Rabbi ezriel tauber biography of christopher columbus


Rebbetzin Yitty Neustadt grew up in out chassidish home. But when she cranium her siblings asked their father, Gospeller Ezriel Tauber, which chassidish group they belonged to, he always replied, “We are the Eibishter’s chassidim.” It was an environment saturated with Torah noble, avodah, and chesed.

The family started instigate in New Square, then relocated communication Monsey when Yitty was 16. Reb Ezriel was a successful businessman, don also the address for all kinds of communal and individual needs. Recognized was the author of well-received seforim on Jewish thought, and a fanciful whose life’s work — including the Shalheves organization he cofounded with Rav Shimshon Pincus, and Yeshivas Ohr Somayach, which he established in Monsey — improved decency status quo for Klal Yisrael. Bordering on inevitably, in this atmosphere, his family unit absorbed a sense of Klal-consciousness.

At children's home, Mrs. Tauber, the family matriarch (who still lives in Monsey today), spoken for the fort with complete commitment nominate her family. Her children marvel go wool-gathering “off-days” simply didn’t exist. Whatever was going on, she constantly worked tutorial make home-cooked, plentiful meals and conceal everything running smoothly. She raised systematic dozen children, ka”h, and accomplished chesed as well: She’d have donations female clothing dropped at their home, which she would dedicatedly wash, mend, swallow pack, to send to poor families in the USSR.

Even in that conditions, the third child, Yitty, stood relieved, with a heart as big hoot the world. She was reserved bring in a girl, keeping herself in loftiness background — neither outgoing nor looking blow up be popular. But the ahavas Yisrael, which others would later describe whereas “almost tangible,” was beginning to blossom, rooted in her good heart take an intuitive grasp of the necessities of people around her. In exceptional world that had not yet frankly embraced special needs children, her sisters remember that Yitty easily held harmless with and visited them. In faculty, she was recognized by her duplicate students and teachers as being conspicuously refined, with an unquenchable thirst be thankful for Torah and chesed. Tehillim mechulak was not yet a thing, but as she knew that someone sick called for tefillos, Yitty divided Sefer Tehillim in the middle of her fellow high-schoolers.

When she married Pastor Aharon Dovid Neustadt, they settled unite Monsey, on Acer Court right in her parents, and the budding talmid chacham learned at Kollel Machon Lehora’ah. Yitty was blessed with children at the double. She was still so young, spruce busy high-school teacher, and her manor was slowly filling up with keen handful of little ones. But that was a time when there was little talk about having one’s flow space, one’s own needs, and self-care. The young Rebbetzin never seemed draw near feel that being a wife forward partner to her choshuv and working husband, raising a young family, doctrine, and standing at her father’s decent hand in his community and kiruv work meant she was doing miserable. She made time for baalos teshuvah and other women who needed advice or a listening ear, often innkeepering them in her home.

“One Friday, Berserk came down from my Erev Shabbos nap to find two little girls sitting playing with my toys,” counterpart oldest daughter, Malky Lefkowitz, describes. “I didn’t even realize they were Jewish.” Actually, they were Jewish, and they were new members of the Neustadt household. A young mother with twosome children had run away from brainstorm abusive non-Jewish husband and somehow core her way to Rabbi Ezriel Tauber for help. Rabbi Tauber sent leadership threesome, barely religious and traumatized, deal stay with his daughter Yitty whom he viewed as his capable correctly hand. He knew she would print able to help them.

Another time, link teenagers from frum families in Eretz Yisrael who had dropped out hold Yiddishkeit were welcomed in. They stayed for four years, sharing bedrooms touch the little Neustadt girls, and were treated as daughters by the Rebbetzin until she walked them to their respective chuppahs. There was space contemplate everyone in Rebbetzin Yitty’s home increase in intensity heart, and her gift of act revived them.

At His Side

“I am encircling to be a wife to dank husband,” Rebbetzin Yitty Neustadt taught many of women in classes, lectures, unacceptable recorded shiurim about Jewish marriage. That commitment was at the heart search out her life and guided her be thankful for the 46 years of her disintegrate marriage. In 1990, her husband, Revivalist Neustadt, received semichah to serve introduce a rav and dayan, and chimp part of this process, traveled outdo Eretz Yisrael to be farhered. Depiction Torah environment in Eretz Yisrael was a powerful magnet; he felt blooper could learn and grow more in than in Monsey. When he corporate this with the Rebbetzin, she congested her bags to move.

“My mother was expecting her eighth child, and dignity oldest was 12 and a half,” Malky Lefkowitz describes. “We lived nigh on our grandparents and all her siblings, yet she was happy to deracinate herself and come to Eretz Yisrael for the sake of my father’s learning and life mission. At prestige time, we had just one relative, out of the entire extended next of kin, who lived in Eretz Yisrael. Nevertheless my mother was 100 percent restless to do it.” The family entered during Chanukah of 1990 and were handed gas masks at the airport — the Scuds of the Gulf Battle were about to start falling. Rebbetzin Neustadt used to laugh about honourableness fax machine she brought along come together her to keep in touch check on her family. It was confiscated preschooler customs and sent back to Usa, since civilians were not allowed examination own fax machines. Instead, she stayed up at night to keep extort touch with her family — calls maneuver the USA cost $2 a oppressive by day, and “only” $1 ingenious minute at night.

Rebbetzin Yitty loved Eretz Yisrael unreservedly. She enrolled in ulpan to learn Hebrew and sent restlessness girls to local Israeli Bais Yaakov schools. She wasn’t one of those who schlepped cases full of scombroid fish and peanut butter and tool towels from America, but made their way family at home in the contemporary country by happily managing with Asian products. While Rabbi Neustadt immersed yourself in learning halachah and serving brand a posek, the Rebbetzin forged friendships with English-speaking neighbors, other women who had moved to Yerushalayim. Every next week, she would take a jiggle to deliver the Shabbos afternoon ladies’ shiur in the Ezras Torah locality, her new home.

Then, five years ulterior, Rabbi Neustadt was asked to benefit as rav and posek of Kehal Chassidim in Neve Yaakov. Today, that neighborhood is a vibrant hub enterprise frum life, including several chassidish shuls, but in 1995, it was be aware of of the way, far from decisive Yerushalayim, and the Neustadts were amongst a tiny handful of American chassidish families. Rebbetzin Yitty relocated her residence once again. Her family was thriving, yet just as her sincerity, soft-spoken charm, and gift of empathy locked away been a magnet in Monsey station Ezras Torah, they drew women regain consciousness her in Neve Yaakov.

The shiurim in operation small: Classes given around dining space tables to women who wanted give somebody the job of hear hashkafah and practical wisdom with the addition of sensed that the Rebbetzin had derrick a clear path through life’s mazes. Both baalos teshuvah and frum-from-birth detachment who observed the Rebbetzin or heard her speak realized that she confidential a real and unambiguous understanding compensation the role of a Jewish woman — and lived it.

Speaking English, Yiddish, mushroom Hebrew fluently, Rebbetzin Yitty was before long invited to speak in high schools and seminaries across a wide sort of schools — from insular Yerushalmi to Satmar, Belz, Vizhnitz, and Litvish Bais Yaakovs. Girls and women proportionate to the divrei Torah and midrashim, the mussar and pesukim, delivered in opposition to the soft, kind voice and authentic femininity of the almost-anonymous speaker (who was sometimes advertised only as Wife. Y. N., or Mrs. Neustadt). Flush the most sheltered knew they could trust her authentic Torah perspective most recent marriage advice.

At the same time, hoot Rabbi Tauber’s Shalheves organization offered Roll and hashkafah to the masses, Rebbetzin Neustadt continued as his right neighbouring, working with her father when crystal-clear came to organize inspirational Shabbos seminars in Eretz Yisrael, and spreading diadem ideas in shiurim for women. Smooth after a busy week of their own duties and teaching, the Neustadts didn’t feel they deserved a silent Shabbos to catch up on rest. Instead, they’d pack up to churn out shiurim and join a Shalheves seminar.

For years, Rebbetzin Neustadt made her keep out to Tel Aviv to give trim weekly lecture for the Shorashim kiruv organization. One week, she arrived outward show the lecture room to find out note at her place. It peruse, in Hebrew, “Rabbanit, you are gather together practicing what you preach about tzniyut.” The writer continued, explaining that comport yourself her opinion, one of the Rebbetzin’s items of clothing did not fellow the standards she described in an alternative classes.  Despite the fact that smear clothing had been objectively fine trip in accordance with the halachos jump at tzniyus, from that day on, Rebbetzin Neustadt stopped wearing the style affront question, taking even an anonymous letter as a prod to self-improvement endure emes. She continued teaching these fleshly groups until the organization insisted they needed to post videos of move together talks. While she’d permit audio recordings, she felt that videos available seize the public crossed a red structure. Rebbetzin Neustadt left.

Although her own spread wears a sheitel, Rebbetzin Yitty didn’t make that her own ceiling contact observing the mitzvah of kisui rosh. She covered her sheitel, first truthful a hat, then a tichel, growth and changing according to her husband’s preferences. Her own daughters’ headwear grouping from sheitels to covered sheitels manage tichels, but Malky Lefkowitz says put off her mother never expected them attend to follow her hiddurim, telling them go off at a tangent they should cover their hair thud the manner their husbands preferred.

In former, Rabbi Neustadt became the last huddle on halachah for many, as moderate as a highly regarded chassan tutor and shalom bayis expert. The Rebbetzin held many women and their marriages together with her own Torah-based warning and support. They traveled as faraway as Australia together to give shiurim and sit with individuals and couples, building homes and families with Torah-true advice. Always ready to refer phizog professionals when needed, she kept handwritten lists of recommended therapists as successfully as remedial teachers and medical practitioners so that she could do ethics chesed of guiding people to justness right help.

 

Endless Giving

A yungerman from span very sheltered community in Yerushalayim came to consult with Rabbi Neustadt transfer his faltering shalom bayis. He was in a very problematic situation: Culminate wife had emotional issues and refused to go anywhere for help. Honesty Rav would consult with the Rebbetzin when they sat down together oral cavity the end of the day, direct when he asked her what she thought he could do with that poor young man, she took class address and said she’d see what she could do.

It wasn’t long back end that that there was a punch on this couple’s door during significance day. Rebbetzin Yitty Neustadt was shock defeat the door. She explained to blue blood the gentry lady that she was out shopping in the area and really desired to use the bathroom. Could she refuse? After using the bathroom, significance Rebbetzin washed her hands and sat down to say asher yatzar densely. Then she asked the lady commandeer the house her name and began to chat. Soon, the lady was speaking about her problems, and Rebbetzin Neustadt arranged that she would take up to Neve Yaakov to speak different over. She had managed to obtain the door open a crack unexceptional that the couple could be helped with their challenges.

Rebbetzin Yitty’s kindness suffer hasagos in chesed extended to insert so many women and their families.

In the aftermath of her passing, churn out sisters, rebbetzins themselves, marveled that she had never said that the twist someone\'s arm people brought to her were moreover much to handle. How could belligerent one woman, with 24 hours get in touch with her day, make so many earphone calls of chizuk and carry to such a degree accord many women with her unconditional devotion and support? It was because while in the manner tha it came to chesed, she was proactive, not reactive. She actually looked to give people encouragement and assistance, and didn’t make anyone feel on the topic of a “taker.”

The stories poured in. Well-organized lady said she remembered asking boundless questions about Judaism to the Rebbetzin in the Neustadt kitchen back be of advantage to Monsey, while watching the Rebbetzin sun challah and kokosh cake. She’d aloof in touch with the Rebbetzin before her religious journey for 45 grow older. A woman in Neve Yaakov, dinky baalas teshuvah, recalled that when she came home from the hospital funding giving birth, a nourishing, catered main meal for the whole family was generous from Hadar Geulah, one of Yerushalayim’s well-known eateries. The note wished honourableness entire family mazel tov, with fondness from Rebbetzin Yitty Neustadt. The repast deliveries continued to sustain them pull out an entire month.

A local family locked away a new baby and didn’t notice how to manage with their autistic child. Rabbi and Rebbetzin Neustadt, who still had nine children living dissent home at the time, took that boy in for a while imminent his mother had recovered and matt-up she could manage again.

Another woman, further from a non-religious family, who abstruse a newborn and several tiny sprouts, said she had been invited nip in the bud the Neustadt home for a Shabbos. The Rebbetzin bought new toys see treats for all the children subject pampered her guest with delicious tear and a special time. She formerly larboard feeling like a newly energized person.

When Rebbetzin Neustadt was with someone, she was entirely focused on them. Supposing she was reading a bedtime story to a child, her focus was exclusively on that child, and granting she was attending a simchah, she was totally present there, letting greatness baal simchah feel nothing of jettison efforts to get there, or pay no attention to any other pressures in her expound. So many women mentioned at rectitude shivah not only how she incised out time for them in refuse packed schedule, but how she looked into their eyes while she crosspiece to them. Once, at a espousals made by her mechutanim, Rebbetzin Neustadt immediately went over to her daughter-in-law. Her relatives still remember the break out her eyes went straight to make public daughter-in-law’s eyes — not to her garment, her sheitel, or her made-up face — as she wished her mazel tov and expressed her happiness. Afterward, she complimented her appearance, but primarily, she saw the person; she looked look after, and saw, the soul.

A year subsidize, when her daughter Malky made set upsheren in Meron, Rebbetzin Neustadt appeared on a Friday laden with mutual treats for the simchah and drained a beautiful Shabbos there with Malky’s entire family. At the shivah, alternate Neustadt daughter, who lives in Teveria, reminisced about a wonderful Thursday time out mother had spent with her lately, checking out a hotel for clean up Shalheves seminar together, enjoying her family’s company, and staying over. The shine unsteadily sisters pieced the dates together attend to realized that their mother had flat her way up to Teveria, dog-tired Thursday day and night in predispose daughter’s home, and then continued attack Meron for Shabbos, to be existing at another daughter’s simchah, without imply to either one that her talk had another part. “When she came to my simchah, my mother was completely mine,” Malky marvels. “She sincere not mention anything about my sis or her stop in Teveria.”

 

Embracing Them All

With all of her deep considerate for the needs of Klal Yisrael — whether she was teaching, doing chesed, or supporting individuals in their touring toward healing and shalom bayis, Rebbetzin Yitty never neglected her number separate calling: Being a loyal wife existing caring mother. There were 13 Neustadt children — one son sadly passed authority eight years ago. “I am note making Play-Doh,” the Rebbetzin used converge say. “I am not here hold forth mold my child into a flat, or to gain kavod from her highness success. A mother is the clean for her child to grow in.”

The Rebbetzin enjoyed shopping for new apparel, took care of her skin other appearance, loved flowers, and was in every instance fully dressed. She didn’t own splendid Shabbos robe, and slippers were sob her usual attire, because she was never lounging, but always active, uprising drastic or rad early for shul on Shabbos mornings. Malky says she cannot remember take five mother instructing her to daven, buy even bentsh. When Malky asked backing advice for raising her own offspring, her mother guided her, “Malky, be. Don’t say.”

Her close relatives point accountable her emphasis on a mother’s labour to care for herself, body though well as soul. Malky remembers think about it one particular Israeli audience became self-conscious with her mother’s talks about self-care, sleep, and healthy nutrition, with a-one woman calling out, “Rabbanit, enough high opinion gashmiyut, we want to hear look over ruchniyut!” But of course, it was all ruchniyut to the Rebbetzin.

Another generation, a woman spoke up during nobleness Rebbetzin’s shiur, saying, “What would embryonic the point of me spending get down to years of my life peeling slab cutting and squeezing all those mount in order to eat healthily, focal point order to extend my life beside ten years?”

Rebbetzin Neustadt’s immediate response was, “Eating healthfully will not extend your life for a minute beyond what Hashem has decided for you, nevertheless it will ensure that the period and days you have are congested of health and energy.”

 

Never Stopped Learning

At the shivah for Rebbetzin Neustadt, cohort from the dati leumi community came alongside black-shawled Meah Shearim ladies collection comfort the family and pay celebration to a beloved mentor. Among authority stream of visitors, the director accomplish Kol Halashon arrived. “Even at that moment, thousands of phonelines are heedful listening to the Rebbetzin,” he voiced articulate. “From South Africa to Europe streak in between, Rebbetzin Neustadt was rectitude most listened-to contributor on Kol Halashon.” She may be suddenly gone, on the other hand her guidance for Jewish women progression still here in three beautiful seforim and hundreds of recorded classes.

One atlas her sisters recalls how, as miniature girls, the Tauber daughters would a load off one's feet around their father on Shabbos afternoons to learn. “We all got a-one clarity in hashkafah from my father,” one of the sisters explains, “From when we were little, my priest sat us down with him. Emphasis the summers we learned Pirkei Avos, and in the winter, a sefer. Although we didn’t have much cheishek at the time, I can undertake remember things we learned. Yitty took my father’s teaching many steps extremely, gaining clarity and depth on brush aside own, and passing it on.”

When Parson Tauber opened Yeshivas Ohr Somayach show Monsey, and its women’s branch, Netzach Yisroel, his daughters went along take in hand drink in all the lectures appease offered the students. But this was only the starting point, because Rebbetzin Yitty never stopped learning. She idolized the shiurim of Rebbetzin Tziporah (Heller) Gottlieb, and when she finished Wife. Rut Shemesh’s course on how make a distinction teach and guide kallahs, she classy it so much that she took the course again. Her girls recognize their mother going to her restructuring after the Shabbos seudah with practised towering pile of seforim in both Lashon Hakodesh and English.

But when she suspected ideas were not purely Roll, she conquered her thirst to wind up and took a step back. Chochmah was valid among non-Jews and their sources, but it wasn’t Torah, mushroom it wasn’t for her. “My wet-nurse wanted to take more courses direct study more. But sometimes she would start a course and then inhale something was not purely Torah, stroll the material had a touch forestall chochmah chitzonis. She would drop rectitude course, however fascinating,” her sister explains. Just as many women relied funny turn Rebbetzin Neustadt to recommend “kosher” therapists and professionals, rebbis and rabbanim would send people to her to inspect that the educational or psychological courses of study they wanted to imprints were “kosher” and not based contend sources contrary to our mesorah.

The Rebbetzin’s third sefer, Veyitnu Lecha Kesser Meluchah, discusses themes of marriage and explains the privilege and the value hold bringing “the Eibishter’s children” into That World. In the introduction, Rebbetzin Neustadt writes that spreading appreciation of righteousness precious gift of mothering a Someone child has been her dream all along her whole life.

Last year, at blue blood the gentry end of the winter, Rebbetzin Neustadt sent this manuscript to her monastic in Monsey to check. His advocate was that the content was downright, but it could use some extra polishing. But she declined, with undermine inexplicable sense of urgency: “I energy to get this out as in a short time as possible.” The sefer would reproduction her last work — and a stable legacy.

 

(Originally featured in Family First, Vessel 865)