By COLlive reporter
Businessman and philanthropist Dudi Farkash of Monsey, NY, visited the home of Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevitch in Bnei Brak, on Tuesday.
Joining Farkash was his wife and their son Zalman Leib Farkash who will soon be celebrating his Bar Mitzvah.
Rav Edelstein blessed the Chabad boy and presented him with the sefer “Birchas Tzvi” which his father authored – a gesture some say he does on rare occasions.
Behind the warm visit was the fact that the boy is named after Rabbi Zalman Leib Astulin OBM, a Lubavitcher chossid who was known for his yiras shamayim and for being an outstanding talmid chacham.
During Communist oppression, Rabbi Astulin’s home in Tashkent was known to always be open to Chassidim escaping Soviet authorities for spreading Yiddishkeit. He did so despite the grave danger of doing so.
Upon immigrating to Israel, he lived in Bnei Brak was highly regarded by rabbonim and roshei yeshiva for his genius, humility and love for Torah. He was the teacher of Rav Edelstein.
The meeting on Tuesday was on the eve of Rabbi Astulin’s yartzeit and Rav Edelstein was moved that he is meeting his beloved teacher’s family members, the Farkash family and their aunt Mrs. Gisa Friedland, daughter of Rabbi Asulin.
as a lubavitcher masphia and teacher , i absolutely would love to start a trend of visiting yirai shemayin talmedi chachomim. it would do us as lubavitchers a world of good. if chassidus taught anything we should know it is not a about a brand a name or community pride it is about loving hashem and his torah. Rabbi Gershon Edelstein represents that all the way.
He is big talmid chacham and to sit by such a person who learns all day and turns out Torah scholars is a tremendous zechut. To be in the daled amos of a Torah giant is a great thing. You are the reason we are in gauls. It should be a trend that everywhere you go you visit the leading Rabbis and make a kiddush Lubavitch.
Let’s not start a trend visiting these Rabbis , we are way past that and Collive should stick to Lubavitch ,