Gur Rebbe Offers Consolation to Family of Beloved Torah Reader After Sudden Death

On Monday evening, the Gur Rebbe paid a surprise condolence visit to the family of Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh (Leybl) Taub, the legendary Torah reader of the Gur Hasidic community, who passed away suddenly last Thursday at the Great Study Hall in Jerusalem. The visit took place at the home of Rabbi Elazar Kanoff, former CEO of the Modia newspaper, in the Schneller compound in Jerusalem. The Rebbe's arrival was kept strictly confidential, with only family members present inside. Numerous Hasidim gathered outside, peeking through a narrow door crack in reverence.

Upon entering, the Rebbe inquired whether the deceased had suffered any illness before his sudden passing, to which the family replied he had been in perfect health without prior suffering. One of Rabbi Taub's sons praised his father's dedication to Torah reading, noting that he never pre-planned where to stop during the many additional aliyot and always accepted guidance from Rabbi Yosel Schiff with grace.

The Rebbe listened attentively and then shared a comforting teaching from the Talmud (Berakhot), explaining that the best death is like "pulling a hair from milk", a gentle "kiss of death." He expressed that the deceased was fortunate to have passed without pain. Concurrently, the Gur Rebbetzin called the mourning daughters to offer consolation, recounting how the Rebbe had refrained from going to afternoon prayer on the day of the tragedy, explaining that the community was in deep sorrow. She revealed that the Rebbe had opened the Talmud to the same passage about the "kiss of death" and reassured her that "now he is well up above."