The city of Netanya is mourning the petirah of Rav Mordechai Yosef Silberberg zt”l, a longtime mechanech and respected figure in the Kiryat Sanz community, who passed away at the age of 84. He was widely known for shaping generations of students and for his deep connection to Torah learning and teaching.
Rav Silberberg was regarded as a unique personality who blended the worlds of Torah scholarship and chassidus rooted in earlier generations. He was born in the Old City of Yerushalayim on June 18, 1942, to his father, Rav Chaim Menachem, a close talmid of the author of Chovos HaTalmidim of Piaseczna, and his mother, Leah Rivka Speizman. From his home, he absorbed a strong foundation in spiritual growth and avodas Hashem.
At just 11 years old, he was sent by his father to study at the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Lod, where he advanced significantly in both Torah and chassidus under the guidance of the renowned mashgiach Rav Chaim Shlomo Kesselman, who instilled in him a lifelong sense of dedication and self-sacrifice.
As a young man, Rav Silberberg traveled extensively, reaching out to children and bringing them closer to Torah observance. Together with the rav of Bnei Brak, Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib Landau, he helped establish the first Talmud Torah in Rishon LeZion. He later taught Torah at the Tifrach Yeshiva.
In 1970, he married Esther Hershkovitz, a distinguished mechaneches in her own right. At their wedding, the Sanzer Rebbe, Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, the Shefa Chaim, was the mesader kiddushin. The couple later settled in Kiryat Sanz in Netanya, where Rav Silberberg remained closely connected to his rabbeim throughout his life.
He was known for his unwavering commitment to tefillah, especially his daily participation in Shacharis at neitz, which he approached with deep reverence.
A modest individual, he avoided personal recognition, dedicating himself entirely to Torah learning and service of Hashem. He was admired for his refined character, often mediating between people with calmness and warmth, and treating everyone with respect and kindness.
Even after retiring, Rav Silberberg remained active, continuing to learn Torah and deliver shiurim to the public until his final days. For decades, he stood alongside his wife in her leadership roles as head of chinuch institutions in Kiryat Sanz and within the Yachad network. He contributed to shaping the institutions’ educational philosophy and assisted in preparing talks for talmidim. He devoted significant time to studying the teachings of Polish chassidic dynasties, particularly those of Kozhnitz, Grodzisk, and Piaseczna.
He is survived by a large and accomplished family, including children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who continue in his path of Torah and mitzvos.
The levayah was held at the main beis medrash in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, proceeding to the clocal emetery for burial.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}