Yeshiva Be’er Shmuel was a legendary institution in Boro Park of yore. A longtime maggid shiur in the yeshiva who shaped numerous talmidim was Haga’on Rav Yekusiel Bittersfeld whose talmidim recall him with fondness to this very day. He was a true omeil b’Torah, and he transmitted his contagious ahavas haTorah to those around him. 

Sanok 

The town of Sanok, is located in the Rzezow/Lizensk region of Galicia, and it was here that Rav Yekusiel was born in the year 1930 to his father, Reb Avrohom and his mother, Mrs. Rochel Bittersfeld. The family traced their presence in Sanok—the one-time rabbonus of Rav Meir Shapiro—for many decades. 

On his mother’s side, he was descended from Rav Avrohom Aaron of Kolbasov, the son of Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, the Yetev Lev of Sighet, and he was named Yekusiel Yehuda after him. He was also descended from Rav Asher Yeshaya and Rav Naftoli Tzvi of Ropshitz. 

Flight 

He tragically experienced the terrible events of WWII when he was a young boy, and he would become orphaned of his father during the course of the war. He himself lived through the war with his mother through tremendous miracles. Over a few months, he was separated from his mother while only a young boy. But her persevered, and soon, his mother found a hiding place for them in the home of kindhearted chasidei umos ha’olam. 

He would later recall the way they were hidden together with another twenty people in a bunker which was located in a barn. Being the youngest of the group, Yekusiel Yehuda was often appointed as a lookout to see if anyone was approaching, and then warn the group. 

In Eretz Yisroel, Yekusiel Yehuda entered the Ponovezher Yeshiva where he remained for a few months. But he was asked to go to America to raise money for Pey’lim, and while in America he had the opportunity to spend time in the presence of Rav Aharon Kotler in Lakewood, and he decided that this is his place. He became an exceptionally close talmid of Rav Aharon, and accompanied him on numerous occasions. He would often recall those times in Beis Medrash Govo’ah, an institution that breathed new life into Yiddishkeit in America. 

A Career of Harbotzas Torah 

It was Rav Aharon who made the shidduch between Yekusiel Yehuda and the daughter of Rav Chaim Tzvi Kruger, a prominent rov in Crown Heights who was once a rov in Belgium. In America, Rav Kruger was the head of the division of Agudas Harabanim that dealt with Agunos and other matters related to marriages. The Satmar Rov, the Divrei Yoel, attended one of the Sheva Brochos celebrations owing to the fact that they were related, since they were both offspring of the Yetev Lev and the Yismach Moshe.

Rav Bittersfeld became a marbitz Torah in Yeshiva Be’er Shmuel where he shaped many talmidim. They remember him for his warmth and devotion, as well as his greatness in Torah and his ahavas haTorah. He remained at Be’er Shmuel for many years, and his imprint remains upon the hearts and souls of his many talmidim. 

Around the year 1990—when he was in his 60’s, and others would have been thinking about slowing down—Rav Bittersfeld opened Yeshiva Harbotzas Torah in Flatbush. Today, it continues to operate as a Kollel for yungeleit under the leadership of his son, Rav Shmuel Yosef Bittersfeld, who also serves as the rov of Beis Nochum in the Brookhill neighborhood of Lakewood. 

Here too, his talmidim always recalled the way he was no’ach l’Shomayim and no’ach l’briyos, always modest and immersed in his learning—focused on spreading Torah and yiras Shomayim.  

Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Bittersfeld was niftar on 17 Shevat of the year 2020 at the age of ninety following a lifetime dedicated to Torah and harbotzas Torah. He was taken to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah, and was interred on Har Hazeisim in the presence of bnei mishpocho and many talmidim.