Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu: a Perek man personified

Like so many people whose paths in life crossed that of Dayan Ehrentreu, I was greatly saddened to hear that he passed away yesterday morning. He was a great man with a great personality and it was my pleasure to work with him four four years in the early 1990s when I served as Registrar to the Court of the Chief Rabbi -- the court in which the Dayan was Rosh Bet Din.

In this capacity I was the effective CEO of the London Beth Din and had responsibility for its day-to-day running as well as for drawing up its budget. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to observe the Dayan at close hand and to appreciate his remarkable qualities.

My previous Avot Today post discussed the application of a mishnah in which Ben Azzai teaches:

Do not scorn any man, and do not discount any thing. For there is no man who has not his hour, and no thing that does not have its place (Avot 4:3).

This could have been the Dayan's motto since it was the principle by which he committed himself to his court's functions, both judicial and otherwise.

The Dayan's diary was always crowded, yet he made great efforts to accommodate the needs of all who sought to see him. No matter was too small, no person too insignificant, to gain an audience. Sitting in on some of his meetings, I could not fail to be impressed with the courtesy and attentiveness he displayed with people who might so easily and with justification have been dismissed as a waste of time. For him, every member of klal Yisrael had a place, a role in Jewish society and an entitlement to be treated with respect and dignity.

I was also responsible for maintaining the Dayan's extensive filing system. This included his notes and diagrams relating to electric circuitry for induction loops to aid those with hearing difficulties, the construction and operation of mikvaot (ritual baths), the flow of super-heated steam in the cooking of mass-produced food products and the properties of food additives. The Dayan, who was often called upon to make rulings on these and other technical topics, could lay his hands on the relevant materials at a moment's notice. Nothing was ever out of place.

It should not be thought that Ben Azzai's teaching was the only bit of Pirkei Avot to be reflected in the Dayan's life. He greeted people warmly with a smile (Avot 1:15); indeed, after attending one of his shiurim, I sometimes discovered that his smile, like that of the Cheshire Cat, remained in my memory long after the substantive points of his address had faded. He was also highly precise in his choice of words, particularly when giving advice or instructions, in order to minimise the possibility of being misunderstood (Avot 2:5). And of course there was much more.

The Dayan will be sorely missed by his family, friends, colleagues and congregants. May his memory be a blessing.