It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Faiga Tzipora Shapiro a”h, wife of Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Be’er Yaakov. She was 92 years old.
The Rebbetzin was born in Poland. Her father, Rav Aharon Weinstein, was a gaon and one of the noted talmidim of Novardok. His mother, Sara Pesha, was a daughter of Rav Dovid Yitzchok Magen. At a young age, she immigrated to Eretz Yisroel and was one of the first students in the Tcharanski seminary.
She married her husband, Rav Moshe Shmuel, who later became the rosh yeshiva of Be’er Yaakov and was then one of the noted disciples of the Brisker Rov and of the Lomza Yeshiva. Throughout her life, she devoted herself to her great husband with special devotion, so that he could be marbitz Torah and serve as a manhig for Klal Yisroel.
Rav Moshe Shmuel was a son of Rav Aryeh Shapiro. Rav Aryeh was a son of Rav Refoel Shapiro of Volozhin and a grandson of Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, the Netziv. His mother was a descendant of Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heilpern of Bialystock, a descendant of Rav Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller. Even though his father was the dayan of Białystok, Poland, Rav Moshe Shmuel was born in the city of Minsk, Belarus while his family was escaping the horrors of World War I.
After the war, the Shapiro family returned to Białystok where Rav Moshe Shmuel studied in the local yeshiva. Rav Chaim Brisker, Rav Moshe Shmuel’s uncle, frequented the Shapiro residence. In 1933, Rav Moshe Shmuel left home to study in the yeshiva in Baranovich under the tutelage of Rav Elchonon Wasserman. In the summer of 1936, Rav Moshe Shmuel moved to Yeshivas Mir. In 1937, Rav Moshe Shmuel reached the age of army conscription and had to flee Poland. He moved to Eretz Yisroel. Rav Moshe Shmuel attended Yeshivas Lomza in Petach Tikva and also developed a strong relationship with the Brisker Rov. Rav Moshe Shmuel was granted semicha by Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer.
During this period he also became very close to the Chazon Ish. After his marriage, Rav Moshe Shmuel spent one year learning the Chazon Ish’s Kollel and gave shiurim at Yeshivas Kol Torah for three years. At the behest of the Chazon Ish, Rav Moshe Shmuel joined Rav Shlomo Wolbe in establishing Yeshivas Be’er Yaakov. He was also the Chief Rabbi of Ramle, the town where his yeshiva was located, for a short time before resigning because it took away too much time from his time at the yeshiva.
The rebbetzin was the ‘mother of the Be’er Yaakov yeshiva’ in the full sense of the word and her concern for all the talmidim knew no bounds. Even those who left the yeshiva maintained close contact with the rebbetzin. When the yeshiva moved to Har Nof and then returned again to Be’er Yaakov, the rebbetzin ensured that the rosh yeshiva’s ;earning and sedorim were not interrupted.
The rebbetzin would accompany the rosh yeshiva to the weddings of talmidim, participating joyfully.
The rebbetzin leaves behind her children, Rav Dovid Yitzchok Shapiro, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Be’er Yaakov; Rav Refoel Shapiro, Rav Menachem Mendel Shapiro, Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Shapiro, Rav Yaakov Shapiro, Rav Aharon Shapiro, Rav Aryeh Shapiro, Rebbetzin Mina Golda Shapiro and Rebbetzin Rivka Shimon.
The levayah will be held at Yeshivas Be’er Yaakov and kevurah will follow at the Ponovezher bais hachaim in Bnei Brak, where she will be buried alongside her husband.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
