In a shiur that he delivered last night at his yeshiva in Beit Shemesh, Rav Moshe Shternbuch was maspid the Ponovezh rosh yeshiva, Rav Gershon Edelstein zt”l.

Rav Shternbuch resided for many years in the neighborhood adjacent to the yeshiva of Ponovezh. He also sent his sons to study at Ponovezh, where they learned under the rosh yeshiva.

Rav Shternbuch acknowledged this in his hesped and said, “I knew him from the time we were neighbors in Bnei Brak. He was a ‘living mussar sefer.’”

Rav Shternbuch commented on the tremendous Torah knowledge of Rav Gershon, saying, “I knew the gaon Rav Gershon when we were neighbors in Bnei Brak. He learned and taught diligently throughout his life, disseminating Torah to thousands of talmidim. Even the talmidim of his talmidim benefited from his guidance.

“On one hand, he sat and learned, and on the other hand, he set aside time to offer advice to each and every individual, assisting others in immersing themselves in the world of Torah. We can call Rav Gershon a ‘tzaddik tov,’ because he was good to both Heaven and to people.”

“He was a ‘living mussar sefer,’ great in his personal character and genuine humility. Not only did he not seek honor, but he believed that he did not deserve it, he did not enjoy it, and he did not even understand what honor was. His humility was otherworldly.”

{Matzav.com Israel}