By COLlive reporter
Photos by Yossi Percia
After a full day of celebration – beginning in Crown Heights streets and concluding in the Yeshiva classroom – even Rabbi Avrohom Gerlitzky admits this has been one of his best yet.
His 64th birthday mania, orchestrated by his students of Shiur Gimmel in Beis Medrash Oholei Torah, began early Tuesday morning when the bochurim literally had the neighborhood covered.
Residents woke up to see small birthday flyers on their parked cars. On Kingston Avenue a large sign wished a happy birthday to “Reb Avrohom – World’s Greatest Maggid Shiur” (sponsored by Arele’s Bagels).
The festivities continued when Rabbi Gerlitzky pulled up with his green Chrysler covered with notes, only to find a new solid mahogany desk over a red carpet waiting for him in the Zal.
After going through a day of learning, he joined his talmidim for an afternoon birthday farbrengen in one of the classrooms which was laced with balloons and decorations.
The bochurim spared no expense or effort: 6 platters of sushi, 5 platters of various salads and vegetables, a bar of drinks and 2 full-size birthday cakes – one in the shape of his latest sefer “Yemos Hamoshiach B’Halacha.”
“They worked very hard,” Rabbi Gerlitzky later told COLlive.com, clearly appreciating the affection of his talmidim and understanding the need to break from the ordinary.
“The month of Tishrei is full of yomim tovim, Kislev has chassidishe yomim tovim, Hei Teves, Yud Shvat, Purim in Adar, Pesach, and so on. So they need a yomtov in Cheshvan too,” he jokes. “It’s almost a minhag yisroel.”
This was the 30th year his birthday on the 13th of Cheshvan is celebrated by his students. Shea Harlig (today in Las Vegas), Shuki Deitsch (in Virginia) and Yisroel Mangel (in Cincinnati) were the trailblazers.
Rabbi Gerlitzky, known for his soft-spoken manner, happily takes part. “This year they had music and dancing,” he says. “I didn’t know they are so talented as well as aidel.”
At the farbrengen, he encouraged the bochurim to take the same energy and thought they put into the celebration and invest it in learning throughout the coming year.
GO MENDY HARLIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I figure if all his past talmidin contributed $25 we can get him a new car so he doesn’t have to drive around in his old clunker? if there are any takers i’ll be the first $25.
yitzchok wagner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO SHIMMEY W!!!!
Happy Birthday Best Uncle Avrum,
If we’d have known your students would put together such a wonderful bash, we would have flown in!
May you continue to have many happy,healthy,hatzlochodik years to come!
Love,
Your cutie great nephews from California
Arichas Yomim v’shonim Tovos. You should continue this Holy work in Chinuch AD BEAS HAMOSHIACH WITH brocho v’hatzlocho bechol inyonecho B’GU”R MITOCH HERCHOVO.
Your (DOCTOR) Yankel Magalnic
Go yitzy and mendy dunin
This was the 30th year his birthday on the 13th of Cheshvan is celebrated by his students. Shea Harlig (today in Las Vegas), Shuki Deitsch (in Virginia) and Yisroel Mangel (in Cincinnati) were the trailblazers.
4th trailblazer was Yisroel Rosenfeld (now in Australia)
we miss you here in argentina
its really great to see on even the most positive articles, someone has to analyze every picture in an article and criticize something
Bh Thats very kind of the bochrim They give him the Chayus for another wonderful Year! Aleh Vahatzliach!
Why not? Yes Red Bull is kosher.
His birthday is actually on Yud Daled not Yud Gimmle
RAG’s birthday os 14 Cheshvan. They probably had the celebration a day early because of Erev Shabbos.
ka”h u made it in to 3 pics! u r awesome! lots of love from toronto
its the red heifer!
if anyone has any information about the whereabouts of the sign, or is in possession of it, PLEASE return it to oholei torah zal
of course redbull is kosher……….how can you accuse the bochurim of not abiding by the laws of kashrus….here is the crc list of kosher drinks…why make a negative comment on such a wonderful article…next time ask if the water is kosher.
http://www.crcweb.org/beverage_list.php
the sushi was the best sushi i ever had it was from empire kosher shushi stand. the party was a hit like no other in OT. reb avrohohm many more years
why is there red bull –
It would be wonderful if Reb Avrohom gives an INSET to other mechanchim/rebeim and what it takes to inspire talmidim.
Inspiring students is the issue of the moment, when we see students completely switched off.
I say we all chip in and buy him a new car!
Reb Avrohom is loved by all his talmidim,
i was one of his talmidim when he first started,
we loved him then, we love him now, and we’ll love him forever, hes a good, kind, caring CHOSID,
Mazal Tov! mazaltov!
May you have a shnas hatzlochoh begu”r
and always have much nachas from your dedicated talmidim
bi-yedidus
Chaim Rapoport
not bad
It takes ALOT of work to put this together,and it’s very impressive that our temimim,’ takeh kenen altz’
These boys are very cute. Wow!
Of course Reb Avrohom is the sweetest.
Signed
A close relative of Reb Avrohom
where is motty herzog?
I love the Herman Miller Office Chair behind his Mahogany Desk, it will keep his back healthy for years to come!
Continuous sim has many more
its nice to c such chayos in bochrim koching in happy occasions, may reb avrom, have many healthy years with his family takeh till 180.
He is the epitome of a “gerlitzky” heart. Tov Lashomayim & Tov Labriyoytos. May he bentshed with Langeh Gezunteh Yohren.
Reb Avrohom can still address all his talmidim from the past 30 years by their first name.
How many teachers know the LAST names of all their current students?
Lichvod Harav Hachossid Reb Avrohom Sheyichyeh
Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov! from your old Talmid down under. Shnas Hatzlochoh begashmius uberuchnius. Fond zichronos fun der altiker tzeiten.
PS I forgot my umbrella 🙂
i spy
mendey
h.
ITS AMAZING……… WONDERFUL PARTY FOR A GREAT MALAMID!!!!!!!!!!!