Rabbi Yair Ben Menachem Reveals Rabbi Stern’s Vision
Judge Rabbi Ben Menachem revealed the vision that Rabbi Aryeh Stern presented to him on the eve of his election as chief rabbi of Jerusalem, and the way he worked to realize it over the years. Judge Rabbi Yair Ben Menachem spoke at the thirtieth-day memorial for Rabbi Aryeh Stern and devoted his remarks to describing the rabbi’s unique character, as he knew it closely for many years. He described how he learned from Rabbi Stern a deeper understanding of the sages’ prayer, “that I should not err in a matter of halacha and that my colleagues should rejoice in me.” “I learned from him not to err in a matter of halacha and that my colleagues should rejoice in me, not that they should rejoice that if I erred they corrected me, but we learned from him how to rejoice in a colleague’s sound reasoning. We learned from him what Jerusalem is, a place that makes all of Israel חברים.”
Rabbi Ben Menachem said that shortly before Rabbi Stern was elected chief rabbi of Jerusalem, he met with him and heard about his vision for the role. “He called me and said, ‘Look, thank God there is the rabbinate, but I want my rabbinate in Jerusalem to be a rabbinate that connects the city that was joined together.’” Rabbi Stern sought to establish a permanent framework in which Torah scholars from different backgrounds would meet to discuss Torah issues. “I said to him, Rabbi, what do I have to do with this? And he said, ‘Don’t worry, we will gather these Torah scholars, you will see.’” Later, regular meetings did indeed take place, attended by Torah scholars from a wide range of yeshivas and streams. “There were the best of the best, from the Litvish stream and from the Chassidic stream, and from Merkaz HaRav and Yeshivat HaGush and others,” he said.
Despite the disagreements and debates that arose around complex issues, Rabbi Stern managed to create a special atmosphere of mutual respect and attentiveness. “The topics discussed were difficult, but Rabbi Aryeh, with his presence, with his brilliance, always managed to guide things so that in the end everything was wonderfully pleasant.” The special joy that accompanied these gatherings was also felt in the rabbi’s home. “I later heard this from the rebbetzin as well. We saw a special delight on the rabbi’s face. That ability to clarify Torah in complex issues before a diverse public, and with gentleness, brought us all great blessing.”
Rabbi Ben Menachem then described Rabbi Stern’s personal character and his warm relationship with his students and interlocutors. “Thank God I was privileged to see a warm look, a loving heart, closeness. It is amazing. He once told me, ‘Rabbi Yair, even if I do not plan my schedule, it will always be full. Since I entered the Jerusalem rabbinate, it has always been full.’ And always, even in the midst of the busyness, he had time.”
Toward the end, Rabbi Ben Menachem said that for him, Rabbi Stern was much more than a public leader. “For me, he was also like a father-rabbi, because a rabbi who is also a father to his students raises them and elevates them. That is what he continued to do in the role of the Jerusalem rabbinate.” He added that continuing Rabbi Stern’s path requires a rare combination of great Torah stature and great human stature. “To continue something like this, you need a great figure, a giant in Torah, but no less a giant in character, who knows how to bridge and connect, to make all of Israel חברים and to connect heaven and earth.”
He concluded by expressing hope that the legacy left behind by Rabbi Stern will continue to shine in the years ahead. “May we merit that this tradition of such great rabbis in the image and light of Rabbi Aryeh continues, and may we merit, with God’s help, to add to and continue illuminating that great light.”
