim act as shields and protection for Klal Yisroel. Therefore, Hashem gathers the tzaddik, meaning he has him die, in order that the people will not be saved! According to this explanation the pasuk means, because of an impending calamity, Hashem gathered a tzaddik in order to bring a calamity on others.
In other words, according to the first explanation the tzaddik dies in order to save others from disaster and according to the second explanation the tzaddik dies in order to be able to bring disaster on the people. How can this be?
The answer is that the consequence of the tzaddik passing away is dependent on the people’s reaction to it. If they mourn and eulogize him properly his death protects them from danger midah k’negged midah; just like they were kind to the deceased tzaddik by mourning and eulogizing him so too Hashem is kind with them and annuls the difficult decree.
However, if they do not mourn and eulogize him properly not only does the death not protect them from danger but on the contrary it adds to their punishment!
Yasher Koach. Nicely written over.
Baruch Dayan HaEmet
i dont understand why the mashgich is not on as full screen.!!!!
wheres the the kovod hatorah!! last week you put six chaylim!! Agodal hador wighs down on a scale against the whole genrartion!! not puting down the mesruis nefesh of the soldiers but a tzadik who did mesris nefesh for his ovadas hashem his whole life is way greater than any soldier
Wow! Have you ever heard of spell check?!
What a tremendous loss
Baruch Dayan Haemes
What a great loss
Bd”h………..Tzadik tomim hoyoh B’doiroisov……..One of if not the very last of the Pre-war born mashgichim.Of his countless zechusim,one of the biggest is surely his making the yiddisher world aware of the dangers of technology from the very beginning…..He repeatedly stated that it can’t be banned outright as the time will arrive when it will be needed for certain purposes such as finance and buisiness,but klal yisroel must be taught HOW to use the internet in a kosher way……Yehi zichroi boruch.
going to jfk or newark airport?
JFK
BORUCH DAIYAN HAEMES!!
It should also be related that starting in 1990, the previous Mashgiach of Beis Medrosh Gevoha, Rav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel, ZT’L, began bringing Rav Mattisyahu, ZT’L, to BMG and in the following years, fully set him up as
his successor. Then, when Rav Nosson was Nifter in 1998, Rav Mattisyahu was already the acting Mashgiach.
(Continuation of previous remark) First, B’Ezras Hashem, a little historical background: In the summer of 1990, a major world crises erupted as Iraq, led by its hyper-tyrannical dictator, Saddam Hussein, Yimach Shemo V’Zichro, invaded and took over its small neighboring country of Kuwait. Now, at that time, Iraq actually DID have “Weapons of Mass Destruction” in the way of a massive arsenal of chemical bombs, which exploded into horrific deadly poison gas, along with a huge fleet of ballistic missiles to deliver those explosives. In earlier conflicts with Iran and a large population in the region called the “Kurds,” Iraq had unleashed these chemical weapons, torturing and massacring many, many thousands of innocent civilian people.
In the emerging intensive crises over Kuwait, Hussein — who openly bragged that he was a reincarnation of the ancient tyrannical Babylonian King Nebuchadnetzar — heavily threatened that if there would be any military opposition to his taking of Kuwait, he would respond by (with his poison gas weapons) incinerating the population of Eretz Yisroel (Rachmana Litzlan!!)
(Continuation of previous remark) In 1990 and 91, I was attending BMG when Rav Mattisyahu, ZT’L, was beginning to come, and, in the “outside” world, there was raging the crises over Kuwait. When the Ta’anis of Asara B’Teives arrived, the crises was RAPIDLY escalating, as, in just three more weeks, full world war would be unleashed on Iraq to free Kuwait from its wicked clutches.
So, the Yeshiva called a special Asifa in (what was then) the main Beis Medrosh. The several speakers related how Asara B’Teives was the beginning of “Galus Bavel” – the beginning of our exile by Babylon, as on that day “Samech Melech Bavel” – (literally) “The King of Babylon came next to,” in other words, the armed forces of Babylon began their siege of Jerusalem. The speakers further explained that the rebuilding of the Second Beis HaMikdash was not at all a full recovery from the destruction done by Babylon, so up through today, we are really still existing in Galus Bavel. They even further related that every year on Asara B’Teives, Hashem judges us to see if, Chas V’Shalom, we need more Churban from Bavel.
I could never forget how Rav Mattisyahu forcefully exclaimed:
“(Right now) THE RASHA (of Iraq) IS THREATENING ERETZ YISROEL WITH (his chemical poison) MISSLES — THIS IS SAMECH MELECH BAVEL!!!!!!!”
One of his most important teachings concerned talking during davening. He pointed out that the only place in all of Shulchan Aruch where we find the lashon “gadol avono mi’nso” (“the sin is too great to bear”)concerns talking during davening (O.C. 124) to show us how serious this is and how much power it has to cause harm to the individual and the klal. May we learn from this how important it is to eradicate this enormous danger to our entire people. May his great merit protect us.
(Continuation of previous remark) On the following Shabbos afternoon when I came to (what was then) the Yeshiva dinning hall, the room was filled with people as Rav Mattisyahu, ZT’L, was speaking — obviously referring to the current severely dangerous crises. He was quoting P’sukim from Sefer Doniel – verses from the Biblical Book of Daniel, which relate the instructions that the Malach Gavriel was teaching Doniel about the horrific tribulations that, Chas V’Shalom, would threaten Klall Yisroel, and what we would need to do to survive them.
Along with the deeply grave words that Rav Mattisyahu was relating, what very greatly impressed me was the extremely, extremely, deadly serious atmosphere of everyone present then in that room.
By the summer of 1993, very unfortunately, I was no longer able to attend Beis Medrosh Gevoha, so I was not there when Rav Mattisyahu fully became the new Mashgiach. However, from these tiny examples that I was privileged to see of him, I can begin to have the beginning of an idea of the exceedingly fantastic brilliant Chinuch that, Boruch Hashem, he was Zoche to impart to countless people.
Yhi Zichro Boruch Z’chuso Yagein Alaynu