The Rosh Yeshiva and the Gringo From Australia

By Rabbi Ruvi New – Director of Chabad of East Boca Raton in Florida

A new Rosh Yeshiva was needed at the Talmudic academy. The two most eligible candidates for the position were Rav Yosef and Rabah. Rav Yosef was colloquially called “Sinai” for his expansive Torah knowledge and Rabah was known as the “uprooter of mountains” for his innovative and original approach to Torah study. Whom to choose? The vote was in favor of Rav Yosef. He deferred however to Rabah and later in life succeeded him. (Gemorah Brachos 64A)

There are scholars and teachers who retain, possess and share broad and expansive knowledge, and there are scholars who think more “out of the box” – known for their creative and novel interpretations. And then there are the rare scholars and teachers who are exceptional both in the magnitude of their knowledge and in their original thinking.

I, together with thousands of others, mourn today the loss of one such exceptional man – our teacher Rabbi Yisroel Friedman OBM, who served as Rosh Yeshiva of Oholei Torah in Brooklyn for over four decades. He was a one of a kind genius who possessed that rare combination of encyclopedic and generative thinking.

It is not for his genius only, however, that we grieve, for that is merely a facet of his greatness. All those who had the privilege to be counted among his students would have their own words and their own way to describe “Reb Yisroel” as he was affectionately known. Herein are mine.

Ever since I had experienced my first holiday in the Rebbe’s presence on Purim in 1980 at age 13 while visiting from Australia, I had eagerly awaited the day when I would have the opportunity to be a “bochur”, a full time Yeshiva student in New York, under the wings of the Rebbe. In 1983, at age 16, I entered Yeshiva Gedolah – The Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand, in my home town of Melbourne. Among the students at the Yeshiva were six “shluchim” emissaries from New York.

Sharing a room (on which we affixed the number “1414”) with one of them, and a hallway with another (who had “749” on his room) made a tremendous impression on me and my fellow Aussie students. They were saturated with Chassidic energy and were passionate Chassidim of the Rebbe. They both had come from the Oholei Torah and shared stories of the Yeshiva and its faculty – Reb Yisroel among them. I was hooked and knew that when my time would come to study in New York, Oholei Torah would be the place for me.

Opportunity knocked when my brother Chaim OBM married Sheiny Friedman in Teves 5785. I had already spent two years in the Yeshiva in Melbourne and was ready to make the move. But not so fast… To be accepted into a new Yeshiva, you have to have permission from your former Yeshiva. The Yeshiva in Melbourne at the time had a very small student body and I knew that the administration wanted me to come back.

I wrote to the Rebbe of my desire to stay and study in New York at Oholei Torah. The Rebbe replied, “as is well known, you should heed the advice of the faculty.” I tried to convince myself that since the Rebbe didn’t specify which “faculty”, that I could consult with the faculty of Oholei Torah…

Off I went to check out Oholei Torah, to meet the faculty and students. I was introduced to Reb Yisroel and was instantly taken by him: His wisdom and wit, his caring eyes that gave you an instant sense that you mattered. I told him of my dilemma – how I wanted so much to enroll in his Yeshiva and of the Rebbe’s answer to me. With a twinkle in his eye, he told me that as much as he’d be happy to have me join the Yeshiva, the Rebbe’s intention in consulting “the faculty” meant the faculty from where I was coming.

That night, with great trepidation, I picked up the phone to call the Yeshiva in Melbourne. Rabbi Avrohom Ber Blesofsky, who then served on the faculty, answered the phone. Hearing me out, he said: “Ruvi, if you are going to come back to Melbourne with your heart in New York, it would be better to stay and study in New York.” It was just the response I had hoped and prayed for. I was elated and excited. It was a dream come true.

I initially thought it might be a little overwhelming to come from a Yeshiva of 20 students (located in an old Victorian mansion) to a Yeshiva of one hundred students, located in an overcrowded basement. It was anything but… from my first day, Reb Yisroel, although he wouldn’t be my teacher until a year later, kept a watchful eye out for me – the gringo from Australia.

Rabbi Avrohom Gerlitzky, who was the principal teacher of my class that first year, was the most loving, lovable, patient teacher I had ever met. Rabbi Fitche Pewzner who was our Mashpia-spiritual mentor, exuded love and warmth and guided us through insightful Shiurim most mornings and many a Farbrengen on Thursday nights.

The following year, we all graduated to Reb Yisroel’s class. He would sit at his table at the entryway of the “Zal” – study hall, with a birds-eye view of all the comings and goings, often directing the “foot traffic” with a quip, or a reprimand for time wasted. On any given day, there was typically a dearth of chairs, so every visit to the restroom was fraught with the risk of coming back to your table, minus a chair… (this often made for great drama..) Eventually, this problem was relieved with the advent of benches.

A steady stream of students would always be moseying around his desk waiting to ask a question on the Talmudic text we were studying “b’chavrusa” – in pairs. Often, the group was spontaneously “entertained” by Reb Yisroel sharing an illuminating insight or inspiring Chassidic story. If his desk was clear of traffic he would often venture out among the rows of tables with students pouring over the Talmudic text, and ask the students if they had any questions or simply offer an explanation or clarification on his own.

His classes/lectures were a rollercoaster ride plumbing the depths of the underlying premises and axioms of various Talmudic opinions and scaling the heights of theoretical applications of his thesis.

Truth be told, at times some of his lectures flew over our heads, but his passionate style of teaching was nonetheless captivating, as was the way he would strike a match to light up a cigarette mid-lecture… Waving the cigarette in one hand and the match in another as he was in the midst of making some critical point, he would invariably wait until the flame had reached the end of the match, about to light up his fingers, before finally lighting up his cigarette. This always made for captivating drama, as we waited with bated breath for him to finally put flame to cigarette and breathed a sigh of relief…

Every week the Yeshiva would publish a journal of Torah thoughts by students, faculty and community members. Once or twice a year a more formal publication featuring longer and more complex essays on Torah was published. With Reb Yisroel’s encouragement I proceeded to give it a try. I presented him with some ideas I had from a section of Talmud that deals with the legal status of a fetus. He guided me where to look for additional sources and helped crystalize the thesis I was developing. As a master teacher, he struck the perfect balance between guiding and empowering.

His tests were like no other. The questions were posed such that it was difficult to discern what the correct answer would be. Turned out he wasn’t looking for right or wrong answers; he was looking to see if you were thinking…. We all shed a lot of sweat until we figured that out.

My friends and I look back at those years as the most formative years of our lives. We were in heaven. Every Shabbos we stood at the Rebbe’s Farbrengen, soaking up wisdom, holiness and energy for life. Throughout the week, we would review the Farbrengen and typically on Thursday nights, come together for farbengen’s that lasted into the wee hours of the morning, to internalize the Rebbe’s teachings and vision.

Alongside Reb Yisroel, was our devoted Mashpia Rabbi Nachman Schapiro. “Reb Nachman” instilled in each of us a deep appreciation for everything the Rebbe was giving us, searing those messages deeper and deeper into our souls. In addition Reb Nachman’s many Farbrengens, Thursday nights in Yeshiva and Friday nights in his home, many a memorable Thursday night was spent at a Farbrengen with the Yeshiva’s then Principal Rabbi Efraim Piekarski, who challenged us to be real, authentic, and genuine.

On major Chassidic Holidays it was Reb Yisroel (alongside Reb Elye Chaim Roitblatt) who led the Yeshiva in all night Farbrengens, in which he regaled us with stories, anecdotes, and penetrating insights, weaving together Jewish law and Chassidic lore. He had boundless energy, razor-sharp wisdom, and wit- the perfect recipe for a meaningful and uplifting Farbrengen.

Fortunately, my relationship with Reb Yisroel did not end when I left Yeshiva. Whenever I came to New York and saw Reb Yisroel, we would exchange a warm “Sholom Aleichem” and he would inquire as to how everything was going, with the trademark twinkle in his eye.

About 10 years ago, when Reb Yisroel was already in his 70s, he was invited to come to Florida to Farbreng for the Shluchim – many of whom are his students, in honor of Pesach Sheini. Shluchim drove to South Florida from all over the state for this unique opportunity. None of us there will soon forget that night, as we sat enthralled and transported to our good ole’ days in Yeshiva.

Quite amazingly, but in typical fashion, Reb Yisroel had flown in that night to Florida, farbrenged with us all night, went straight back to the airport, and was back in Yeshiva in New York by 11:00 AM for the morning session!

His dedication and love for his students is legendary. He was the epitome of what every Chassid strives to be: Pious, G-d fearing and learned. He was as non-materialistic as one can be, and yet he raised money and managed a fund to distribute funds to students in need of new clothing, particularly before Pesach. While he was not one to seek creature comforts, he was known to make sure that when a student bought a new pair of shoes, that they were comfortable.

King Solomon said: “…and the living shall take to heart”. There is much to learn from Reb Yisroel. While these words are personal reflections, he for one would make short shrift of it all and would want to know “tachlis” – how will it lead to something practical.

So to best honor his memory and to give a continued footprint to his soul in this world, I suggest taking on one of the following: 1. An increase in Torah study. It could be as short as fifteen additional minutes a week. 2. To increase in the level of Mitzvah observance, by enhancing our “Hidur Mitzvah”, meticulous beautification of a mitzvah. It could be as simple as paying more attention to the way we wash our hands before eating bread, making sure that each pouring covers the entire hand, or being more careful in the way we enunciate before and after blessings.

We have lost a true “Chad B’doro” – “one of a kind”. We must all do our part to fill the void. He deserves nothing less.