ב"ה
Tuesday, 2 Adar II, 5784
  |  March 12, 2024

10 Years Later, I Miss My Father

Remarks of an emotional speech by the daughter of R' Gedaliah Shaffer of Crown Heights describing his unique character. Full Story

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Amazingly written
March 19, 2017 8:10 pm

Chana I am sure you will set up a home similar to that of your parents with your, thanks G-d, wonderful husband. Your father zy”a and mother yb”l with be recognized in the especially wonderful middos you will instill in your children, thus continuing the chain.

Woow!
March 19, 2017 4:51 pm

Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing!

Chaneleh
March 19, 2017 3:47 pm

Your eloquent vocalizations of your father only describe the tip of the iceberg. To describe him as a Beinenni of Tanya would be to little (because nothing ever looked like a struggle by him.)
A cousin who appreciated him immensely then and I still do, and with the turmoil of today’s generation misses him now more then ever.
Your Mom tzu lingeh, glikleche yoren, will continuously shep nachas from all her children and grandchildren with besurois toivois always. Each of you is a most amazing person that one can meet, and your Father A’H is definitely shepping tremendous nachas!

Mrs. Baila Olidort
March 19, 2017 3:08 pm

Mrs. Olidort is a close family friend; she spoke about my father and the impact he had on her when she met him at a B’Or HaTorah conference. She spoke about his honesty and integrity when answering her questions; she emphasized how deeply impressed she was by his rejection of ‘pat’ answers to complicated questions. While being firmly and securely grounded in his faith in Torah, and his hiskashrus to the Rebbe, he maintained his intellectual integrity. The members of the Gedaliah Society, all Chabad medical professionals, were moved and impressed by her presentation.
Chana Shaffer Minkowitz

!0 years passes so quickly
March 19, 2017 1:53 pm

It’s hard to believe. My father passed away not long after the Rebbe & not a day passes when I don’t quote him, or reminisce or something reminds me…. I have seen men who could be his twin, and that is very disconcerting.

I feel your pain, I really do, but we can both take comfort in the yerusha they left behind – not necessarily money, but a sterling reputation and family who live up to their examples. Wishing you and all your family ariches yamim, may we merit to be reunited with our beloved fathers bimheira v’yemeinu mamash

In Awe
March 19, 2017 11:20 am

Thank you for being so real. I saw your father in your home, but didn’t get to know him. I saw the awe your mother, zol gezunt zein, had, and I am in awe of what I hear. And her gentleness. I wish that I had had the courage to speak to him. I’m comforted in that I know Mrs. Shaffer. May we see your father o.b.m. in the flesh again, asap, and may the Gedalia Society grow in ways undreamed of, influencing Jewish society around the world and inspiring us. My wish is that we, like your father of… Read more »

Thank you for letting us "in"
March 19, 2017 11:04 am

Your memories were both humbling – at the grandeur of his qualities and ennobling – to make me want to live more fully.

G-d should help you transfer the overwhelming sense of loss more and more into a sense of gain. G-d doesn’t make many copies of uniquely gifted people, but you have so much engaging, positive, unique narratives to share with the next generation.

Thank you
March 19, 2017 9:44 am

I had the privilege of knowing your father a bit, your Mom a bit more, but I know a lot about them, and they always amaze and inspire me, and hearing of their impacts on people that are close to me is very empowering too. I remember going to be menachem avel in your home, and being awed just by the sheer number of books in your home. About hearing about someone who would go every Shabbos morning to learn with your father, and how that impacted his life, as he found someone he could relate to on an intellectual… Read more »

Wow!
March 19, 2017 7:50 am

What a tribute.
He was really something and your words definitely give us a appreciation to what a gem he was to Klal Yisrael.

To the author: Get to know your uncle Rabbi Bentzion Shaffer
March 19, 2017 7:44 am

Dear Author, Thank you for for being real. Your essay is very touching. I wish you every success in your personal journey. Know that however much it helps to have good guides and role models, ultimately the journey has to be one’s own. The journey requires spiritual maturity. After the fact of the shattering, I hope that it’s not callous to wish you that the shattering should result in maturity and empathy, i.e. rich facets that may not have been seen otherwise. As the Kotzker said, ‘there is nothing as whole as a broken heart’. I met your father only… Read more »

I hear your pain...
March 19, 2017 7:40 am

Your father seems larger than life…
I too lost my father suddenly many, many years ago.
We don’t get over it, but we learn to live with it and with the good memories… Hatzlocho. Moshiach now!

Beautifully written, and all true
March 19, 2017 7:39 am

Your father was such a special man. May his neshama have a big aliya and may you all be reunited with him today in Yerushalayim with Moshiach.

He is my Great Uncle
January 22, 2020 10:49 pm

He is my great uncle i never met him but by the way my relatives talk about him he sounds like a very holy man

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