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July 28, 1952

Eulogy for Morris H. Behrman (1952)

Three Weeks & Tisha B'Av Eulogies & Memorials
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Eulogy for Gershon Hausman (1985)

Early last year, a dear friend of mine whose rabbi I had been for a number of years at The Jewish Center, Mr. Gershon Hausman, told me that he missed the annual כינוס שיעורים that the Rav, שליט״א, used to give in this season, בין כסה לעשור. Born in Antwerp, and also a member of the Moriah Shul on the West Side, he was a great admirer of the Rav, who had an affiliation with that shul. Because of his esteem for the Rav and the tradition of the כינוסי תשובה inaugurated by the Rav and continued by him for many years, Mr. Hausman created a perpetual endowment at Yeshiva for these תשובה שיעורים to be given every year, between ראש השנה and יום כיפור, both here at our Main Center and at the Gruss Institute in Jerusalem. He endowed these lectures, which begin today both here and by Reb Dovid Lifschitz in ירושלים, in honor of the memory of his late parents, Moshe and Chava Hausman, ע"ה, and of the parents of his beloved wife Judy, may she live and be well, Elias and Mary Stern, ע"ה. He looked forward eagerly to this שיעור, but the השגחה willed it otherwise. This summer, Gershon Hausman returned his soul to his Creator at his home in ירושלים. Indeed, תשב אנוש עד דכא ותאמר שובו בני אדם — before these תשובה שיעורים could begin — שובו בני אדם — he performed the other תשובה, that of תשב אנוש עד דכא, the inevitable "return" from whence we all come. Gershon Hausman dealt in diamonds — and he became identified with them. He was himself a blue-white gem of a human being, possessed of many brilliant hues and intriguing facets, and precious beyond words. He was a ננוע and an ענו, unassuming and understated. He loved Israel, went there as often as he could — and wrote a beautiful אגרת. I was a friend of the family, and knew him especially as a תלמיד of mine in גמרא. He had a good head. What he lacked in formal education, he made up for with an astute intellect and an inquiring mind. Upon his retirement three years ago, he urged me to organize Talmud classes in Midtown for retirees who …
Eulogies & Memorials

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Eulogy for Morris Green (1999)

For me – Tisha B'Av has come early this year. The untimely passing of Morris (Mosheh) Green is nothing less than a churban – a cataclysm of enormous proportions. I am bereft of my dearest friend. I can imagine how dreadful is the blow to his wife and children. I adored his family – his wife, his four children, his mother, his siblings. We grew up together, built families together, worked for the community together. I first met him 41 years ago when he and Aaron were saying Kaddish for their father, Joseph Green, who was a distinguished member of The Jewish Center. Now, his children are saying Kaddish for him – at The Jewish Center.Moshe was brilliant, passionate, and funny—his whole body shook when he laughed, as if all of him was enjoying the fun. He loved his family, reveled in his creativity in business, and was ebullient in his works of charity.He was a remarkably diverse person, and in everything he did—and he did so much!—he was always enthusiastic. He invariably manifested a youthful exuberance and that gave him a singular charm.Our sidra of this coming Shabbat tells of the rebellion against Moses and Aaron by Korach and his coterie of malcontents. To indicate the divine confirmation of Aaron in his priestly office, Moses told the princes of all the tribes, including Aaron, to place their staffs—symbols of their high office-in the Tabernacle. They did this, and the next morning all were found unchanged except for the staff of Aaron, High Priest and head of the tribe of Levi. The staff had blossomed and, in the words of the Torah, ויוצא פרח ויצץ ציץ ויגמל שקדים, it brought forth blossoms, it sprouted buds, and it grew almonds. The commentary of the Tosafot points out that the text implies that all of this was simultaneous, that whereas normally there are blossoms which then fall off to be replaced by buds, which in turn fall off and are replaced by the mature fruit, all of these miraculously occurred all at once.Moshe Green was a personification of that capa…
Three Weeks & Tisha B'Av Eulogies & Memorials

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Eulogy for Walter Wurzburger - Sheloshim (2002)

I heart-broken as rise to spk eulogy f my friend/colleague WW – membr fac YU/RCA – I know him > 50 years. Was an excellent Rabbi – I recall his serve in Boston (w Rav...) – then Toronto (tliey dejcctd tht he left) – & finally Far Rockwy. My successor at TRADITION – Co-autrhrd “Treasury TRAD". He was the ideal of a scholarly Rabbi – studied philo Harvard – taught at YC (incc 67). Bt>teachr of philo – was a philospher – ideas were real t him, almst artifcts of the mind. As a result – affectd his persnlty: transcendd pettiness... He livd/experienced grt thoughts. Was a Rav, a Lamdan – and also a man of culture, a thinker.I owe t him my intrst in RHV—T.L.........Let me spk a bit about scope of his intcllct by referring ב״ב דף נ״ו—tod’s דף יומי—(explain) —חזקה של שלש שנים deals wמשנה: שלשה אחים ואחד מצטרף עמהם [דהיינו אח לשנה אח לשנה ואחד עם האח, שאותו אחד מעיד עם כולן] הרי אלו שלש עדיות, [- ולהכי כשר עדותן דאשתא דקא מסהיד האי לא קמסהיד האי ואין כאן שני עדים קרובים בעדות אחת.]גמ,. מתני׳ דלא כרבי עקיבא; [דלר״ע לא מהני עדותן כלל הואיל וכל אחד אין מעיד על חזקה שלימה דשלש שנים אלא על שליש חזקה והיינו חצי דבר.] דתניא, א״ר יוסי: כשהלך אבא חלפתא אצל רבי יוחנן בן נורי ללמוד תורה, ואמרי לה: ר׳ יוחנן בן נורי אצל אבא חלפתא ללמוד תורה, אמר לו: הרי שאכלה שנה א׳ בפני שנים, כ­בפני שנים, ג׳ בפני שנים, מהו? אמר לו: הרי זו חזקה; אמר לו: אף אני אומר כן, אלא שר״ע חולק בדבר זה, שהיה ר״ע אומר: +דברים י״ט+ דבר - ולא חצי דברThe Tannaim tlius disagree on the nature of the testimony. The Mislma holds that each set of witnesses is focused on an individual year. They are “specialists” and tlieir testimony is combined and is accepted as valid עדות for all 3 years. R. Akiva, however, disagrees. Unless tliey see the whole process, testfy to all 3 yrs as continuum—each is disqualified bee none offered testimony for all 3 yrs. No '/2 way measuresI hv grt respet f scholars of narrow focus—they often provide info tht is important for the synthesizers. But WW was not tlit kind tliinkr. Was more…
Eulogies & Memorials