Rabbi Dovid Mishulovin, a chossid who exhibited mesiras nefesh in the Soviet Union to host an “underground” branch of Tomchei Temimim in his home, and served as a long time shliach in Los Angeles, passed away Asara B’teves.
Rabbi Dovid Mishulovin, a chossid who exhibited mesiras nefesh in the Soviet Union to host an “underground” branch of Tomchei Temimim in his home, and served as a long time shliach in Los Angeles, passed away on Monday night, Asara B’teves, 5782.
He was 92 years old.
Rabbi Dovid Dov Mishulovin was born to his father, Rabbi Eliezer Mishulovin, and his mother, Mrs. Basya Mishulovin, as the eldest son, in 1929 in Vitebsk.
His parents moved to Samarkand when World War II started in 1939 while the Nazis bombed Vitebsk
During his teenage years, most of the chassidim left his hometown of Samarkand. The handful of chassidim who remained flourished thanks to the reopening of the Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim when he and a friend kept the learning of the yeshiva alive under the guidance of Rabbi Eliyahu Levin of Paritch.
In 1953, he married Mrs. Fruma Sarah, the daughter of Rabbi Benzion Moshe Pil from Kharkov.
After his marriage, he lived in the city of Dushanbe – the capital of Tajikistan for about two years. Chazzan Chaim Berl Zalzman also lived there and together they established a secret mikveh in the back wing of the Shul there. After two years, he returned to his home in Samarkand.
In 1971, he and his family immigrated to Eretz Yisroel and settled in Nachlas Har Chabad – where his brother a Mashpia, Rabbi Michoel Misholovin, also lives to this day.
In Eretz Yisroel he occupied himself with Kiruv and with Jewish education, and as a livelihood he would work in the field of sta”m, mainly checking Tefillin.
After a number of years in Eretz Yisroel, he was asked by Rabbi Shlomo Cumin to come as a Shliach and as a Sofer to Los Angeles. In 5739, he emigrated to the United States, and moved on Shlichus to the city of Los Angeles, serving as a chasidishe melamed in the Cheder and Yeshivah Ohr Elchonon Chabad, and per the Rebbes request worked in sta”m.
He is survived by his children Benzion (Benny) Mishulovin – Los Angeles; Feiga Bisk – Toronto; Rivka Tewel – New York; Boruch Mishulovin – Crown Heights; Yosef Yitzchok (Yossi) Mishulovin – Los Angeles; and Michoel Mishulovin – Moscow, Russia, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by his brothers Rabbi Michoel Mishulovin – Nachalas Har Chabad, Eretz Yisroel; and Rabbi Itche Mishulovin – Crown Heights.
He was predeceased by his wife Mrs. Sara Mishulovin, and by his brother Rabbi Chaim Eliyohu Mishulovin – Kfar Chabad, Eretz Yisroel.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes – Dovid Dov ben Eliezer Mishulovin
BDE!
A Vareme Chasidishi Yid.
I used to enjoy talking to him when I was a bochur on shlichus in LA.
He would complain how today you can’t tell anyone off, and people get offended, unlike the old chasidishe way where ziknei hachsidim would tell a person to his face about issues that need to be corrected.
He constantly “lived” with the chasidim that he grew up with and knew well, Reb Bentzion Maroz, Reb Eliyohu Paritcher, Reb Boruch and Reb Chaim Avrohom Duchman, Reb Yerachmiel Chodosh (der alter), and later in later years Reb Berke Chein and Reb Mendel Futerfas.
He once was speaking about the uniqueness of the chasidim over misnagdim, and then said such a beautiful line – “ich hob lib yeder yid, un ch”v hob nit feint di misnagdim, ich hob poshut rachmonus oif zei, zei zainen zeir premitiv”, in other words he looked at those who weren’t zoiche to the oir of chasidus as being primitive, as after the world was zoiche to such a new light giving deep meaning to Elekus, Yidin, Torah and Mitzvos, anyone who lacks that understanding is sadly primitive.
[He said that Reb Eliyohu Paritcher was a geon oilom, and yet if you came to him with a shale, he would ask to bring the shulchon uruch to first look inside to make sure he was paskening right. There was a misgnadishe rov in Samarkand, that if you came and asked him something and it was clear he couldn’t remember off hand the Halocho, he would say “oisiyois machkimois” so I’d rather look inside…]
I remember that when Reb Meilach Zwiebel AH visited his son in law Rabbi Oster in LA, he would spend a lot of time talking to Reb Dovid. Reb Meilach then told me that because Reb Dovid didn’t leave Russia in 5706-7 together with most chasidim, and left over 20 years later, he lived many more years of mesirus nefesh and it’s clear in his “mehus” that he is different to most people his age.
יהי זכרו ברוך, והחי יתן אל לבו, הבא ונלמוד קצת מדרכיהם של חסידים כמוהו. אנשים שלא היו בדוקא לומדים ומשכילים גדולים, אך חיו עם האמת של אלקות, ודרכי החסידים בערו בעצמותיהם.
Thank you for sharing this!
I, too, knew him from my days in YOEC
One of the many things that he was makpid on was that during davening there should always be (at least) two candles lit.