Remembering Rav Nota Schiller ztz”l on his yahrtzeit
Shortly before Purim last year, talmidim of Yeshivas Ohr Somayach from the past 50 years lost their father and leader, the Rosh Hayeshivah, Rav Nota Schiller ztz”l. In the months after his petirah, close talmidim and Torah leaders worldwide eulogized him and memorialized his teachings. I cannot hope to add to their words of wisdom.
But I had a different vantage point. For a brief period, I had the merit to serve as gabbai of the Ohr Somayach beis medrash. That position afforded me something rare: a glimpse behind the curtain, a chance to observe gadlus from the inside.
Rav Schiller was a person who knew how to live in multiple realms simultaneously. He would quote this idea from the Chazon Ish, “A Jew has to be able to live with stiros, with contradictions.” He was modest, yet undeniably noble. He carried himself with a humility that was genuine, never seeking honor, but he was profoundly authoritative. When he entered a room, you felt leadership. When he rose to speak, he commanded attention, not through volume but through presence. There was an aristocracy of spirit about him.
On Erev Yom Kippur, before Maariv, the Rosh Yeshivah would collectively bless the talmidim with the same words of brachah parents give their children. Many of the students had never received such a brachah from their own parents, who were mostly unaffiliated or disinterested Jews. He saw his role as being a father figure, and filled it entirely.
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