The Unlikely Torah Scholar: The Story of Rebbetzin Fruma Beharav

It was a serene Friday night when a devoted scholar returned home from the synagogue. As he enjoyed the Shabbat meal with his family, he shared, "I stumbled upon a book filled with captivating Torah insights and moral teachings at the synagogue. I found a beautiful idea related to this week's parsha..." His righteous wife listened intently and asked, "That idea sounds truly special. Which book did you find it in?" The scholar replied, "I can't remember exactly. It was on the table right next to me. I'll check again tomorrow."

The following day, as he returned for morning prayers, the book was still there. It was titled "Pearls of Paz," a thick volume rich with essays and ideas. As he browsed through the introduction, he noted the humility of its author: "I have tried to convey, albeit briefly, yet this summary barely scratches the surface of the collected teachings of our sages." However, reaching the end of the introduction, he encountered a line that puzzled him: "Here I am, like seventy years old, and yet I only merited to speak of song when our sages taught that whoever sings to Hashem in this world merits to do so in the next." Was this a printing error? "Like seventy years old"?

Upon another look at the book's title page, he realized it was no mistake. The author was indeed Rebbetzin Fruma Rozenberg. Did she merely create a platform for herself, distributing a book without rabbinical endorsement? Listen to the esteemed Rabbi Raphael Blum of Kashoy, in his letter to the author: "The book 'Pearls of Paz' was sent to me, composed by the righteous and scholarly Rebbetzin Fruma Beharav from Bnei Brak, a descendant of the Gaon of Vilna. The book is entirely sacred... It will be a great asset to Jewish homes in Israel and the Diaspora... Although it's rare for such a book to be authored by a learned Rebbetzin... yet this book is exceptional... like in previous generations where learned women were found, the said Rebbetzin's descendants are all blessed by Hashem. The book kindles the hearts with matters of holiness and purity." These sentiments were echoed by Rabbi Wosner, and even the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court issued an endorsement for the book.

Who was this extraordinary Rebbetzin, admired for her Torah greatness? Rebbetzin Fruma was the daughter of Rabbi Ephraim Rozenberg, a descendant of the Gaon of Vilna, referred to as the 'Rabbi of Ukraine.' Hence, she sometimes referred to herself as 'Fruma Beharav.' Her father was killed in the Holocaust, and Fruma married the Rebbe of Rybne. After his passing, she married Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Biderman of Lelov, and lived in Bnei Brak until her passing. She died in 1954 and was buried on the Mount of Rest.

From her wise sayings in the book: "No song exists without praise to Hashem, no conversation without intention, and no joke without a hint."