אבל בעולם התורה: מרן ראש הישיבה הגאון רבי ברוך שמואל דויטש זצ"ל

Watch livestream of Levaya HERE

-Live hookup of Levaya in BMG Bais Yitzchok

The  Olam HaTorah is on mourning with the passing of HaGaon HaRav Baruch Shmuel Hakohein Deutsch zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah and Yeshivas Be’er Mordechai. He was 82.

Levaya this evening will take place at the Sanhedria murchevet neighborhood from his home to har Hamenuchos.

The Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva Rav Malkiel Kotler shlita and South Fallsburg Rosh Yeahiva Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel shlita will deliver divrei heaped at the levaya via live hookup 

Matzav translate from bhol

Rav Baruch Shmuel was born on 13 Cheshvan 5703 (1942) to his father, Rav Binyomin Ze’ev Hakohein Deutsch zt”l, a close confidant and trusted aide to the Ponevezher Rav, Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman zt”l. Rav Binyomin Ze’ev played a central role in establishing and strengthening Yeshivas Ponevezh and its affiliated institutions in Eretz Yisroel, and also served as director of the Batei Avos of the yeshiva.

Rav Baruch Shmuel began his education at Yeshivas Ponevezh, first in the yeshiva ketanah and later in the yeshiva gedolah, where he quickly gained renown as an extraordinary iluy. His particular distinction lay in his remarkable diligence; it was his practice to learn straight through from the morning seder at 8 a.m. until the conclusion of second seder at 7 p.m., an uninterrupted stretch of eleven hours each day. In later years, when the Reshet Kollelim Retzufos learning program was founded, Rav Baruch Shmuel would often say that his primary kinyan in Torah came from that early period of hasmadah retzufah.

He was beloved by the roshei yeshiva of Ponevezh, particularly by Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l, who already then regarded him as someone destined to illuminate the eyes of the Olam HaTorah.

Subsequently, he moved to Yerushalayim to learn in Yeshivas Brisk, where his name became synonymous with extraordinary mastery of both Bavli and Yerushalmi. Many current roshei yeshiva in the United States regard themselves as “talmid-chaver” to Rav Baruch Shmuel from those days, and even decades later, leading roshei yeshiva would call him to analyze difficult sugyos. Talmidim from Brisk in those years attest that he was considered the central pillar of the yeshiva.

During those years, a select group of talmidei chachamim began gathering regularly at his home to learn with him. Through his father-in-law, Rav Shmuel Kibelovitz zt”l, one of the eminent figures of the old Yerushalayim, Rav Baruch Shmuel became well-known among the city’s senior talmidei chachomim as a young gaon to whom no secret of Torah was hidden.

In 1979, he was appointed as a R”M in Yeshivas Kochav MiYaakov–Tchebin. During that time, he formed a deep and enduring friendship with Rav Avrohom Genechovsky zt”l, a bond that lasted until Rav Genechovsky’s passing.

In the early 1980s, Rav Baruch Shmuel joined the hanhalah of Yeshivas Kol Torah, a position he would hold for nearly forty years. There, his power in guiding his talmidim became evident, and generations of Kol Torah talmidim were bound to him with ties of deep love. His dedication to his talmidim knew no bounds and he remained involved in their lives for decades, assisting and advising them at every stage, down to the smallest detail.

With the founding of Degel HaTorah, Rav Baruch Shmuel emerged in the public sphere as a close confidant of Rav Shach, who relied upon him in leading the community. One close associate remarked, “The relationship between Rav Shach and Rav Baruch Shmuel cannot be described in words to someone who didn’t see it. Rav Shach trusted his judgment as pure daas Torah, and in nearly every public matter, Rav Shach would summon him to discuss it before issuing guidance.” Similarly, during the leadership of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l, it was well known that before any significant public decision, Rav Elyashiv would seek Rav Baruch Shmuel’s counsel.

In Rav Shach’s final years, as his strength waned, he asked Rav Baruch Shmuel to assume some of his responsibilities, such as the presidency of certain Torah institutions. Yet, following Rav Shach’s passing, Rav Baruch Shmuel deliberately sought to limit his involvement in public leadership, declining even Rav Elyashiv’s request to join the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel HaTorah. He would still be consulted on major issues, but he kept a lower public profile.

After the passing of Rav Elyashiv, Rav Baruch Shmuel gradually returned to a leadership role. One of his closest talmidim related that in the early years he tried to refrain from direct involvement, offering only his blessing and encouragement, but as the needs of the public grew—and as large crowds increasingly turned to him for guidance—he gradually accepted the mantle of leadership once again.

An extraordinary story illustrating the immense respect Rav Elyashiv had for him was told by a member of Rav Elyashiv’s household: At a gathering of roshei yeshiva in Rav Elyashiv’s home, the attendees were already seated when Rav Baruch Shmuel arrived late. Upon seeing him enter, Rav Elyashiv immediately rose to his feet in his honor—something those familiar with Rav Elyashiv’s conduct know was exceedingly rare.

In recent years, Rav Baruch Shmuel’s health declined, and many davened fervently for the refuah sheleimah of Rav Baruch Shmuel ben Leah. He relocated to Bnei Brak and, in the past month, was repeatedly hospitalized at Mayanei HaYeshua Medical Center, where he was niftar.

Rav Baruch Shmuel was niftar within the year of aveilus for his brother, Rav Asher Deutsch zt”l.

Yehi zichro boruch.