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By Menachem Kahana for Beis Moshiach Magazine

There are Chassidim who are lamdanim and Chassidim who are possessed of a warm heart; there are Chassidim who are baalei tefilla and those who are baalei haskala, and then there are those who are more involved in the world of the Chassidic story, each according to his nature.

How great is the loss when a Chassid passes away who was an enormous lamdan, baki in Torah, as well as a deeply feeling Chassid whose davening was a true outpouring of the soul, who recounted sippurei Chassidim with great accuracy, and conveyed with great chayus to the younger generations the impressions of the glory days, so that one could sense the personalities of those periods as though they were standing in front of them.

In addition to all that, he was an excellent speaker whose polished speeches could compete with his big, compassionate heart.

This was Rabbi Shneur Zalman Wilschanski a’h, rosh yeshiva in Tomchei Tmimim in Morristown, New Jersey for decades. He was a rosh yeshiva who no less than he knew how to plumb the depths of a sugya and debate the intricacies of the subtlest of reasoning knew how to sense the heart of every talmid and when necessary would go with them to buy new shoes to replace the ripped ones.

To describe and convey this multifaceted individual in an article is almost impossible but necessary.

AS A CHILD

Rabbi Zalman Wilschanski was born on 14 Kislev 5710 in Paris. He was the oldest child of Rabbi and Mrs. Refoel (secretary of the European Lubavitch Lishka bureau) and Zlata Wilschanski.

He grew up in the Chabad community near Paris and basked in the presence of the great Chassidim in France: R’ Yisrael Noach Blinitzky, R’ Nissan Nemanov, R’ Yosef Goldberg and other Chassidic greats.

The first time he went to the Rebbe was in Tishrei 5716 when he was six and he accompanied his father. In a letter that the Rebbe wrote after that Tishrei to the child’s grandfather, the Rebbe said, “I enjoyed getting to know your son… R’ Refael and your grandson, who visited here during Sukkos as you know.”

When Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka learned that R’ Refael had come to New York, she asked that he come visit her with his son. At the end of the visit, R’ Refoel said, “May the Rebbe be healthy and have nachas from us.” The Rebbetzin responded, “Our nachas is when we hear that you have nachas.”

Rabbi Shneur Zalman Wilschanski standing between his grandfather, Rabbi Betzalel Wilschanski and Rabbi Belinov.

“During yechidus, the Rebbe asked little Zalman a few questions with great affection,” said R’ Yitzchok Goldberg, rosh yeshiva of Tomchei Tmimim in Migdal HaEmek.

R’ Meir Wilschanski, his son, related, “When my grandfather went to make a bracha on the Rebbe’s dalet minim, the Rebbe invited his young son, my father, to come inside the Sukka to have some lekach and make a bracha.”

As a child, R’ Zalman learned with his father since there was no other place to learn.

“In 5722, while we were still young boys, we went together to study in the yeshiva in Brunoy, where we learned until 5730,” said his brother, R’ Yosef Yitzchok, rosh yeshiva of Tomchei Tmimim in Tzfas. “Then we went to learn in 770.”

For many years, the two brothers, later both prominent roshei yeshivos in Chabad, were chavrusos. Speaking emotionally about his older brother, R’ Yosef Yitzchok said, “My brother was for me, first and foremost an older brother and firstborn son, who helped me and was with me throughout the years at many crossroads in my life. In 770 too, we learned together all day.

“When I returned from shlichus in Australia in 5733, my brother was already married and I got special permission from the hanhala to continue learning with him while he learned in kollel.”

The Wilschanski brothers learning together was a familiar sight in 770.

“Both of them learned with tremendous diligence from morning till night, Nigleh and Chassidus,” said R’ Yaakov Goldberg. “R’ Zalman stood out with the great fervor that characterized his learning.”

A HEARTFELT GIFT TO THE REBBE

As a bachur, R’ Zalman was one of the pioneers who published the “Kovetz He’aros HaTmimim v’Anash,” a then unique publication which the Rebbe particularly encouraged over the years. The Rebbe even raised subjects discussed in these publications at his farbrengens and would explain them.

“Chassidim feverishly prepared for 11 Nissan 5732, the Rebbe’s seventieth birthday,” said his brother. “Everyone gave thought to what would be the most appropriate gift for the Rebbe on this special day.

“The bachurim began discussing a joint gift they could give. One of the hachlatos made was to have a daily learning session after the regular learning sessions, to study the nine volumes of Likutei Sichos that had been published at that time. The first ‘Seder Likutei Sichos’ began on 7 Adar 5732.

“This learning produced a wealth of he’aros and chiddushim. My brother, along with R’ Leibel Altein and R’ Nachman Schapiro, published a modest booklet for the purpose of giving it out in 770. The first issue was published on 10 Adar and was called ‘He’aros HaTmimim.” After that, it was published every few weeks with the Rebbe encouraging it in extraordinary fashion. After a while, the publication became known outside of Beis Chayeinu too, and was distributed among the wider public. The Rebbe so valued this project that he included it as one of the seventy-one mosdos founded in honor of his birthday.”

As a bachur, R’ Zalman helped his brother in the latter’s work for Vaad L’Hafotzas Sichos.”

“My brother had many talents. He was enormously talented in speaking, writing and wording things. He often helped me compose portions of various ‘likutim’ and he always would drive directly to the point.”

His son R’ Levi tells about his understanding of the Rebbe’s sichos:

“The members of the editing team would learn one of the likutim together at the home of one of the members, each time in a different house. One time, they learned in our house. My father was busy with the refreshments in the kitchen while one of the people read the Rebbe’s words from the likut. My father suddenly appeared in the dining room and said that something was a bit strange in the wording that was just read. He asked to see the sicha and he noticed that the Rebbe added another few words which changed the entire meaning. My father concluded that after the Rebbe edited the sichos, it was incomparable to what they had produced in their work on the sicha.”

Rabbi Wilschanski receiving a bottle of mashke from the Rebbe

TEACHING TORAH TO THOUSANDS

R’ Zalman married Esther, the daughter of Rabbi Tzvi Yosef Kotlarsky a’h, on 12 Tammuz 5733. After learning for a year in kollel, he had a number of shlichus offers. One of them was to run a school in Miami. When he was in yechidus, the Rebbe approved this suggestion but said he should first learn how to run a school.

In 5739, with the Rebbe’s blessing, he was asked to serve as teacher and mashgiach in yeshivas Tiferes Bachurim in Morristown which led to his becoming the rosh yeshiva in 5747. He was in this position for thirty-six years. He was the spiritual and material father of thousands of students who learned in the yeshiva. His talmidim say that he not only taught them the subject matter but also taught them how to learn. He bequeathed to them the learning method which was the standard in Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch, learning and understanding the depth of peshat so that after a proper study of the Gemara with Rashi and Tosafos, the various questions which appear in the Rishonim and Acharonim resolve themselves.

“My brother had a very straight head. He understood each sugya in the clearest fashion and in an amazingly exacting way. He was a tremendous lamdan and loved to sit and learn whenever he could,” his brother recounts.

His nephew, R’ MM Wilschanski, rosh yeshivas Chabad in Haifa, who was R’ Zalman’s talmid for a short while, adds, “His shiurim in yeshiva were with amazing explanation and depth. He loved the deep and analytical approach that R’ Yosef Goldberg had laid out in Brunoy. He also had a special ability at categorizing topics, to erect a solid, intellectual structure. When he would lay it out for you in the shiur, despite the broadness and depth, you walked out with the feeling that you had absorbed it all in an amazingly understandable way.”

Aside from the scholastic side of things, he put a lot into educating his talmidim in yiras shamayim. He farbrenged a lot with the bachurim. He made the concept “Tomchei Tmimim” dear to them and successfully instilled in them the feeling that the very fact that they were talmidim in such a special yeshiva obligated them to behave with yiras shamayim that was higher than average.

At a farbrengen of Anash and tmimim

COMPASSIONATE FATHER

His student, R’ Menachem Dov Dubroskin, says, “Rabbi Wilschanski was not only a rosh yeshiva who bequeathed an approach in learning to his talmidim and gave shiurim in Gemara but was also, mainly, like a caring father to the tmimim in all their material needs. He didn’t suffice with asking how the talmidim were but really got to know each bachur and knew what he lacked and what he needed. He would sit and talk with bachurim, listening to what was on their minds, helping them unburden what was on their hearts.

“Just by talking to him, a bachur was already freed of the hardship he was contending with. Obviously, he also knew how to provide a calming response that would still the churning heart of the bachur.

“As an Israeli bachur, I lacked pocket money since my parents were in Eretz Yisrael. One day, R’ Wilschanski came to me and said that he was aware of the problem and he arranged a job for me to straighten out the sefarim in the zal for which I got a stipend. This enabled me to continue learning with peace of mind without financial worries.”

Another talmid, R’ Menachem Mendel Dunin, relates:

“To me, R’ Wilschanski was like a father, one who cared about me in every way, so that I would adjust in my learning and that I should feel provided for materially. When I heard the sad news of his passing, it touched a sensitive spot in my heart reserved for that amazing individual who was so concerned about all my needs. When I sent a text to my friends, graduates of the yeshiva, each of them responded differently but the main point was the same, about his love and concern for each bachur, materially and spiritually.

“I remember how he took a group of bachurim whose shoes were torn to the shoe store and made sure each one got a good pair of shoes; that’s the kind of rosh yeshiva he was. He wasn’t able to tolerate a situation in which one of his talmidim was lacking in some way. Even after they left the yeshiva, when he would meet one of his talmidim he would ask how they were and truly want to know how they were doing.

“Personally, when I was in yeshiva I needed dental care and it wasn’t cheap. When he found out, he asked some tmimim to take me to a good dentist who gave us a very good price in deference to R’ Wilschanski. If not for him, I don’t know what would have happened…

“Since I came from Eretz Yisrael, my English wasn’t good and in the summer I had no place to go to be a counselor. Toward the end of the zman, while I was sitting and learning, R’ Wilschanski sat down opposite me. I didn’t know what he wanted. He gently said, ‘I’m aware that you don’t have where to be for the summer but don’t worry, you can stay and learn in yeshiva and it’s all on me, whatever you need.’ He gave me work to do in cleaning the zal so I could earn a little money.”

His talmid R’ Nachum Ehrentrau said, “Before Pesach, he would buy new clothes for needy students, at his expense.”

His talmid, R’ Yisroel Vichnin said, “I remember an incident which shows his special relationship with every student. There was a bachur who came from Russia and his father died and he had to sit shiva in yeshiva. R’ Wilschanski called me and a few other bachurim over and gave us the key to one of the classrooms and had us arrange the room for the bachur as well as the minyanim, the seudas havraa, etc.

“I remember another incident when one of the bachurim who was unable to write well, wrote a he’ara for the yeshiva’s kovetz he’aros. He brought it to R’ Wilschanski for him to check it. R’ Wilschanski read it and within a few minutes he gave the he’ara back to him reworded and well explained; actually rewritten. The bachur marveled at how R’ Wilschanski helped him and with such sensitivity.”

The rav of the Chabad community in Lud, Rabbi Boruch Boaz Yurkowitz, taught in the yeshiva in Morristown for a few years and he shared these memories of his colleague:

“R’ Wilschanski was a warm and caring person who always radiated calm and had a smile. He knew how to speak with each talmid pleasantly and sensitively. He was a mentsch in every way. There was never a time when he pulled rank on any of the staff because of his position as rosh yeshiva. He got along pleasantly with everyone without exception.”

The Wilschanski brothers, from left to right: R’ Zalman, R’ Yosef Yitzchok, R’ Chaim Eliyahu

BEING ‘FIERY’ CHASSIDIM OF THE REBBE

One of the points that he instilled, more than anything else, in his talmidim was bittul and kabbolas ol to the hanhala. In later years he told his son about an answer from the Rebbe that really drove home to him to what extent this pertains:

When he was a yeshiva bachur, he learned the sicha of Chof Av 5711, seven years after the passing of the Rebbe’s father, where the Rebbe says, “It says in sefarim that if seven years passed and one hasn’t visited the grave of parents they should no longer go, but in recent generations, due to the confusion etc. this custom was abolished but the custom now is to first send a shliach (and only then go yourself).”

It was very close to seven years since the last time they had visited their mother’s grave in Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, when he had yechidus, he asked the Rebbe whether he and his brother, Chaim Eliyahu, should go to their mother’s grave during the summer bein ha’zmanim. [His brother, R’ Yosef Yitzchok, who had gone on shlichus to Australia, had traveled via Eretz Yirael and had already been to her grave.]

The Rebbe’s answer was, “Since you are a tamim and everything in Tomchei Tmimim goes via the hanhala, ask the hanhala of the yeshiva.”

He was very surprised since the question was about intersession when the bachurim weren’t under the authority of the hanhala, and these were orphans who wanted to visit their mother’s grave, and still, the Rebbe sent him to ask permission of the hanhala. The members of the hanhala were also surprised to hear that the Rebbe had sent him to them under these circumstances.

This answer of the Rebbe made a deep impression on him, with a message for life: to what extent the tmimim had to have kabbolas ol toward the yeshiva’s hanhala.

One of the talmidim related, “R’ Wilschanski spoke a number of times about the fact that right now, while learning in yeshiva, is the time we need to ‘stoke the oven’ to such an extent that even years after leaving yeshiva, we can be ‘fiery’ Chassidim of the Rebbe. He would also say that although some say the life challenges of today are unlike the life challenges of yesteryear, still, there are no excuses and we need to behave like real mekusharim of the Rebbe.”

RAV AND FATHER TO THE COMMUNITY

Along with his role as rosh yeshiva, R’ Wilschanski was also rav of the Chabad shul in Morristown, a community of mostly young baalei teshuva. He would give shiurim on a regular basis, as well as give over sichos and maamarim.

Many stressed his caring and interest in every member of the community and the fatherly relationship he had with each of them.

“He was a rav who truly ‘lived’ with the members of his congregation,” say members of the community. “He always inquired about each of us. He will be sorely missed.”

One person summed it up thus, “From the moment I became a baal teshuva and joined the community, there wasn’t a time in my life that I wasn’t being influenced by him.”

The following incident, which took place many years ago, shows R’ Wilschanski’s deep involvement with the community, not only in spiritual matters. One year, his mother’s yahrtzeit was on Shabbos and he made a kiddush in his home. After drinking many l’chaims he had strong pains in his feet and it was hard for him to walk to shul for mincha.

Two of his close friends supported him on either side and walked him up the hill from his home to shul. On the way, one of the men criticized a member of the community. R’ Wilschanski stood in place and said sadly, “Do you have any idea what problems he’s dealing with? How can you judge him?” Then he caught himself, realizing he had spoken more than usual because he drank and he stopped talking. However, it was enough to understand how much he was aware of and helped that family.

These friends, who were askanaim involved in the community had no idea about this man’s difficulties. They were stunned that the rav knew and even helped the family and it was all done in his discreet manner.

He helped many people and it was all done quietly. It was during the shiva that his children heard some stories that were kept under wraps for years.

“When you shook his hand,” said his nephew, R’ Yisrael Wilschanski, “you felt the warmth being transmitted to you. He treated us like his children, softly and gently. When he walked around after davening on Shabbos and Yom Tov, he would wish whoever he saw, ‘a gut Shabbos’ or ‘a gut Yom Tov.’ He had a smile for everyone.”

R’ Wilschanski knew how to relate to each person where he was at. His cardiologist, a religious man, said that every time R’ Wilschanski had an appointment, he knew that along with the medical exam he would enjoy some time of pure spiritual Torah pleasure. In order to contribute his share to the Torah conversation, he tried to find an original Torah question.

“I would come with questions that I thought were challenging and difficult. R’ Wilschanski wouldn’t answer them directly but would explain the Chumash or Gemara in such a way that afterward I would understand that my question wasn’t a question.”

BRINGING THE MESSAGE OF GEULA TO THE WORLD

R’ Wilschanski lived inyanei Moshiach and Geula with all his heart and might, with great hiskashrus to the Rebbe.

“There are Chassidim, baalei Nigleh, whose cold intellect obscures a bit their feeling of hiskashrus to the Rebbe which burns in their heart,” said R’ Vichnin. “For R’ Wilschanski, they went hand in hand, both his broad mind and his big heart. Until 5752, he made sure there was a raffle before Shabbos in which one bachur in the yeshiva would get to be the yeshiva’s representative in 770 on Shabbos. From the beginning of 5752, he had the entire yeshiva go to be with the Rebbe on Shabbos. This is the model of a Chassidishe rosh yeshiva, one for whom the Rebbe supersedes all.”

R’ Zushe Silberstein, shliach in Montreal, said, “In 5725, I came from a non-Chabad home in Belgium to learn in Brunoy. Because of the conditions in the yeshiva, I had a hard time fully adjusting to the life of a Chassidishe tamim. The mashpia, R’ Nissan Nemanov called the three Wilschanski brothers who learned in the yeshiva and asked them to accept me in their room.

“They did so, gladly. Since R’ Zalman was the oldest, we became good friends. When R’ Wilschanski later wanted to express our bond, he said, ‘the love of Dovid and Yonasan.’ He slowly raised me up in Chassidus, taught me what the life of a tamim and mekushar of the Rebbe looks like.

“When he thought I was ready, he came over and said to me privately, ‘Listen, in Chabad everyone knows that the Rebbe is Moshiach but this is not yet publicized and it’s not spoken about, but I’m letting you know.’”

R’ Wilschanski was involved in inyanei Moshiach and Geula and publicized this to the broader public and in the media. He used his rare talent of elucidation to convey his messages in good taste. Many things in inyanei Moshiach happened thanks to his great devotion to the subject. He operated without fanfare but with an inner, sincere drive to carry out the wishes of the Rebbe.

In 5753, at the Kinus HaShluchim, he delivered a fiery talk on the topic:

“At one time, the Rebbe did not agree to having ‘Yechi…’ sung before him, but on Simchas Torah this year, the Rebbe approved it in front of everybody. A year ago, the Rebbe set forth the core essence of the Kinus; a year ago, we left the Kinus with the clear message that we need to go out to the world and say Moshiach is coming.

“This year too, the Rebbe has apparently told us the message of the Kinus: to publicize to the world that the Rebbe is Moshiach. G-d forbid to ask the Rebbe whether to announce this to the world! G-d forbid to raise objections! It’s forbidden for us to be among the objectors!

“This is a decision that must come out of this Kinus: to take this to the world, not as a question, G-d forbid, and not with doubts – but to write that we think that now is the time; we think that if the Rebbe said so, this is how it needs to be!

“If we all knew 100% that the Rebbe would stand up and say, ‘Tell the world that I am Moshiach,’ then our best heads – and we have so many good heads – would join in and turn it into something that is ‘miskabel.’ If all the heads would join in to confer together we would find the way to bring this message to the world, so that balabatim everywhere would accept it, because this is what we want, that the world accept this!”

ALL HIS LIFE, LEARNING AND TEACHING

His life was all about learning and teaching. He dedicated his life to learning and giving shiurim, even when this demanded supreme sacrifice. Even when he underwent difficult, exhausting medical treatment he would go from the hospital to the yeshiva. He went up the stairs with difficulty but didn’t consider canceling his usual learning.

After decades of learning and spreading Torah, R’ Wilschanski passed away on 17 Adar II 5784 at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

***

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