Rabbi Berel Wein, zt”l, who passed away recently at the age of 91, was my rebbi and rosh yeshivah at Shaarei Torah High School in Monsey. But graduation never marked the end. Once you became one of his students, you always were.
Many of us first met him as children and teenagers, boys still discovering ourselves. Whether in his shul or his yeshivah, the relationships we formed with him were foundational. They did not fade with time; they matured. He taught us Jewish values when we were boys, and he continued to teach us how to live with Jewish values as men.
PART OF DIVINE STORY
Rabbi Wein imparted a clear worldview, speaking of Torah and history, character and responsibility, building and rebuilding. He showed us not only where we came from but where we stood in the arc of our people’s divine story.
That is why he named his life’s work the Destiny Foundation. For him, history was not something to be studied; it was to be lived. We weren’t spectators of Jewish history; we were participants in its unfolding. He gave us a sense of ownership over our past and an obligation toward the future.
THE POWER OF LOVE
Rabbi Wein’s influence did not only come from charisma or status. It came from love.
A close friend of mine did not want to attend his yeshivah. One day, his mother told him, without warning, that he had an appointment with Rabbi Wein. He went reluctantly.
Rabbi Wein looked him in the eye and said: “I understand you don’t want to come to our yeshivah.”
He nodded sheepishly.
Rabbi Wein responded, “You may find a yeshivah with better boys. You may find a yeshivah with better rabbis. You may even find a yeshivah with a better rosh yeshivah. But you will not find a yeshivah where you will be more loved.”
This is why so many of us, since his passing, have said, “It feels like we have lost a parent.”
GREATNESS WRAPPED IN HUMILITY
Rabbi Wein lived as he taught.
He lived more in one lifetime than most could dream: community rabbi, dayan, rosh yeshivah, author of books, historian, intellectual, kashrut authority, lecturer, even lawyer and businessman. Yet he never saw these as titles. They were responsibilities. Gifts from G-d to be used for the Jewish People.
Rabbi Wein made greatness feel attainable because it was wrapped in humility, humanity, and genuine care.
Because he believed in us, we could believe in ourselves.
HIS FINAL WORD: POSITIVITY
Not long ago, I asked him what would become my final question: “Rebbi, what does the Jewish world need most today?”
His answer was a single word: “Positivity.”
That was not mere advice. It was his worldview. Rabbi Wein believed in the Jewish People and the Jewish future, not because it was easy, but because it was Divine destiny. And because he believed it was ours to shape.
Rabbi Wein reminded us that the chain of Sinai stretches into tomorrow, and it is ours to extend. Not as spectators of history, but as authors of its next chapter.
May his memory be for a blessing.
RABBI YOCHANAN ZWEIG
ITAMAR FRANKENTHAL AISH.COM
