Montreal, Canada – Rabbi Volf Greenglass, a symbol of the hardships of the Jewish people in the previous generation and Judaism’s current prosperity, passed away Wednesday, 22 Teves 5771.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
He was 94.
Menachem Zev Greenglass (halevi) was born to a non Chabad family in the Polish town of Krasnik, near Lublin, and was sent to learn in the Chabad Yeshivos Tomchei Tmimim in Lodge and Otwock where he acquired his vast knowledge in Torah, Kabbalah and Chassidus.
Legend has it that when he was drafted to the Red Army, he asked a friend to break his toes so he could not run or walk properly and thus be disqualified from the many dangers and challenges for an observant Jew in the battlefield.
With the Second World War taking its toll on Europe, and the Nazi troops heading into Poland, Rabbi Greenglass and his classmates fled to Shanghai, China, where they learned in the newly opened exiled branch of the Chabad Yeshiva.
From there Rabbi Greenglass traveled to Montreal, Canada, as one of the 9 shluchim sent by the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, to cultivate the Jewish community there.
Their first achievement was establishing the Rabbinical College of Canada, also known as Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim. Thousands of students from non observant families got the taste and love for Judaism in the school.
When the Yeshiva Gedola was established, Rabbi Greenglass was soon appointed as the Head Mashpia spend many years teaching and inspiring thousands of Lubavitch bochurim who went on to become leaders in their own right.
He was known to say, “I never put down (criticized) a bochur, I only elevated him.”
Together with his longtime friend Rabbi Leibel Groner, who served as the Rebbe’s secretary, he made the first attempt to document Chabad customs in the monumental book “Sefer Haminhagim.”
In Montreal he was referred to by members of the Jewish community as a Tzaddik and Malach (righteous man and angel). The Rebbe once called him “my Kabbalist.”
In 2006 he fell during davening at the Yeshiva shul and went through a few operations. He miraculously survived and returned to teaching and guiding young and old.
His wife passed away many years ago and he is survived by his sons Avremi Greenglass, Yossi Greenglass and daughter Surie Cohen; grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Below YouTube clip Rabbi Greenglass of Montreal sings his vary own “Quebec’er” niggun
Yehay Zichro Boruch
“chaval al di’avden v’lo mishtakchen”! what a loss!!!
Baruch Dayan Emet! We have lost a tzaddik and a gadol!!
it’s shliach. read: Shlee-ach
A true Odom Godol.
burech dayin huemes
REB VOLF
OIY VEY THE HEART HURTS TO HEAR SUCH NEWS
i learnt by him as a stundent in the 80s in the yeshivah in montreal. fom the stories he told us, i know he was very close to the rebbe and worked with him duirng his time in new york.
may he rise in the heaven to throne of hashem and shout ad mosai do we yidden have to suffer here in golus.
ren volf lived a life of devotion to his talmidim, and to the rebbe, his lifes happiness came from his students, he always had a smile to his former talmidim. i met him once in new york 14 years after i left the yeshivah. and he greeted me with such warmth and love,
and that is what he will be remebered for
Baruch Dayan Emes! May he be a gute beter!! Our gneneration is losing its great ones
Just btw, the city is called Lodz (not Lodge)
I was one of his students in the early 90s. Anytime a Bochur would forget to daven maariv or say morning Brochos, he would walk over ask in his poilish accent “Shoin gedavind maariv?” “Shoin gezoogt broochus?” We could never figure out how he knew.
The new young crop, can’t compare in any way, shape or form to the niftar.
He was a great Tzadik. The world has just lost one of its pillars.
His students saw a glimpse of his Ruach Hakodesh. He was melumad benisim. There are stories of him that can fill books.
His middos were 100% refined. His Ahavas Yisrael vast. His Hasmoda, his davening b’avoda, he was a Gaon in all sections of Torah, Gemara, Halacha, Chassidus, Kabbala, etc. He was a huge Anav.
I truly believe he was one of this generations great Tzadikim.
harav greenglass was a true tzadik and a mekubal, with true humility. legend has it he didnt allow for anyone to call him rabbi or harav but by his name volf.
A true Yid who did not care what others saw. He could have been a Rebbe in his own right. Halevay all of today’s rebbes would be as sincere and special as he was. he suffered throughout his life, yet he always had a smile and a gut vort.
i merited to stay in his house for a couple of weeks (his wife pased away in the early 80’s and he did not want to live alone.) from the few things i saw:
he was a moirediker shulchan aruch yid. zohir bekalo uvachamura without any pshetlach.
he would come to shul in the morning and say tehillim or learn while the minyan was davening, he would then go home a spend the better part of the day davening.
he was up every night till the early hours of the morning learning.
he truly cared about all the talmidim. if he saw that a bochur did not have warm coat, shoes etc. he would give money to buy all he needed; undergarments, pants, shirts, everything the bochur needed.
he was areal mekubal
The Rebbe zatsal once referred to him publicly at a farbrengen as” Harav Hamekubel.”
I too heard that he had Ruach Hakodesh.
He was a Chosid himself and inspired thousands of Chabad Chasidim (Shluchim) now serving worldwide.
i am from montreal, though i left in 1980, and reading this ,makes me regret that i never went to see him. chaval…..mamash chaval………..