It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Shmuel Hakohein Miller zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah Beis Yisroel of Lakewood.
Rav Miller was a son of Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l. He led his yeshiva for decades in Brooklyn, NY, then briefly in Bayswater, before relocating it to Lakewood about ten years ago.
Rav Shmuel, an outstanding talmid chochom, was a son of Rav Avigdor and Rebbetzin Ettil Miller zt”l. When he became of marriageable age, he married his wife, Rebbetzin Miriam, a daughter of Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Pancer.
Rav Shmuel, a talmid of Rav Berel Soloveitchik at Yeshivas Brisk in Yerushalayim and later Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l at Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, served as a rebbi at Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway in New York. He subsequently went on to found Yeshiva Bais Yisroel in New York together with his father, and he was marbitz Torah for decades. Throughout the years, Rav Shmuel showed great selflessness and chesed toward his talmidim, viewing them like his own children.
The rosh yeshiva’s wife, Rebbetzin Miriam Miller a”h, passed away about a month ago.
The rosh yeshiva and rebbetzin were zoche to raise ten outstanding children, who all married into noted mishpachos of marbitzei Torah.
Rav Shmuel is survived by his children, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His siblings are Reb Leizer Miller, Rebbetzin Libby Leshinsky, Rebbetzin Shaina Brog, and Rebbetzin Devorah Kanarek. His sons are Rav Meir Yechiel Miller, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Ocean; Rav Yerachmiel Aharon Miller, rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva Bais Yisroel of Lakewood; Rav Yaakov Yitzchok Miller, rosh Machon Plaitas Sofrim; and Rav Yisroel Yecheskel Miller. His daughters are Mrs. Hessie Tikotzky, wife of Rav Moshe Tikotzky, R”M at Mesivta Chemdas Hatorah of Lakewood; Mrs. Rivka Bluma Brus, wife of Rav Peretz Yosef Brus, R”M at Mesivta Nachlas Yisroel of Lakewood; Mrs. Tzipora Esther Bloch, wife of Rav Shlomo Yehuda Bloch; Mrs. Shayna Necha Bittersfeld, wife of Rav Shmuel Yosef Bittersfeld, rosh kollel of Yeshiva Harbotzas Torah of Flatbush and rov of Khal Bais Nochum of Lakewood; Mrs. Malky Eisenstein, wife of Rav Avrohom Eisenstein, R”M at Yeshiva Bais Yisroel; and Mrs. Chaya Ausband, wife of Rav Eliyahu Ausband, R”M at the Riverdale Yeshiva.
The levaya is taking place now. To access via conference call, dial 8482203300 and enter access code 2587400# or 25874001#.
Yehi zichro boruch.
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Baruch Dayan Emes!
May this great tzaddik be a melitz yosher for all of Klal yisrael, and bring us the geula we’re all desperately waiting for.
Boruch Dayan Emes.
What a fine, kind man. He always had a smile and something nice to say. Yehi zichroi boruch.
עיני עיני מלאה מים.
My eyes are tearing & swelling. I lost a loving Rosh Yeshiva and Chavrussa. What a special man. I feel that pain I feel that void.
Reb Shmuel wasn’t just an amazing Rosh Yeshiva he was also an amazing person. He had so much emes in him. All the buchrim in Yeshiva knew that if anyone was to call him about a shiduch. He would just deliver a positive report. There was no bad in his רמ”ח איבריו and שס”ה גידיו. The word “bad”, negativity simple didn’t exist in his vocabulary.
And his firing hasmuda when we learnt together oh I miss it. Those early hours in the mornings we learnt. Oh I missed them. They were כמתיקות הדבש.
His Ahavas Yisroel was unparalleled.
יהי זכרו ברוך
Boruch Daiyan HaEmes!!
Being such a fantastic Torah giant himself, he was certainly a most a superb of superb continuation of his great father, ZT’L. One of the Maspidim pointed out how extremely lucky his Talmidim were that in their learning, he was able to directly tell them over the Shiurim on those Sugyos that he had directly heard from his great Rebbe, Rav Aharon Kotler, ZT’L.
When Rav Aharon was Nifter in 1962, it was a horrendous loss of Torah; however, we were consoled by the fact of his numerous Talmidim, who themselves became great Torah giants. Now though, many of this generation of Rav Aharon’s Talmidim have been Nifter: Rav Shmuel Avigdor Feivelson, ZT’L, Rav Levi Dicker, ZT’L, Rav Yisroel Eliezer Kanerek, ZT’L, Rav Chaim Epstein, ZT’L, Rav Avraham Yaakov HaKohein Pam, ZT’L, Rav Eliyahu Svei, ZT’L, Rav Yekusiel Bittersfeld, ZT’L, and now, Rav Shmuel HaKohein Miller, ZT’L.
It should be noted that his son-in-law, Rav Peretz Yosef Brus, Sh’lita, is the son of Rav Shaul Brus, ZT’L, one of the Magidei Shiur at Yeshiva Beis HaTalmud in Bensonhurst, and his son-in-law, Rav Shmuel Yosef Bittersfeld, Sh’lita, is the son of Rav Yekusiel Bittersfeld, ZT’L, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Be’er Shmuel in Boro Park.