As Shabbat ended on February 1, Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro, JEC executive vice president, sent out a post calling for community Tehillim for Rav Elazar Mayer Teitz. Sadly, that post was followed within the hour by the heartrending amendment: “Nafla ateres rosheinu.” [The crown has fallen from our head. (Eicha 5:16)]
As the news rippled out to the Elizabeth-Hillside community and beyond, its members struggled to absorb the enormity of the loss of their guiding light, the revered and beloved Rav Elazar Mayer Teitz, zt”l.
“Learn Torah, Love Torah, Live Torah” had been the mantra of his father, Rav Pinchas Mordechai Teitz, zt’’l, and Rav Elazar Mayer took up the mantle in 1995, committed to advancing the next era of education and Orthodox communal life in Elizabeth, following the petira of his father.
“He could have been a rosh yeshiva; he could have been a calculus professor,” was said over and over again in hespedim this week, expressing the deep appreciation that the Rav chose his calling in Elizabeth rather than following the tug of more prestigious opportunities.
Rabbi Shapiro spoke in JEC and Bruriah high schools on Monday, accompanied by Rabbi Binyamin Blau, nephew of Rav Teitz and son of Dr. Rivka Blau, sister of Rav Teitz. In addressing the students, Rabbi Shapiro stressed that Rav Teitz loved each and every student as an individual, and his goal was that every Jewish child would have access to a Jewish education. One of the well-known legacies to this commitment was the trailblazing establishment of Bruriah High School for Girls about 85 years ago, at a time when formal education for girls and young women was generally unrecognized. “Your recitation of Tehillim in this very room is the greatest tribute to Rav Teitz, as Bruriah held a special place in his heart,” Rabbi Shapiro said.
He reminded the young men that Rav Teitz was the first talmid in the JEC schools. Rav Teitz himself had related that when the time arrived for advanced learning, there was no program yet in Elizabeth. So he went on to Torah v Da’as, Telshe and Ponevez. Rabbi Shapiro also highlighted the universal acceptance in Israel of documentation by Rav Teitz on rulings of geirut and gittin, a distinction unique in its time.
Despite Rav Teitz’s legendary working knowledge and impromptu applications of gematria, “fidelity of Halacha,” and Talmud, Rabbi Shapiro was one of many who spoke of his humility. He shared just how strongly Rav Teitz deflected the traditional formality of referring to him in the role of a Torah leader by use of the third-person reference as a gesture of respect. Rabbi Shapiro told the boys that he and Rav Teitz regularly debated who should enter a room first, with Shapiro of course deferring and Rav Teitz arguing back.
Rabbi Binyamin Blau also addressed the students at each high school. He related how Yitzchak Aveinu followed in the footsteps of his father by re-digging the wells that the Philistines had stopped up. Only he dug them deeper and with the intention that they would be enduring, not just for the needs of the present. He compared this to Rav Teitz, whose work in the community not only continued the mesorah of his father, but also served to project the needs of the future.
Commenting on Rav Teitz’s role in the Elizabeth Beit Din: “He conducted the process of issuing a get with dignity, grace and understanding.” Rabbi Blau then summarized for the students their charge from Rav Teitz, “to not just maintain his legacy, but to take it a level beyond; to continue the mesorah and build the next chapter.”
Rabbi Uzi Beer, JEC Lower School principal, shared with The Jewish Link, “Rav Teitz was a Gadol baTorah and a Gadol with people. He was a giant in so many ways, and his humility, humor and care for others made him approachable. He was a role model for students, teachers, baal habatim and anyone who met him, because of his integrity, clarity and sensitive nature. Continuing the legacy of his father, the late Rav Pinchas Mordechai Teitz, zt”l, he dedicated his life to the pursuit of Torah and fostering a love of and connection to it in the next generation. Rav Teitz was so elated listening to the sounds of children davening, learning and singing, and cherished moments spent with the students at their ceremonies as they received their siddurim and Chumashim, testing their knowledge and setting them on a path to be bnei and bnos Torah. The greatest way to honor the Rav’s memory is through our continued dedication to Torah learning, focusing on the development of our middos, and treating one another with kindness and respect.”
Rabbi Shmuel Burnstein of Adath Jeshurun shared: “When my mother was very ill and in the hospital, I would call Rav Teitz regularly for halachic direction and practical advice. Rav Teitz was in Israel at the time, and still answered the phone whenever I called. As the situation worsened, the Rav told me to call him whenever I needed—even in the middle of the night. He then proceeded to give me multiple phone numbers in case the usual one wouldn’t wake him during the night.
“When my mother passed away at 7:15 p.m. our time, it was 2:15 a.m. in Israel. My first call was to Rav Teitz, and of course he answered on the first ring. Not only did he direct me how to proceed (there were some complicated issues), but as I made calls that night, people told me they knew already—Rav Teitz stayed awake and called them in the middle of the night to prepare them for my call.
“He always went above and beyond to care for me and my family,” Rabbi Burnstein concluded. “Even though he was so far away, he was still caring for me in a hands-on fashion. I lost my father just a few months ago and the loss of Rav Teitz, zt”l, is just so very overwhelming.”
Rabbi Avrohom Herman of the Elmora Avenue Shul on the JEC’s Lower School and Mesivta campus was in Israel and attended the levaya. “Although Rav Teitz could publicly appear rather stoic, he actually had a private and personal soft side. He cared deeply for the plight of each person, and was very humanistic, often describing the sacrifices people made to uphold their Torah values, and it brought him to tears.” Rabbi Herman recounted the many times Rav Teitz would lend money, help an agunah, and just go the extra mile to assist people with what they needed.
Recently installed at Adath Israel, Rabbi Shimmy Steinmetz shared the following vignette: “At my installation, he asked for my Hebrew name at the reception, and [a few minutes later] in his divrei bracha, he said a gematria using my name and a pasuk, calculating both with the exact same calculation on the spot. When speaking to the members of the shul about this, everyone told me that this was not a one-off. This happened at virtually every simcha.
“His rebbe was always his father. ‘My father knew everything. There was nothing he did not know.’ People often misunderstood this to mean he refused to change from what was done in the past. But, in my experience … Rabbi Teitz would allow changes. When I asked why he would allow [a particular] change, he responded that his father would also be OK with it. Rabbi Teitz was so connected to the mesorah of his father that he knew when his father would be OK with certain changes.
“Rav Teitz mentioned to me many times that his father was a builder of the community, but his job was to maintain,” Rabbi Steinmetz continued. “I would respectfully disagree and argue that Rav Elazar Mayer Teitz was also a builder. He may not have built the way his father had, but he built the people of this community; their souls are indebted to the Rav.”
Remarkably, Rav Teitz had also completed Shas privately seven times, starting long before the popular Daf Yomi movement was established.
Dr. Steven Singfer, president of the board of trustees of the JEC, said: “I was blessed to have had a very special connection to Rav Teitz that began 55 years ago when I was a 14-year-old talmid in JEC. He was undoubtedly the most influential person in my life. He was a Torah giant, but at the same time was very much a down-to-earth individual. Those who were fortunate enough to get close to him saw a warm, compassionate and very modest man. I will miss him deeply and do my utmost to keep his memory and legacy alive.”
Mayor Chris Bollwage of Elizabeth shared that he and Rav Teitz had a friendship going back 30 years. “Rav Teitz was a visionary and a great leader, not only religiously, but in educating the young people of this community to continue in higher education and become leaders themselves. He was never shy about asking for things that would better the schools or the community.”
The mayor also marveled at the annual Holocaust Museum exhibit at Bruriah High School. “I always learned something new, every time. Rav Teitz brought quality educators to the schools and was motivated to promote growth by attracting young people. I will miss him.”
