Rabbi Ahron Yaakov Schwei

Rabbi Ahron Yaakov Schwei (July 9, 1934 – April 24, 2020) was born on 26 Tammuz 1934 in Åbo, Finland to his father Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Schwei and his mother Mrs. Bonia, where his father served as Rav and Moreh Hora'ah.

In 1942, when he was about seven years old, his father passed away. During World War II, he fled with his mother to Uzbekistan, where they lived in a small village. At around age seven, he was sent to study at Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Samarkand under conditions of poverty and hardship.

At the underground Tomchei Tmimim in Samarkand, he began dedicating himself to his studies, and with his talents succeeded in completing his course of study, becoming one of the most important bochurim.

When his mother sent him as a child to Samarkand, she promised she would come visit. After about a year when his mother came to visit, she found her son waiting at the train station. When she asked how he knew she was coming, he answered: "You promised you would come, so every day when the train arrived I stood here and waited." This story is told at farbrengens about how we should await Moshiach. It was even made into a play by Cheder Gan Yisroel in Boro Park, and a camp song was written about it for Camp Gan Yisroel Moscow in 2019.

While in Samarkand, he merited to be in the presence of great Chassidim who were there during the war years like Reb Dovid Horodoker and others.

In 1946, he left Russia's borders together with all the yeshiva students in the "Russian Exodus of 1946," and continued his studies in the refugee camp in Pocking.

He also studied at Tomchei Tmimim yeshivas in Paris, Brunoy and Montreal. After the war, he immigrated with his brothers Reb Boruch Sholom Shwei and Rabbi Yitzchok Shwei to the United States, and in 1951 they entered to study at Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Montreal, and were members of the first class to receive rabbinic ordination.

During his bochur years, he guided and directed Camp Gan Yisroel in New York, and during these periods he used his artistic talent to decorate the camp walls with drawings of the Rebbe and other artistic works, some of which still adorn the camp walls today.

He received special instructions from the Rebbe including a personal instruction to daven at length with avodah. When he wrote to the Rebbe that it was difficult for him to daven at length every Shabbos, he was answered: He should take a break before Musaf.

For several years he served as the Rav of Camp Gan Yisroel New York.

He married his wife Mrs. Rachel.

He also worked on editing seforim for publication, editing his brother Rabbi Yitzchok Shwei's seforim, and Rabbi Yitzchok Reitport's seforim and others.

Over the years until he served as a member of the Crown Heights Beis Din, he served as a Rosh Mesivta in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Crown Heights.

Crown Heights Rabbinate

On 20 Sivan 5760, Rabbi Yehuda Kalman Marlow passed away after a serious illness. About two years after his passing, the members of the Representatives Organization announced elections for the position of Rav. No additional candidate ran against Rabbi Schwei. The elections were held on Sunday 22 Cheshvan 5763 and thousands of neighborhood residents came to vote at the ballot box located in the basement of 770. After counting the ballots, it became clear that Rabbi Aaron Yaakov Schwei was elected as Mara D'asra and Beis Din member, receiving over ninety percent of eligible voters' votes.

A month later, during the central Yud Tes Kislev farbrengen in Beis Chayeinu, Rabbi Schwei was crowned as the neighborhood's Rav and Beis Din member in the presence of the other Beis Din member Rabbi Avraham Osdoba, the representatives, Va'ad Hakahal members and neighborhood residents.

He served as an example and role model of bitul and hiskashrus to the Rebbe, and all his days he was permeated with anticipation for the true and complete Geulah. In his role, the Rav encouraged and strengthened belief in the Rebbe's eternal life and supported those involved in spreading the message of Geulah and the Redeemer. He also supported institutions that championed Geulah and Moshiach topics in the neighborhood like the Beis Moshiach weekly, Ohr Menachem Cheder, Eshel Hachnosas Orchim, World Ach Tmimim, Kupas Bochurim and others.

Passing

During his final years his health declined, and there were periods when he was unwell and Anash were called to say Tehillim for his recovery. On Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5780 he passed away at age 85, after contracting the coronavirus. His levaya took place on Erev Shabbos, and the neighborhood rabbonim instructed to cease work during the levaya. The funeral procession passed through the neighborhood streets and concluded in front of Beis Chayeinu-770 and from there to the beis hachaim.

A few months after his passing, a memorial book titled "Tiferes Ish" was published, with the word "Ish" being an acronym of his name. Additionally, a book of his writings titled "Kisvei Reb Aharon Yaakov" was published.

From His Rulings

• Prohibition of drinking unfiltered water in New York State due to common sheratzim in the water.
• Strawberries may not be eaten with their peels anywhere in the world, due to insects.
• Ruled that Crown Heights has the status of a Biblical reshus harabim, therefore carrying is not permitted on Shabbos even with an eruv made with tzuras hapesach.
• Permitted chometz that was sold through him by a restaurant that sells every year, even though that year the owners forgot to sell the chometz, since the sale document to the goy stated that all those who regularly sell through us each year are included in the sale. This ruling is debated and many Torah novellae were written about it.
• In 5767, when a family sold their house to a goy in Crown Heights claiming they had the Rav's approval, the Rav issued a clarification letter stating he was unaware the house was within Crown Heights, and therefore retracted the mistakenly given permission.

Writings of Reb Aharon Yaakov

In his will he requested his family publish his Torah chiddushim in a sefer.

After his passing, his family gathered his Torah chiddushim and published them in the sefer "Kisvei Reb Aharon Yaakov", edited by his grandson Rabbi Menachem Mendel Baumgarten.

The book's structure and name follow his brother's sefer "Kisvei Reb Yitzchok", which was published at the Rebbe's instruction.

At the end of the sefer, several of his speeches on various topics were collected, including matters of Geulah and Moshiach and strengthening the neighborhood.

His Family

• His daughter, Mrs. Rivka Max - Tzfas
• His son, R' Yosef Yitzchok Schwei - Crown Heights
• His daughter, Mrs. Chana Eta, wife of R' Yosef Yitzchok Turk - The Rebbe's shliach in Cordoba, Argentina
• His son, R' Mordechai Eliyahu Schwei - Crown Heights
• His daughter, Mrs. Nechama Dina, wife of R' Pinchas Rappoport - Crown Heights
• His daughter, Mrs. Sterna Sarah, wife of R' Aharon Yekusiel Ginsburg - among the Rebbe's shluchim, Boro Park
• His daughter, Mrs. Devorah Serach - Crown Heights
• His son, R' Boruch Sholom Schwei, melamed in Cheder Ohr Menachem Crown Heights

See Also

• Beis Din Tzedek Crown Heights

Further Reading

• "Tiferes Ish" - Book about his life history
• "When Things Are Clear By Us - They Will Be Accepted in the World!"
• "The King's Neighborhood Mourns", profile of Rabbi Schwei, from Beis Moshiach weekly issue 1210
• "Modesty, Humility and Brilliance: Yaakov Tzvi Ben-Ari after Rabbi Schwei's passing"
• When Rabbi Schwei waited for his mother every day at the train station... - Farewell column by R' Shraga Crombie