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R. Binyamin Avraham Yaakov (Zalman) Teitz (Ashkenazi) son of R. Dovber Rabinowitz

Līvāni / Livenhof

Born in 5633 (1873) in Piatnitsa near Łomża, to his father the rabbi of the place, who also served as rabbi of Shilelei and author of the responsa Dvar Emet.

He studied under his brother R. Eliyahu Akiva Rabinowitz, Av Beit Din of Poltava and editor of the monthly HaPeles, and under his uncle R. Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim, rabbi of Mir and Ponevezh and Av Beit Din of Jerusalem. He also studied at the kollel in Eishyshok and in Kovna.

Son-in-law of R. Moshe Michel Shmuel Shapira, Av Beit Din of Rogova, who mentions him in the introduction to his book Tevuot Shemesh: “In my book I mentioned some explanatory notes from my son-in-law the rabbi R.A.Z. Binyamin, may he live, Av Beit Din of Livenhof,” and there also a responsum to him was printed (section 36). He also mentions him in his book Chemdot HaNeged, p. 53 (printed together with the book Chemddat Shaul).

In the years 5658–5675 (1898–1915) he served as rabbi of Subate, and in the years 5682–5685 (1922–1925) as rabbi of Riebiņi.

He served as rabbi here from 5685 until 57001) (1925–1940),2) when he emigrated to the United States. In the years 5701–5716 (1941–1956) he served as rabbi at the synagogue Beit Yisrael in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, and in Tammuz 5716 ascended to the Land of Israel.

He passed away on holy Shabbat, 24 Tishrei 5717 (29 September 1956) in Hadera, and his resting place is in the Sanhedria Cemetery in Jerusalem.3)

At the end of his father's book Dvar Emet, a halakhic clarification from him was printed.

Responsa to him were printed in the responsa Tsafnat Pa'aneach, vol. 1 (Dvinsk 5700), sections 120, 126; Tsafnat Pa'aneach HaChadashot, vol. 2, section 47; vol. 4, sections 15–16.

In Igrot Kodesh of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Mohariatz) it is written:4) “And in this Livenhof is wondrous among other cities, for they are obedient and even the householders gather and wish to listen to lessons, and the rabbi R. Teitz, may he live, is a respected man, only he himself is not a man of words and very much desires that someone come who can speak and influence.”

R. Pinchas Teitz, Av Beit Din of Elizabeth (son of the rabbi mentioned above), told that his father was rabbi in Shupitz (Subate) and did not eat from the slaughter of one who would touch his beard, contrary to the opinion of the Lubavitcher Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek.5)

Ohalei Shem, p. 201. Toldot Anshei Shem, p. 30 (and an error is what is written there that he did not serve in the rabbinate in the United States). Di Geshikhte, p. 188. Pinkas HaKehillot, p. 295. Letter from his granddaughter Mrs. Rivka Blau to me, with my thanks to her.

Latvia and Rabbis

1)
According to Igrot Kodesh of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Mohariatz), vol. 1, p. 387, he was rabbi here in the month of Adar I 5684, and perhaps R. Teitz arrived here earlier. And in his letter printed in vol. 14, p. 354, to R. Mordechai Dubin from 29 Nisan 5700, he asks him “to influence the city of Livenhof to take R. Hillel Gurewitch as rabbi among them,” and this was certainly after R. Teitz's departure from the city.
2)
In Pinkas HaKehillot, p. 169, it is written that in 1927 (5687) the local Chabad yeshiva moved into the great synagogue here. But there is no corroboration of this from additional sources. Likewise, in Igrot Kodesh of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Mohariatz), vol. 15, p. 110, it is written in the editor's note (also reproduced in Toldot Chabad BePolin, Lita veLatviya, chapter 50) that the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Mohariatz) founded a small yeshiva in the city of Livenhof. But in my humble opinion this is not accurate, because the yeshiva was founded by R. Pinchas Teitz (son of the rabbi mentioned above), and the Rebbe encouraged him in his work, as is his holy way to encourage every good thing and action, and also wrote a letter of support for the founding of the yeshiva “to the congregation of Yeshurun and our friends, the Anash, in the city of Livenhof” (Igrot Kodesh, vol. 17, p. 72), but the institution had no overt connection to Chabad (see also Igrot Kodesh vol. 11, pp. 370 and 373). And as for what the editor writes there (and in Toldot Chabad, p. 252) about R.P. Teitz's train journey with the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Mohariatz) and about the Rebbe's suggestion to open a yeshiva, citing an interview given by R.P. Teitz to the weekly Kfar Chabad (also appearing in Yemei Melech, vol. 1, p. 343) — R. Teitz explicitly says there that the Rebbe spoke with him about the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Riga that was founded in 5692, and this is in no way connected to the yeshiva in Livenhof.
3)
According to Latvia: Batei Knesset VeRabbanim, p. 243, he was born in 5632 (1872) in the district of Vilna, and served as rabbi of Līvāni from 1898 (5658). But this is an error, since he served here as rabbi only after the First World War, as R. Avitzinsky writes in Di Geshikhte, p. 188. Likewise, regarding what is written there that R.P. Teitz served here as rabbi from 1935 — it is possible that he was registered as rabbi, but in practice he certainly did not serve as rabbi here. Moreover, in the summer of 5694 (1934) he traveled to the United States and returned here for a short visit after his marriage there, as told in the book VeSamachta BeChayecha — Toldotav veChizono shel HaRav Mordechai Pinchas Teitz, and in the newspaper HaYnt, 30 Adar I 5695.
4)
Vol. 2, p. 308.
5)
From the notes of R. Chananya Yosef Eisenbach, in the name of R. Zeleg Sharpstein, Av Beit Din of Cincinnati. Printed in a special supplement to the weekly Kfar Chabad, issue 1654, on the 150th anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, p. 12, letter 54.