The bitter news of the petirah of the well known
educator, HaRav Mordechai Miller, who taught and in many
senses raised thousands of Jewish young women in the famed
Gateshead Girls seminary, cast chareidi Jewry into a deep
pall of mourning.
The niftar was born in 5682 (1922), to Todros Miller,
one of London's prominent baalei battim. As a youth,
HaRav Mordechai was one of the closest students of HaRav
Eliyahu Dessler, who served at that time in the London
rabbinate.
Upon seeing the spiritual desolation prevailing then in
England, HaRav Dessler assembled a number of students whom
he saw were destined to greatness. HaRav Miller was among
them.
This group of students merited to publish the volumes of
Michtov MeEliahu, which gained fame throughout the
world. Many of the letters in Part Four of Michtov
MeEliahu were addressed to HaRav Miller.
With his marriage to one of the daughters of the Bodinger
family, he began to deliver shiurim in the Yeshiva
for beginning students.
During that period, HaRav Dessler was the initiator and
impetus for the founding of the Kollel in Gateshead, which
at the time was a remote, unknown corner of the United
Kingdom.
In 5706 (1946), upon the urging of HaRav Dessler who was
familiar with Reb Mordechai's yiras Shomayim, he
joined the staff of the Gateshead seminary, which had been
established a number of years previously by Mr. Avrohom Dov
Kohn, also at HaRav Dessler's urging.
He merited to educate thousands of girls from all over the
world, continuing all along to deliver shiurim in
hashkofo to the rabbonim of the Gateshead
kollel.
His unique image as an educator, his depth, his rare gift of
speech and ability to convey the subtle and profound
messages imbedded in Chazal's words, as well as his clear
hashkofo which he had imbibed from his mentor HaRav
Dessler, became enduring memories for his students.
They left a tremendous, indelible mark on them, serving as
blueprints for the genuine Jewish homes they built.
His illustrious personality made an immense impression on
the young women who studied under him.
In their deep thirst to hear his refreshing words of
mussar, students who had moved to Eretz Hakodesh
would flock to the fascinating lectures he delivered
whenever he visited. Some of these lectures appear in his
sefer Shabbos Shiurim.
Although he endured great physical pain for many years, he
greeted everyone in an exemplary warm manner, and his
glowing image remained etched in the hearts of whoever
encountered him or heard his shiurim. So positive and
profound was that influence that his students from all over
the world sent their own daughters and grandchildren to
study under him.
With his petirah, the light and derech of a
sterling mechanech will remain glowing and will
accompany his students throughout their lives.
He is survived by his illustrious sons and sons-in-law. His
sons are: HaRav Yaakov, a prominent avreich of the
Lakewood yeshiva, HaRav Todros of Gateshead, who will take
his place in the Seminary; HaRav Eliyahu Eliezer, ram
in the Beer HaTorah yeshiva in Gateshead; his sons-in-law,
HaRav Meir Tropp, ram in the Sunderland yeshiva in
England; HaRav More of the Tiferes Yaakov yeshiva
ketana in Gateshead; HaRav Boruch Dov Ben-Shalom, the
rosh yeshiva of Yerucham-Da'as Chochmo; HaRav Yisroel
Kahn, one of the rabbonim of Kollel Beis Dovid in Bnei Brak
and a moreh tzeddek in Kiryat Sefer.
The levaya in Eretz Yisroel left on Thursday, 4
Cheshvan from Beis Hamedrash Ponevezh in Ezras Torah to Har
Hamenuchos.
The first speaker was HaRav Yitzchok Acker, who was very
close to the niftar. He said that several times the
pesukim refer to women as beis Yisroel: "Zochar
chasdo ve'emunoso leveis Yisroel," and ". . . asher
bonu es beis Yisroel." The home of Yisroel is the women,
and it is the homes of Yisroel that accompany HaRav Miller
to his final rest and in Shomayim, since he was so
responsible for the character of the Jewish home in modern
days.
Speaking once on the yahrtzeit of his rebbe, HaRav
Dessler, he said that every person is special, everyone has
some thing in which he or she excels. For example, there is
a shoemaker, and there are better shoemakers than he, but he
excels in making the heel. Speaking in his own way, HaRav
Miller went on to say, "And there is one who thinks that he
can say over the sichos of HaRav Dessler better than
anyone else in the world."
Chazal explain the posuk, Re'ei korosi besheim Betzalel .
. ." noting that Betzalel had exactly all the skills needed
to build the Mishkan. The Torah itself calls
attention to this, "Look!" It is amazing that there is one
person so uniquely suited to building the Mishkan.
HaRav Miller was in a similar way blessed with an exact
combination of the skills and abilities to be the educator
that he was.
His students took what he gave and built their homes. It is
not just to say, "They once learned in Gateshead." His
picture may not hang in thousands of homes, but his voice is
heard continually. His image, in the sense of a presence
that sums up the lessons that he imparted, is a constant
presence in thousands of wonderful Jewish homes.
HaRav Shlomo Wolbe, the mashgiach, said that it is a
great loss. HaRav Dessler opened up the pnimiyus of
Torah and the pnimiyus of people in Torah, in order
to reach high levels of avodas Hashem and yiras
Shomayim. HaRav Miller was a talmid muvhak of
HaRav Dessler, and one can see this in his sefer.
Many were brought to Torah by reading his sefer.
There are few people like he, who can expose the depths of
faith.
Yoshor sechezenoh poneimo -- Chazal say there are
seven groups of tzadikim who see Penei Hashem.
Certainly the great niftar is among these seven. He
built himself up with the Torah of his Rebbe zt"l and
in turn built his talmidos. This can also be seen in
his sefer which is full of correct hashkofo
and hadrocho in avodas Hashem.
One of his many talmidos sent in a
tribute:
Mah nomar umah nedaber?
Our loss is so deep, the pain is so sharp, the void is so
great; if I would write until the ink in my pen would run
out; if I would cry until my wellsprings of tears would run
dry, I could not give enough thanks to Rabbi Miller
zt"l, nor could I express what Rabbi Miller has meant
to me in my personal life. And I am only one of many
thousands whose life Rabbi Miller has molded!
How can we ever thank you?
Rabbi Miller -- your words were like pearls. Each
shiur that I was privileged to attend was like a
taste of heaven on earth. You always started with your witty
jokes -- to get us into the right mood. Whenever we needed
mussar, you would give it through a joke so that we
shouldn't feel bad -- but still should get the message.
How can we ever thank you?
You transmitted to us such love of Torah, such love of
Hashem. You cried, you laughed, you lived everything you
taught. You reached our minds; you touched our hearts. We
were captivated.
How can we ever thank you?
Your anivus, your true yiras Shomayim, your
ahavas Hashem, and ahavas habriyos shone
through your face. Try as you might, you could not hide your
sterling midos from us. Your chochmoh, your
wisdom, guided us whenever we would come to you for an
eitzah.
How can we ever thank you?
You breathed into us the most wonderful lessons for life,
the correct hashkofos, the right priorities, the
importance of ehrlichkeit, the major role that Torah
must play in our lives. You made us realize how privileged
we were as bnos Yisroel -- the magnitude of the Torah
home we'd each be able to build.
How can we ever thank you?
Rabbi Miller -- sheli veshelonu -- shelcho. Whatever
Torah I have merited in my life is thanks to you. Boruch
Hashem I am married to a marbitz Torah. My
married children are all bnei Torah.The
zechusim are yours.
How can we ever thank you?
Rabbi Miller -- you are no more with us, but your lessons
live on forever. The only way we may be able to thank you is
by perpetuating your memory -- by living the way you would
have exhorted us to live -- by passing on the message you so
eloquently spread in your life. Though your flame may be
extinguished, you lit so many candles that the flames will
continue burning until the coming of Moshiach, which
you have surely brought closer to us.
Thank you forever.
One of your many thousands of talmidos.
