Harav Nota Greenblatt, a world-renowned expert in the laws of Gittin and Av Bais Din of Memphis Tennessee, who assisted many shluchim, passed away.
By Anash.org reporter
Harav Nota Greenblatt, a world-renowned expert in the laws of Gittin and Av Bais Din of Memphis Tennessee, who assisted many shluchim, passed away
He was 96 years old.
Rabbi Greenblatt was born in 1925 in Washington, DC. In 1928, his parents moved to Ellenville, NY, where his father, Rav Yitzchok, a native of Brisk, became the rov of the shul. Rav Yitzchok then became a shul rov in Newark, which had a large Jewish community.
While a student at Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva he merited a private yechidus with the Frierdiker Rebbe. The Frierdiker Rebbe had wanted to establish Igud Talmidei Hayeshivos, uniting students from all different yeshivas, and R’ Mendel Feldman brought him to represent Chofetz Chaim. (In the end, it did not materialize due to some resistance from others.)
Later he joined Harav Moshe Feinstein’s yeshiva, Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim, and became one of his closest students. He often fielded questions for him during the three years he was there.
Rabbi Greenblatt was an expert on all the laws of gittin. Refusing to rely on the instruction of the husband by phone, he would personally travel all over the US for 60 years to ensure that Jewish women receive a proper get. He had special traditions from Harav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin on spellings of American cities and English names.
He was also a rabbi’s rabbi, answering rare shailos from all around the world, he was of great assistance to many shluchim in areas of Gittin and other difficult Halachic matters.
Rav Greenblatt is survived by his son, Rabbi Dovid Greenblatt of Lawrence, Rachelle Lapidus, Lea Fink, Rabbi Jacob Greenblatt and Joey Greenblatt.
Baruch Dayan Haemes.
I had the great zchus to sit on batei dinim with Rabbi Greenblatt many times in Raleigh, North Carolina (though sadly for the purpose was preparing gittin) and hosted the Rabbi in my home as he traveled. Rabbi Greenblatt was very sensitive to each person while strictly following with great care the process and preparation of gittin. He had a great sense of humor and I fondly remember he appeared once late at night unannounced at my door, holding his half-bottle of chalav Yisroel milk and crackers and his little suitcase, asking to spend the night before he drove to another state to prepare more gittin. May his family be comforted and his memory and life be a blessing to all of Klal Yisroel.