Thousands gathered in mourning for the levayah of Mrs. Rivka (Ricky) Feivelson a”h, whose sudden petirah left her family, friends, students and many others shocked and heartbroken.
Mrs. Feivelson was the daughter of Rav Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Pischei Olam and a prominent talmid of Rav Moshe Shapiro zt”l.
In an emotional hesped, her father described a woman who combined unusual wisdom and intellectual depth with simplicity and purity in her service of Hashem. Although she devoted considerable thought to questions of faith and Jewish philosophy, he said, when the time came to pray, she was able to put everything else aside and stand simply before Hashem.
During the final weeks of her life, Mrs. Feivelson had arranged with her mother to daven at the Kosel every day for 40 days. Each day, they would spend 20 minutes or more in tefillah. When it was time to leave, she would often ask her mother, “Mommy, I want to daven a little longer.”
Her desire to understand things deeply was already evident during her childhood. Her father recalled how, at the age of nine or ten, she would ask him penetrating questions at the Pesach Seder, seeking to fully understand the ideas being discussed. One of those questions became so deeply embedded in the family’s memory that, over the years, it developed into a family tradition of studying and discussing the subject late into the night.
“Her entire life was devoted to this great pursuit of building her faith more correctly,” her father said in his hesped.
Her wisdom, he explained, was never merely an intellectual pursuit. Rather, it was an integral part of her service of Hashem and her relationship with Him.
Another defining aspect of Mrs. Feivelson’s personality was her extraordinary sensitivity toward others. Her father spoke of her exceptional loyalty to family and friends and her acute awareness of the pain of another person. If she realized that she could have made someone happy, given someone attention or shown someone respect and had failed to do so, she viewed it as a serious missed opportunity.
Her relationship with her parents was especially close.
“Ricky was the mother of her father and mother,” her father said, describing how she assumed responsibility for looking after their well-being and happiness. Even the slightest indication that one of them was upset or hurting affected her deeply.
She also shared an exceptionally close relationship with her grandparents. Every week, she would visit her elderly grandfather to study Mesillas Yesharim with him. Despite his difficulty hearing, she managed to engage him in deep conversations.
“My eyes ask him the questions,” she would say.
Her grandfather would come alive during their learning sessions and once told her, “Riki, you have the power of bringing the dead back to life.”
In one of the talks she delivered, Mrs. Feivelson discussed the mitzvah of honoring one’s parents and offered her own explanation of the Torah’s promise of long life for those who fulfill the commandment.
A person who lives only his own life, she explained, begins his story on the day he is born. But someone who lives with a deep connection to his parents, grandparents and the generations that preceded him has a life that begins much earlier, becoming part of a long continuum stretching across generations.
That sensitivity extended far beyond her immediate family.
Her father recalled an occasion when she encountered a young girl at a bus stop whose grandmother had called her a “bad girl” because she did not enjoy studying. Riki sat beside the girl for approximately 20 minutes and explained to her that a child who struggles academically is not a bad child.
The grandmother listened to the conversation and later told Ricky’s mother that she needed to learn from her how to speak to children.
Mrs. Feivelson’s influence eventually extended to a much broader audience through podcasts and lectures she delivered about faith and serving Hashem. Her father noted that although she did not merit having children of her own, she had the privilege of influencing students and many others who listened to her teachings and drew inspiration from them in their faith, their prayers and their relationship with Hashem.
Toward the conclusion of his hesped, Rav Feivelson’s voice broke as he addressed the enormous void his daughter’s passing had created.
“You were the pillar of all of us,” he said.
He described her tremendous love for the children in the family and her unique ability to make each one feel important and special.
“How can we manage without you? How will we get through this devastation without Riki?” he cried.
Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, also delivered a hesped, opening with the words, “A Sefer Torah is in mourning.”
Rav Sorotzkin spoke about the magnitude of the tragedy in a home built entirely around Torah and faith, and the painful questions that arise in the face of such a sudden petirah.
During his remarks, Rav Sorotzkin offered extraordinary praise for Ricky’s father, Rav Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, referring to him as “my teacher and rebbi in Jewish thought, my teacher and rebbi regarding the Yomim Tovim and tefillah.”
He described Rav Feivelson’s approach to establishing the foundations of faith and teaching people to contemplate the world around them and recognize the hand of Hashem in everything they encounter.
Rav Eliyahu Zilberman also delivered a hesped, as did members of the family.
Following the hespedim, the levayah proceeded with thousands accompanying Mrs. Feivelson to her final resting place amid tears and profound grief.
She leaves behind her grieving family, students and friends, as well as many others who came to know her through her lectures and recordings.
Yehi zichrah boruch.
{Matzav.com}
