15 Responses

1. Baruch Dayan HaEmes.

2. Baruch Dayan Emes. A wonderful, wonderful man whose care, compassion, and concern for his talmidim was always evident.

3. A chashuva ben torah, who was dedicated to chinuch banim in Eretz Yisroel. Scores of young men owe Rav Flam tremendous hakataras hatov. May hashem comfort his wonderful family.

4. I knew Chaim in elementary school and as a devoted attendee of the tischen of the late Pittsburger Rebbe. His simchat chaim and ahavat habriyot were outstanding. He was a wonderfully warm mechanech who merited bringing many young men to fully observe Torah and mitzvot. May his wife, children and family be consoled through his manifold accomplishments.

5. Baruch Dayan HaEmes! I`m shocked and saddened. Rabbi Flom taught with true joy and belief.He only taught me several times but we connected and he would call me several times just to see how I and my family were doing. He danced at my wedding with the joy of a father. He was positive and loving. The world has that much less light for his passing.

6. Being that Rabbi Flom was a close Rebbe of mine I thought I’d share a couple of short stories so that those who didn’t know him can appreciate who we lost.

   1) Once when Rabbi Flom was a young teenager there was a young boy on his block that had gotten injured and needed to wear a body cast. This happened right before summer vacation. Although Rabbi Flom had plans on how he was going to spend that summer (I believe he was going to go to camp), he canceled his plans and spent the entire summer vacation visiting this boy and entertaining him for hours EVERY DAY for the entire TWO MONTHS. He just couldn’t bear the thought of how lonely that kid would feel being left alone all summer while all the other kids went away for summer camp.

   2) Every Rosh Chodesh our Yeshiva, Ohr David, would go to the Kosel to daven Shachris there. We got there and back by piling in to the Rebbeim’s cars. One time I jumped into the trunk of Reb Flom’s station wagon. His car was packed on the way back to the Yeshiva. On the route back to the Yeshivah we passed the area in which he lived. When we approached a certain bus stop near his home he started to slow down a steer towards that bus stop. Realizing what he was doing we all screamed out, “But Rebbe there’s no room!” He look back at us all through his rear view mirror and retorted with a smile, “Oh, I forgot!” We all laughed.

   To fully appreciate this story you need to read the next one that I heard from his daughter-in-law.

   3) Rabbi Flom live in Sanhedria Murchevet. Years ago most people did not have cars and were heavily reliant on the bus system. Rabbi Flom, appreciating the Chesed that Hashem did for him by giving him a car, felt the need to in turn use his vehicle as a tool for performing chesed. Everyday he would stop by the bus stops on his way and offer a ride to anyone going his way. B”H his car lasted many years and provided for him many opportunities to do chesed. Alas, finally his car broke down and being that he could no longer afford to purchase another car he started to take the bus. After a while people started to notice that he stopped picking up people. One day someone met up with him and asked what had happened; how come he hasn’t been picking anyone up recently. So he told the guy what had happened, that he no longer had a car and had to take the bus like everyone else.

   That was TOO much! This couldn’t be! TOO many people relied on him!

   Would you believe that a short time afterwards Rabbi Flom was presented a car to replace his old one!

   What happened?

   When word got around Sanhedria that Rabbi Flom was out of a car the WHOLE community pitched in and bought him a new one! Too many people had been so reliant on him over the years that it was unthinkable to them that his chesed should stop.

   Olem Chesed Yibanei!

   This is what Rabbi Flom was about. He always looked to do chesed! He always looked to brighten someone’s day. Even when giving Tochacha to a talmid he did so with such a warmth that made you cherish his words for years to come.

   A testimony to his stature was the size of the Levaya. For those that know Shamgar the crowd stretched from the building all the way to the property entrance.

   Many people TALK about learning Torah and doing Mitzvos, but Rabbi Flom actually did it!

   If any of you are touched by these stories, please consider perhaps donating tzedaka in his merit to his Yeshiva, Ohr David (they have a website that you can Google).

   Rebbe (Rabbi Chaim Flom) zt”l we will dearly miss you!

   Love,

   Your Talmidim

7. I was a talmid of Rabbi Flom in Yeshiva Ohr David from ’86-’88. The love he had for me as well as all his students knew no bounds. I will miss him dearly. May he be a maylitz yosher for all his talmidim whose lives he affected and for all of Klal Yisrael.

8. Also a talmid of Rabbi Flom in 86. I was going to post similar comment to 6. Can’t recall a ride with Rabbi Flom where he didn’t pull over to pick up passengers. Always told my children this story when driving in Israel.

   May his memory be a comfort for his family, talmidim and friends

9. I was a talmid of Rabbi Flom from 99-2000 while Ohr David was in Romemma, right by Center 1. He was my night seder rebbe and we learned the Gemara of Megilla, bkiyut. Rabbi Flom and I grew very close through the year. One evening early in the year he asked my help in typing up his weekly dvar Torah, as he didn’t type so very quick and I do about 100 words per minute. I would often sign his emails “Rabbi Chaim Flom, Gadol Hador” to which he would always delete the Gadol Hador and we’d have a good laugh. However, once the Gadol Hador bit made its way through!

   One evening I was on the phone with Rabbi Flom and mentioned I wasn’t feeling very well. He dropped everything and drove to yeshiva to pick me up and drive me back to his home so that he could take care of me. We even had a pajama party that night with ice cream. While driving me back to his home he stopped at every person walking on the street and offered the a ride. Such a tzadik!

   I last saw Rabbi Flom in 2003 while he was in Chicago. We went out and had a fish sandwich at Good Morgon’s Fish Market and talked for an hour. While saying goodbye we hugged and he gave me a kiss on my cheek.

   Rabbi Flom was more than just a rebbe. He was a friend, a father figure and someone whom I will never, ever forget. His death is a massive loss for the whole world.

   Baruch Chaim Stone
   Cambridge, MA

10. I too am an alumnis of Or Dovid. I was a guest of honor at their first dinner almost 13 years ago. I was praising the rabbaim for al their unique ways of passing on the mesora to their beloved talmidim. when it came for Rabbi Floms’s turn, i said “There were always 2 things you can count on when visiting R. Flom at home. He had a gemara open and a plate of lasts weeks chulent in front of him!” He truly loved each & every one of us, and we him. I miss him. Naftali Solomon a talmid/child of Rabbi Flom

11. I was never in R’ Flom’s shiur, but we wound up building a relationship. It seemed liked every night he would always have a vort for me, and he would always ask me for my response to it.

    I was also zoche to help him with some of the technical problems that he encountered with his weekly e-mail. He always made you feel like you were doing him the greatest chessed.

    Rebbe will be sorely missed.

12. I was a Talmid of Rabbi Flom beginning in 1996. There are no words to describe what a tremendous man he was. One of my most cherished pictures is of Rabbi Flom doing his famous handstand at my wedding. I shudder to think that there will be no more talmidim assembling for night seder with his trademark call of “MY MEN! Let’s Go!”

    I will miss him terribly.

    NM
    Brooklyn, NY

13. I cant belive its been over 20 years since I had been in ohr dovid.I came from A very tough and strict yeshiva system in N.Y. and I was getting turned off from religion.Somehow I was sent to ohr dovid.when I met rabbi Flam,I was shocked to see such A nice and caring person.the yeshiva changed my life forever. I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU RABBI FLAM. A loving talmid

14. I was a Tamid of Rabbi Flom at Ohr David in 07-08. Here is what I remember of him.

    1.I can never forget when he sang Mehra when it was his turn to lead the Yom Kippur services. He always made those fists and started to dance, which made me want to dance and everyone one else around.

    2.I remember when I came back this year for my second year whenI walked in for my first day for nigh sedar and when he saw me his lights lite up, as a father seeing his son.

    3.I remember when I got back this year I was looking forward to his Shana Bet Smooz, which he gave every Wednesday or when Rabbi Granosfy was not there and of course the My Rebbie Is So Proud Of Me stickers.

    Rabbi Flom was more then a rebbie, but more as a father in my eyes. I could go to him and asked him anything, which I wished I could know. Thank you Rabbi Flom for everything and always being there. My only question now is who is going to sing Mehra now

    P.S. We will miss you

    your truly,

    Nathaniel S. Joseph. Shana Bet, and Night Sedar Shiur 06-07

    .

15. Although I can’t say I ever met Rabbi Flom in person, after reading the above and my brief contact with him, I can honestly see how he will be so missed and I’m sorry I never had an oppertunity to actually meet him. But I just wanted to share my story.

    I was told about Rabbi Flom last summer by a girl who I was then seeing, who had helped her tremendously during her seminary time in Israel and thereafter. I later had the need for his help, when my engagement to this girl fell apart. Although he did not know me personally and at the time, he began to suffer from the symptoms of the illness that would take his life, upon a phone call from me about problems with the engagement, he immediatly took to the phones to call the US to see if there was anything he could do to help. Although he was unsuccesful, his immediate response and guidence in dealing with a very diffacult situation will always be something special I will never forget. More so, when I was in Israel this past December, and not knowing of his illness, I called Rabbi Flom to seek a meeting with him. Although I later learned that he had just come home from the hospital, he was interested in finding out how “I” was doing, and if I wanted to meet with him. Although i never did meet with him (after learning about his illness). Rabbi Flom was someone special, and I only wish I had the opportunity to actually meet him. There are some special people in this world that one is fortunate enough to know. Rabbi Chaim Flom, Z’tl was one of those people.

    AF
    Brooklyn, NY