Rav Zalman Levine

worked at an insurance
company by day,

H I S
returning home at night
to study his precious
seforim. But few in
Albany knew of Reb
Zalmans pedigree: He

OW N
was the only son of the
Malach the rebbe
who created a spiritual
revolution in 1920s
America and the

M A N
prized disciple of famed
European roshei yeshivah.
Why was he hiding in
upstate New York?

BY Yisroel Besser PHOTOS Mordy Gilden, Family archives

58 M I S H PAC H A 11 Tammuz 5777 | July 5, 2017 M I S H PAC H A 59


Ive passed by Albany so many
times, the midpoint between New
York and Montreal. Ive davened
Shacharis there and enjoyed cof-
fee and a good schmooze with the
locals after davening.
But always, I missed the real
story.
Then, several years ago, I wrote
an article about one of the most
intriguing figures in American
Orthodox life of the last century,
the Malach.
His real name was Rav Chaim
Avrohom Dov Ber Hakohein
Levine: the title referred to his
ascetic, otherworldly ways, but
what made him unique was what
he did in his angel-like state.
He combined the influence of
very different mentors: the inten-
sity and depth of Chabad chassi-
dus fueled his davening while the
penetratingly analytical method
of Rav Chaim Brisker guided him
in learning.
In 1927, this saintly figure ar-
rived in America, assuming lead-
ership of a small Bronx shul called
Nusach Ari.
Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlow-
itz, always eager to expose his
American-born talmidim at To-
rah Vodaath to the great men of
Europe, took note of the Malachs
arrival.
These sincere, wholesome
60 M I S H PAC H A
young boys met the saintly Jew
from Ilya, near Vilna, and they
were captivated, pulled in by his
personality, his holy intensity,
his ideas.
He infused them with his deri-
sion and contempt for the Amer-
ican street, endowing them with
an appreciation for their sacred
legacy: they were no Americans,
they were Yidden.
Their tzitzis blew proudly in
the wind as they walked down
the street, the beards and peyos
they sprouted making them vis-
ibly, conspicuously, cheerfully
different.
Their parents were worried.
The hanhalah of Torah Vodaath
was dismayed when these boys
announced that they would no
longer attend secular classes.
Suddenly, the term Malach was
no longer just an admiring ac-
knowledgment of the masters
conduct, it was a scornful label for
boys who, they felt, didnt know
how to behave like regular people.
They were Malachim.
Years before the Second World
War, the Malach told his chassi-
dim that the skies over Europe
were red with blood and that
soon, America would be host
country to the remnants of Jew-
ry. It was up to them to prepare
the ground for the arrivals. Their
beards, he assured them, would
cleanse the atmosphere, their
long coats and Yiddish speech
would purify the streets.
The Malachim became a com-
munity. They named their Wil-
liamsburg shul Nesivos Olam
in tribute to the Maharal of
Prague, who authored a sefer by
that name.
On Shavuos of 1938 the Malach
died, and his talmid, Rav Yaakov
Schorr, took the helm of the ke-
hillah. Many of the original Mal-
achim were swallowed up into a
reborn American chassidus, led by
newly arrived rebbes like Satmar
and Chabad. Others remained
loyal, founding small communi-
ites in Monsey and Williamsburg
where they transmitted the Mal-
achs message and Torah to their
own children.
Thats the basic storyline, a dra-
matic, fascinating backdrop to
the rich American chassidic life
we see today.
But there is more detail.
The Malach had a son. An only
son.
he Malachs print-
T ed sefer, Otzar
Igros Kodesh, is
really just a col-
lection of letters
11 Tammuz 5777 | July 5, 2017
to his son letters in which
the father pours out all his ex-
PHOTO: KEVARIM.COM
pectations and hopes.
So what happened? Why did
SUDDENLY, THE the Malachs son fall off the map?
Id often wondered about it,
TERM MALACH
even asked some of the older
WAS NO LONGER members of the community.
JUST AN ADMIRING The answer was vague. Perhaps
a slight smile, an obscure nod. I
ACKNOWLEDGMENT got it. The ones who didnt know
OF THE MASTERS him, really didnt know him. And
the ones who did know him had
CONDUCT, IT WAS no real interest in sharing.
A SCORNFUL So there was little by way of
detail or information, no clear
LABEL FOR BOYS
explanation as to how he slipped
WHO, THEY FELT, away from the crucible of holiness
DIDNT KNOW HOW to sell insurance in Albany.
It was a question expressed by
TO BEHAVE LIKE the Malach himself, in one of the
REGULAR PEOPLE printed letters.
You, my son, are a child of Ilya!
How is it that youve become a man
of Albany?
Over the years, weve tried to
find the answers on our own.
I recall sitting with an older Al-
bany Jew after Shacharis in Beth
The Malach infused the American
bochurim of the 1920s with an Avrohom Jacob and asking him
appreciation for their sacred legacy, the question.
even as their parents thought they Zalman, he told me, he sure
were going overboard. But what knew his classical music.
about his own son? He didnt say anymore, but the
comment was itself a sort of clas-
sical music, a solo made all the
more glorious by the backdrop of
everything that came along with it.
M I S H PAC H A 61

BY DESIGN
A few years ago, Rabbi Dr.
Yirmiyahu (Jeremy) Luchins,
a talmid chacham, scientist,
and educator wrote a tribute
marking Touro Colleges es-
tablishment of the Rav Refoel
Zalman Hakohein Levine En-
dowed Distinguished Talmu-
dic Scholar Award.
In his introduction to the piece,
Rabbi Dr. Luchins hints at the an-
swer to the question. Rav Refoel
Zalman Levine, who, by his own
design, was not well-known out-
side of a small circle of friends,
colleagues, and students...
The words jumped out at me.
By his own design.
More determined than ever to
hear about Reb Refoel Zalman,
I contacted Rabbi Dr. Luchins,
and waited for close to two years
for him to find some time to meet
with me.
Once, en route from New York to
Montreal, I spontaneously pulled
off the Thruway and went to the
Albany cemetery to find the grave.
I knew enough not to expect an
imposing headstone, but what I
found was spectacular in its sim-
plicity. Not in the back row, sign of
the humble, but near the middle,
sign of the unpretentious. The
unremarkable headstone marks
the graves of a couple. Rabbi R.
Zalman Levine, father, husband,
and teacher adjoins that of Fanny
Horwitz Levine, beloved wife and
mother. The only feature to set it
apart from the sea of gray sand-
stone around it is the image of two
hands, the sign of Bircas Kohanim
acknowledging his lineage, a scion
of Aharon Hakohein.
I stood there in silent contem-
plation, offering a tefillah of my
own.
Reb Zalman. Help us know you,
62 M I S H PAC H A
understand your lifes work, tell the
story you tried so hard to conceal.
Ribbono shel Olam, let the heav-
enly light of the Malach as filtered
through his only son illuminate the
darkness.
And I walked back to my car,
the only visitor at Albanys Jewish
cemetery that day.
Before his rebbis 25th yahrtz-
eit, Rabbi Dr. Luchins finally sat
with me to talk about Reb Refoel
Zalman and his impact. He spoke.
I listened. The narrative he wove
wasnt about stories as much as
about authenticity, privacy, hu-
mility, and truth.
On one hand, it was a famil-
iar story of so many small towns
across America, where exceptional
talmidei chachamim sat in small
shuls, barely a handful of people
able to appreciate the commodi-
ties they were selling.
Yet, Reb Zalmans story had a
marked difference: Many of these
scholars had never made it to New
York, unable to reach the flourish-
ing Jewish communities where
they might have been appreciat-
ed. Reb Zalman had been there,
the Rebbes only son, on staff at
great yeshivahs, and hed chosen
to leave.
R
abbi Dr. Luchins
bears the imprint
of someone satu-
rated not just
with the knowl-
edge, but the spirit of Torah,
the privileged beneficiary of a
teacher with so much to give.
He is the author of a profound
work of translation and eluci-
dation of the zemiros, a master
of liturgy and, it appears, the
mystical references in each po-
etic line.
He slowly pulled away the
As Reb Zalman grew older, he began to shift
gears, formally offering his brilliance and
breadth of Torah knowledge to the bright
curtain and allowed me to glimpse
young men of the university world
his rebbi. He also sent me to the
others in the small network of
talmidim, a tiny group of people
who lead very different lives, but
who are all aware of each other.
Chuna Leib Boss, one of Reb
Zalmans closest talmidim, has
a collection of recordings of the
nightly Maharal shiur in which
Reb Zalman would tell stories of
his father, his rebbi Rav Boruch
Ber Leibowitz, and so many oth-
ers, but he speaks little.
Reb Yidel Rappaport in Wil- YOU, MY SON,
liamsburg isnt a talmid, but as a
ARE A CHILD OF
descendent of Malachim, hes been
researching Reb Refoel Zalman ILYA! HOW IS IT
for years. THAT YOUVE
Professor Reuven Sugarman of
Vermont is a brilliant, thoughtful BECOME A MAN
philosopher, a close friend and OF ALBANY?
walking partner of Vermonts Sen-
ator Bernie Sanders, and com-
pletely dedicated to the memo-
ry and teachings of Reb Zalman
Levine.
And there is Rhoda, the daugh-
ter of Reb Refoel Zalman, grand-
daughter of the Malach.
Just a few weeks ago, she gra-
ciously welcomed me to a small
room off the lobby at Albanys Jew-
ish Community Center.
Ive interviewed children of Rabbi Dr. Luchins was
part of a small network of
great men before, and there is of-
ten a certain sense of mild frustra- talmidim Torah scholars
tion: My father wasnt appreciated and academics who
attached themselves to
enough the world didnt know
Reb Zalman even as he ran
him his talmidim kept him away away from being a rebbe
from us
Here, in the small room, there is
only honest reflection, a daughters
love and reverence.
They wanted to make my fa-
ther a rebbe, Rhoda Levine con-
fides, my grandfathers chassi-
dim would come visit him, they
would ask him to come back and
lead them, but he had different
11 Tammuz 5777 | July 5, 2017 M I S H PAC H A 63
 His Own Man
ideas. He had his seforim, his few
students. He didnt need anything
more.
D I F F E R E N T
DR E A MS
Rav Refoel Zalman Levine was
born in Ilya, near Vilna, in 1900.
As a child, he learned with his fa-
ther, according to the Malachs
exacting methods. Following
the Maharals approach, he was
fluent in all of Mishnayos before
starting to learn Gemara. He
learned his fathers method of
mastering the thought process
and memory. A few times a day,
his father would challenge him
to stop what he was doing and
review every single thought that
had crossed his mind during the
previous five minutes.
As a teenager, he went to learn
under Rav Boruch Ber Leibow-
itz in Vilna, where the Brisker
method was transmitted by Rav
Chaims prize talmid.
Reb Refoel Zalman earned
rabbinic ordination from Rav
Chaim himself, co-signed by
Rav Simcha Zelig Rieger and
Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky.
Like so much else in Reb Refoel
Zalmans life, that paper would
remain hidden.
After arriving in the United
States in 1927, Refoel Zalman and
his widowed father settled in the
Bronx. Two dynamic personal-
ities, two accomplished Torah
scholars, each with his own vi-
sion for their future in this new
land, America.
In a relatively short time, the
father would have a tight-knit
group of devoted chassidim
around him, children of the New
World attracted to the fire and
64 M I S H PAC H A
intensity of the old one. Refoel
Zalman was clean-shaven and
wanted to learn English.
He got a job as a bochen, testing
would-be rabbanim at the Rabbi
Yitzchak Elchanan Theological
Seminary and delivering a shiur
in Yeshiva Torah Vodaath.
But they met at the Gemara,
father and son, forging a bond of
fire, connected by the holiest ideas.
Nearly 30 years old, Zalman
made a strong impression on a rav
he met at a conference. Albanys
Rabbi Avrohom Yakov Horowitz
suggested a match with his daugh-
ter, Fanny.
Legend is that she wanted to be
close to her family and asked him
to consider trying life in Albany.
Reb Refoel Zalman, it seems, also
believed that his relationship with
his beloved father would best be
served by distance. Albany was
far enough to give him the space
to develop, yet close enough that
he remained in near-constant
contact with the Malach.
efoel Zalman
R
settled in Albany,
but hed decided
hed never be a
rabbi.
Hed seen too much, he
explained, too many young men
with blank faces and little passion
for Yiddishkeit whod studied for
ordination because they coveted
the job and prestige, but not the
opportunity.
He took a role on the local Vaad
Hakashrus, and oversaw the con-
struction of a proper halachic
mikveh for Albany, but Zalman
Levine worked as an insurance
salesman.
Each evening when he came
home from the office, he spent
time chatting with his wife and
then the real work began.
There was the Mishnayos, of
course. In a letter written many
years earlier, the Malach had en-
joined his son: Lmaan Hashem,
learn Mishnayos with Tosafos Yom
Tov for an hour each day. Reb Zal-
man had mastered Mishnayos
before learning Gemara, and kept
at it throughout the years, in line
with his fathers instruction.
In the JCC office, Rhoda Levine
remembers the scene that framed
her childhood. He was always at
the dining room table, usually with
just one sefer.
It was either a Gemara, a Mish-
nayos, or a Maharal.
Sometimes, he learned with
A
no sefer.
Reb Zalman received semichah from Rav Chaim Brisker Until the end of his life, he toiled
himself, co-signed by Rav Simcha Zelig Reiger and Rav to refine and perfect his memory,
Chaim Ozer Grodzensky. But the letters he reread over and the clarity of his mind.
over again were the severe, demanding missives from his
intense, holy father
B AC K T O
ALBANY
He considered Rav Boruch Ber
his primary rebbi, maintaining
a correspondence with the Rosh
Yeshivah. Not long after he settled
in Albany, Reb Zalman received
a visit from his rebbi, who was in
America raising funds for Kame-
netz. Rav Boruch Ber spent ten
days in New York States capital
FROM THE COLLECTION OF REB CHUNAH LEIB BOSS
with his talmid.
Rebbi and talmid went for long
walks around scenic Washington
Park Lake speaking in learning
and life. Reb Zalman would reflect
on and analyze those conversa-
tions for the rest of his life.
The mix of mystical and so, so
mundane that seemed to hover
around Reb Zalman was evident
on the day an elderly local schol-
ar passed away. His children had
11 Tammuz 5777 | July 5, 2017
little use for their fathers books,
so they turned to Reb Zalman
and asked him to find a home for
a complete set of Shas, Rambam,
and Tur.
Reb Zalman didnt know anyone
who needed it, so he placed the vol-
umes in the trunk of his car and,
on a Sunday, drove to New York
City and the Lower East Side. He
parked near Goldmans Otzar Has-
farim store and walked around to
the back of the car.
As he did, he caught sight of a
familiar figure approaching: It was
Rav Reuven Grozovsky, the son-in-
law of his rebbi, Rav Boruch Ber.
Reb Zalman hurried over to
greet Reb Reuven, with whom
hed been close back in Europe,
and the two men stood there for
several minutes on the Manhat-
tan street corner, reminiscing and
catching up.
Reb Reuven had just arrived
in America, and even though his
apartment was temporary and
he hadnt really gotten settled, he
was desperate for seforim. He was
headed to the seforim store in the
hope that they would allow him to
purchase a Shas or Rambam or
Tur on credit and he would pay
them back slowly.
Reb Zalman led his friend to
the car and drove him back to his
apartment. Reb Zalman opened
up the trunk and started carry-
ing the precious volumes up to
the apartment.
Rebbetzin Grozovsky stood
there in awe, taking in the scene
and perceiving the significance
of what was happening the Di-
vine assurance that Torah would
accompany her People from one
land to another was being real-
ized. The Rosh Yeshivah, rebbi to
a generation, had his Shas.
Reb Zalman, realizing that Reb
MY FATHER
RESPECTED
HIS FATHERS
CHASSIDIM, AND
TRIED TO GIVE
THEM WHAT
THEY WERE
LOOKING FOR . HE
WOULD BECOME
A REBBE, BUT
NOT TO THE
MALACHIM
Reuven would surely try to pay
him for the seforim, nodded his
farewell to the weeping rebbetzin
and left the apartment. He drove
back to Albany, to the seclusion
and solitude hed chosen.
In later years, his talmidim
would suddenly realize that their
rebbi was an intimate and peer of
rabbanim who were household
names, and always, he waved away
their astonishment. It was part
of his identity, Zalman of Albany
who could drive in to the city and
speak with Rav Moshe Feinstein
in learning and then drive home
and slip effortlessly back into his
identity as an insurance salesman.
Members at the Albany shul
would listen to Reb Zalmans
perfect tekios, his Brisker exacti-
tude and precision. Few of them
knew that as a bochur, hed been
the preferred baal tokeia to Rav
Boruch Ber, who appreciated Reb
Zalmans unique ability to blow in
accordance with the stringencies
of Rav Chaim Brisker. One year,
in Vilna, someone asked Reb Zal-
man if he might go blow shofar for
a young scholar, the brother of
Reb Meirl. Reb Zalman agreed
and followed directions to a tiny
hovel, where a couple lived in ab-
ject poverty. But the light! Reb
Zalman was taken by Reb Meirs
brother, his saintliness and puri-
ty and complete mastery of the
sugyos they discussed.
I remember thinking, This yun-
german can learn, Reb Zalman
would recall. Years later, the se-
forim of Reb Meir Karelitzs broth-
er, the Chazon Ish, confirmed Reb
Zalmans early assessment.
This was Reb Zalmans holy
secret, a man comfortable with
angels and people, able to interact
with both.
Reb Zalman once explained why
he was proficient as a baal tokeia
even as his father, the Malach,
seemed to struggle with the tekios.
My father exerted himself on
the recitation of lamenatzeiach.
Then he poured his very soul into
saying the pesukim before tekios.
Before he even lifted a shofar to his
lips, he was drained. Of course my
tekios seem to be stronger.
nd people in Alba-
A ny st a r ted to
catch on. The in-
surance man with
no beard, who
wore a gray straw hat and blue
shirts, found that, despite his best
efforts, others were drawn to him.
After the passing of the Malach,
chassidim would trek to Albany
in the hope of hearing a vort or
story about their master. Often,
they would leave with a sense of
M I S H PAC H A 65
His Own Man
wonder at the son hed left behind.
My father respected his fathers
chassidim, and tried to give them
what they were looking for, but
he was very much his own per-
son, Rhoda remarks. He would
become a rebbe, but not to the
Malachim.
Though Rabbi Dr. Luchins is an
accomplished scientist and talmid
chacham, when he speaks of his
rebbi, he seems more a wonder-
struck child.
Because to him, as to the chil-
dren of Albany of those years, Reb
Zalman, or Zalman, as he pre-
ferred to be called, wasnt the rav
or cheder teacher or shochet; he
was the gentle man in shul who
commanded respect without try-
ing, who somehow made them
crave knowledge, whose ques-
tions seemed to open a million new
doors, whose answers were testi-
mony to the perfection of Torah.
My own father was a talmid
chacham, and when my parents ar-
rived in Albany, my father quickly
connected with Reb Zalman," says
Rabbi Dr. Luchins. "They became
very close, not just my father, but
the entire family. He was that sort
of person, we were all drawn to
him; he had this way of conveying
to my mother that she was import-
ant too, this automatic respect he
bestowed on people.
Rabbi Luchins remembers com-
ing home one evening and seeing
the familiar sight of his father and
Reb Zalman at the table, hunched
over seforim.
It was a fast day, he recalls, and
when the two adults noticed the
child, they quickly closed the se-
forim in front of them.
They must have been learn-
ing sod, he recalls, a Kabbalah
work. But when I asked them why
66 M I S H PAC H A
theyd stopped learning, Reb Zal-
man said, Well see if you have
koach to learn on a taanis when
you reach our age.'
Rabbi Dr. Luchins trys to il-
lustrate the seamless, perfect
Torah of his rebbi, one that fused
knowledge and kindness.
His face lights up as he finds
SINCE THE the perfect illustration of his reb-
bis perfect Torah, one which
YOUNG MEN
encompassed knowledge and
COULDNT kindness. At the Pesach Seder
DONATE ANY one year, Rebbetzin Horowitz
noticed that her son-in-law, Reb
MONEY, IT Zalman, had brought grape juice
WAS BETTER for the daled kosos, a breach with
his own exacting Brisker stan-
BUSINESS dards.
TO GIVE Why didnt you bring your
ALIYOS TO wine this year? she wondered.
Reb Zalman said nothing but
THOSE WHO a nonreligious relative answered
MIGHT MAKE the question. Its because of me,
he knew Id be here and I dont
A PLEDGE. keep Shabbos. He is worried that
REB ZALMAN I would render the wine unfit,
and so he brought grape juice.
LEFT THAT
That, says Dr. Luchins, was
SHUL AND Reb Zalmans world: the desire
FOUND for real wine, to do the mitzvah
perfectly, and the fear of Heav-
ANOTHER en, which led him to bring grape
PLACE TO juice instead. And the thread
that bound them, the fact that he
DAVEN didnt just stay home and have the
wine and private Seder he want-
ed, because he was also machmir
with human sensitivities.
Rhoda remembers her father
spinning mesmerizing tales
about the good folk of the shtetl,
the personalities of Ilya. But in
a way, he too was a character in
one of those stories. Zalman who
knew Shas and sold insurance
and sat in shul and listened to
others. Zalman who could smile
with the children and help young
men understand their wives and, the aliyos on Shabbos were given son grew older, he seemed to shift sophisticated, even abstruse, Reb knowledge, respected people, and
with knowledge as the goal and to teenagers only to adults. He in attitude, formally offering him- Zalman cherished the insight that had a sixth sense about what they
tool, lift up everyone around challenged the gabbai who admit- self to these bright young men. would make a pasuk, word, or Tal- need to hear.
him. ted that yes, it was an administra- He would sit after davening and mudic concept simpler, easier to Professor Reuven Sugarman
Young Yirmiyahu Luchins left tive decision: Since the young men speak with them, that mix of pen- comprehend. was one of those students. He was
Albany to learn in Yeshivas Rab- couldnt donate any money, it was etrating intelligence and gentle Once, a young boy confided introduced by Reb Zalmans ded-
beinu Chaim Berlin, in New York better business to give aliyos to humor. He enjoyed listening so that he found Rashi too difficult icated talmid, Chunah Boss, and
City, but when he came home for those who might make a pledge. much more than speaking, a slow to learn, and he didnt enjoy it. was soon invited to join the nightly
a visit, he would sit and learn Reb Zalman left that shul and smile spreading over his face as When he left, Reb Zalman Maharal shiur. Reb Zalman would
with Reb Zalman, a talmid of found another place to daven. they would share their ideas. looked at his talmidim. Rashi is sit at the head of his dining room
Rav Boruch Ber listening to the Teenagers, in his view, should be Everything was on the table. there to make things clearer, eas- table with a single sefer, speak-
child of Albany repeat his reb- the prominent members of the Dikduk and physics and mussar ier. If someone finds Rashi hard, ing sometimes for just a few
bis shiurim. congregation, charged with carry- insights were welcome as the it means he has a very bad rebbi, minutes, other times for well over
We would come back to our ing the torch forward. He wasnt traditional shvere Rambam he said sadly. an hour. Clarity was paramount.
small town after being exposed comfortable davening with those all questions were holy, every bit Informally, he launched a baal He would share obscure concepts,
to the real world, but we knew who didnt appreciate this. of knowledge a tool that might teshuvah program of his own. It repeating them again and again,
what we had, Dr. Luchins re- Albany has several university make a Torah concept or halachah had no name, no official schedule refusing to develop an idea until
members. One Hoshana Rabba and college programs, and many clearer. and no guidelines for admission. he was convinced that the talmi-
night, Reb Zalman prepared for young students passed through Unlike the intellectual, who It featured him, the sweet, genial, dim were completely with him,
the new zeman with me, so that I the state capital. As the Malachs relishes the chance to sound brilliant older man who valued along for the journey.
would have an advantage in shiur.
He suggested that we get a feel
for the gemara Id be learning
during the coming zeman with
Rashi and Tosafos, and also the
Rif and Ran. He gave me the shul
Gemara to use and took mine,
since he said the letters were
clearer.
On the train back to yeshi-
vah after Yom Tov, the teenager
opened his Gemara to review.
And I realized that my Gema-
ra, the one hed used that night,
had no Rif and Ran in it at all!
Hed done it from memory.
MOST
PROMINENT
When Rabbi Dr. Luchins discusses
common threads between father
and son, the Malach and Reb Zal-
man, he mentions that they both
viewed youth as the future, the
most effective means of building.
Reb Zalman was a member of a
shul, and he noticed that none of
His Own Man
In time, the professor married
and had his own family, and Reb
Zalman directed him to move
to Monsey, so that his children
could benefit from a proper ed-
ucation. On the day before Yom
Kippur of that year, Professor
Sugarman was astounded to see
his mentor, Reb Zalman, appear
at the front door.
I didnt come to visit you. A
move can be a difficult experi-
ence and I came to see how your
wife and children are doing.
He had the gentle tolerance
of a father toward these sincere
young men. Reb Zalman main-
tained a rigorous daily schedule,
learning until late at night and
rising at precisely 4:45 a.m. to
learn again. One Shavuos night,
a sincere, fresh baal teshuvah
noticed Reb Zalman stand up
and head out after learning for
a few hours.
The next day, the young man
challenged the rebbis violation
of the minhag. Dont we have to
stay up a whole night to learn?
the young man asked pointedly,
as if in rebuke.
Reb Zalman, whose Shavuos
schedule was nearly identical to
his rigorous learning schedule of
the rest of the year, smiled and
shrugged. Its hard when you
reach my age.
t the age of 65,
A
Reb Zalman
wa s forced
into retire-
ment by com-
pany policy,
but he quickly found a new job
working for the state of New
York. His superiors, appreciating
his unique combination of
68 M I S H PAC H A
brilliance and complete trust-
worthiness, charged him with
an influential position oversee-
ing payroll for state workers.
He continued in that role un-
til the age of 84, when he finally
retired and devoted himself to
full-time learning once again.
Last week I started Maseches
Makkos, he mused to a talmid,
and I already finished it. In my
old job, it took me longer than
a week.
A GOOD
FRIEND
Before leaving Europe, Reb Zal-
man had gone to the Chofetz
Chaim for a brachah. If you only
realized what a good friend you
have in your father, the Chofetz
Chaim remarked.
In time, Reb Zalman realized.
The chassidim of the Malach
printed their masters letters to
his son under the name Otzar Ig-
ros Kodesh. The book is a series of
severe, demanding letters from an
intense father.
A talmid wondered why Reb
Zalman had even kept them let
alone allowed them to be made
public.
Reb Zalman shook his head. If
you would have had a father like I
did, you wouldnt even be asking
that question.
In fact, Rhoda recalls, he would
read his fathers letters, again and
again, throughout the years.
Reb Yidel Rappaport of hoda drove him
Williamsburg, a great-grandson
of Reb Nechemia Weberman
the Malachs first chassid re-
ports that Reb Refoel Zalman met
with the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel
Teitelbaum, on several occasions.
On one such occasion, the Rebbe
was vacationing in nearby Sara-
toga Springs and he asked to meet
Reb Refoel Zalman. Reb Zalman
came, and the Rebbe asked how it
could be that a son of the Malach
had no beard.
With retirement, Reb Zalman
finally grew the beard, a sort of
tribute to his father.
When his wife, Fanny, passed
away, he knew a new sort of soli-
tude. For the first time, he would
travel away from Albany for Yam-
im Tovim, reconnecting with old
friends and making new ones.
I remember that my father
seemed to enjoy seeing how the
wider Jewish community had
evolved, says Rhoda. When he
spent Yom Tov in Crown Heights,
his cousin, Rabbi Berel Levy, took
him to meet the Lubavitcher Reb-
be.
Over Yamim Tovim in the
Lakehouse Hotel, Reb Zalman to the levayah, Rhoda remem-
became fast friends with Mon-
treals chief rabbi, Rav Pinchas
Hirschprung, who could easily
match both his fluency in Shas
and his sense of humor.
Reb Zalman once came back
from a hotel that catered to an
older crowd and he told me that
hed felt like the youngest man was.
there. Everyone was too old for
him, recalls Rabbi Dr. Luchins.
In truth, he was probably older
than all of them, but he had an
energy and vitality about him.
R
to the bank one
day and when
they arrived,
he rea l i zed
hed forgotten
h i s b a n k b o ok . He w a s
devastated. This was a man
whose memory was his most
valuable asset. He was broken
about hav ing forgot ten
something.
He spent more time at home.
The talmidim were often there,
and he learned with a new sort of
intensity, as if savoring the time
that remained. Still, he under-
stood his role as a grandfather
figure to his talmidim and their
families, making time to chat
with their wives, to join in their
happy occasions.
When children of this reverent
young generation would ask for a
brachah, he would consent. Not
because Im worthy, but because
Im a Kohein, and Hashem has
given us the capacity to bless.
He got weaker, and on the 9th
of Tammuz, 1992, he was niftar.
The Malachim of Williams-
burg and Monsey came en masse
bers. She wanted the funeral to
have the right tone.
My father was his own man,
the chassidim were part of who
he was, but not all of who he was.
I asked Professor Sugarman to
give the hesped. He understood
the totality of who my father
And then Reb Refoel Zalman
Levine, child of Ilya, talmid of
Vilna, quiet gaon of Albany, was
laid to rest in the middle of the
local cemetery, a Jew among
Jews, just as hed lived.
The father had worked all his
life to purify himself, reaching
the level of angel, the Malach.
The son worked hard too, but
not to be a Malach. He worked
to be human.