Tuesday night 24 Sivan, a large throng, headed by maranan
verabonon, gedolei haTorah, dayanim, admorim and
rabbonim, accompanied the righteous Rebbetzin Tamar Steinman
on her last earthly journey. She was the eishes chover
of gaon, HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Steinman, yibodel
lechayim tovim ve'arukim. Her petiroh took place
in the Maayanei Hayeshua hospital in Bnei Brak.
The bitter news of her petiroh reached the yeshivos
hakedoshos at 10 P.M. Tuesday night. The moment it was
heard, thousands from all over the country began to head
towards the home of the Rosh Yeshiva on Chazon Ish Street in
Bnei Brak, from where the levaya left at
chatzos.
As the time of the levaya drew near, the street filled
with mourners. At chatzos, the procession slowly
headed towards the Netzivei Ponovezh cemetery in Bnei
Brak.
Rebbetzin Tamar Steinman o"h, daughter of Rav Shraga
Shamai Kornfeld Hy"d, was born in the Polish city of
Wolbrom. Her family had distinguished genealogy, stemming
from the family of the Chidushei HaRim, as well as from HaRav
Yonoson Eibeshitz, the Mogen Avrohom, the Tosafos Yom Tov and
the Boruch Taam. It was in such an illustrious home that she
acquired noble traits, lofty and pure aspirations, a deep
love of Torah and rare dedication to chesed.
When she was still young, her family moved to Antwerp, where
she studied in the Yesodei HaTorah institutions. Before she
married, she taught in Yesodei HaTorah, instilling her young
pupils with yiras Shomayim and good middos. She
was also one of the leaders of the Bnos Agudas Yisroel in her
region.
During the war, her parents fled Antwerp and reached Lyon,
from where her father was taken to the camps. She managed to
escape to Switzerland with her mother and stayed in the Mukon
refugee camp there.
In 5604 (1944), she married HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Steinman.
They lived for a short while in Lugano. In 5705, they moved
to Eretz Hakodesh, settling first in Petach Tikvah.
At the recommendation of the Chazon Ish, HaRav Steinman was
invited to serve as the rosh yeshiva of the Chofetz
Chaim yeshiva in Kfar Saba, to where the family moved. Their
home in Kfar Saba was saturated with Torah and yiras
Shomayim and the family lived a life of dchak,
dedicating themselves solely to Torah and avodas
Hashem.
Even in the most difficult circumstances, Rebbetzin Steinman
stood beside her husband with utmost dedication, aiding him
to continue his Torah studies undisturbed. Valorously, she
shouldered the entire burden of the household, so that her
husband could share his vast storehouse of Torah with the
many bnei Torah who sought to acquire kinyonei
netzach from him.
In time, HaRav Steinman was asked to serve as the head of
Yeshivas Ponovezh leTse'irim and the family moved to Bnei
Brak.
In Bnei Brak, the Steinman home became a central address not
only for the many who sought HaRav Steinman's sage advice,
but also for the broken and the unfortunate who found there a
warm corner in which to unburden their woes. With great
mesiras nefesh, Rebbetzin Steinman enabled her home to
become such a beacon.
She was the epitome of tsnius, histapkus and
pashtus, who regarded this world as totally
transitory. She devoted all of her energies to her husband's
spiritual world, to raising her children to Torah and
yiras Shomayim and to the performance of acts of
chesed.
One of her most outstanding traits was her reticence. She
never spoke loshon hora, and when in her presence, all
understood that speaking even a trace of avak loshon
hora is disgraceful.
Her devotion to hachnosas kallah occupied a special
chapter in her life and she made great efforts to involve
other women in this mitzvah. Together with her friends,
mainly Rebbetzin Rabinov o"h, she would appeal to
other women to participate in acts of tzedokoh and
chesed on behalf of poor and needy kallos. She
performed all these mitzvos discreetly, in order not to
embarrass the recipients.
She also encouraged widows and lonely and embittered women,
listening to their problems and trying to help them. She
visited ailing women on a steady basis, cheering them and
boosting their spirits. A month ago, when she herself was
very weak, she visited an ailing woman and encouraged her.
Recently, she was hospitalized in Maayanei Hayeshua. On
Tuesday, 24 Sivan, close to 10 P.M., she returned her pure
soul to its Maker. At the time of her petiroh she was
surrounded by her illustrious husband, as well as by her
sons, sons-in-law and grandchildren. She departed for the
World of Truth while reciting Shema Yisroel.
According to her request, no hespedim were delivered
at her levayoh.
She is survived by her husband, the great gaon HaRav
Aaron Leib Steinman, as well as by her son, HaRav Moshe, one
of the roshei yeshiva of Or Eliezer in Beit Shemesh
and her son HaRav Shraga, the rosh yeshiva of the
Kehillos Yaakov yeshiva. Her sons-in- law are: HaRav Zeev
Berlin, the rosh yeshiva of the Ge'on Yaakov yeshiva
and HaRav Dov Shapiro, one of the roshei yeshiva of
the Machnovka yeshiva in Bnei Brak. Her grandchildren and
great grandchildren are all following in the paths she and
her illustrious husband charted for them.
