16 Responses

1. Boruch Dayan Emmes..truly a special person

2. bd”e
   He was a masmid niflo.
   Among his bekius in science, (which I think led to his Gairus) he was a Boki in the chazon ish’s explanation of how Kiddush hachodesh works.

   He didn’t leave over any children so we should learn leiluy nishmosoi.

3. Boruch Dayan Emes. Ken was a true ger tzedek who had tremendous Ahava Yisroel. He saved Bnei Torah tens of thousands of dollars on medical bills and medicines and was always available around yeshiva on Shabbos for medical advice. He loved the bnei yeshiva and admired the roshei yeshiva shlita no end. Yehi Zichro Boruch.

4. Name was yisroel chayim ben avroham not yisroel mordechi as was posted by yw please correct so peaple can be mespalell and learn leiylu nishmoso hatohr
   Ps he did leave over a daughter and three grandchildren from before he was megayer

5. Some things about Dr. Kenney ….from Yitzhok Sokol who knew him all the years in Lakewood and learned with him over all the years. He was a dear friend to our family and all our kids were his friends. He was from the genius’ of his generation. He was of an elite group of genius’ who were in the Princeton “think tank’…that was a continuation of Einstein’s physics program at Princeton. These students were paid by the University to ‘think’…and come up with whatever they came up with. Kenny came up with “God” ! and proceeded to check “Him” out. He saw references to this big picture in his physics studies…which eventually led him to Torah. He was friendly with Einstein’s daughter and helped keep up his home…and knew what books Einstein read in his bedroom…very deep esoteric works…At the University of Pennsylvania he made…really!…a nuclear reactor in a pickle barrel ! At Penn he was able to get the required Uranium…but he would often say that it is a major miracle that every little country and dictator doesn’t have nuclear weapons….you can learn how to make one on the web. He was married and had 1 daughter before he converted. His wife didn’t want to convert so he divorced her…it apparently was a difficult parting…as it was a harmonious marriage…an act of major mesiras nefesh. He always kept up with his daughter and the last I heard many years ago was that she was finishing medical school. While his mother was alive he considered it a mitzvoh of kibud aim to visit her and always helped her in Phily.
   He was looked on with a special chein from Rav Shneur z’l who cared about Dr. Kenny’s well being. He was one of Rav Nasson’n z’l shamashim and always wanted to be near to him…hence his seat behind Rav Nossan who would also ask about his wellfare. Dr. Kenny was the ‘real’ ben ha-yeshivah making his home totally in the yeshivah…he really didn’t go anywhere else…it was really his total home…his room number he referred to as “litvishe teruos” …two…two…two…? He was always eternally grateful to Rav Shneur and then Rav Malkiel and the Roshei Yeshivos shlita for allowing him to stay. His constant desire was to be able to understand gemorrah …he saw that this was the “real stuff” that made secular studies seem small.
   He explored Kabballah and he considered it the ‘real’ physics…a true meta-physical knowledge from the Torah…he knew the system of the Ari’zl and of the Rashash…he felt he was not able to make the transition to operating on that level..however…and never practiced anything nor swayed from traditional yeshivish practice….although it was his goal…the first goal being to “be able to learn” He called the knowledge of Kabballah “Torah for dummies” because its was so clear to him with his physics/Einstein background that it seemed simple. Whereas the learning of Gemarrah was very difficult and required a change of self to ‘mish’ with the Torah.
   He always asked me to buy him a chicken and have it schechted for him at ashmores haboker erev Yom Kippur …he was very makpid to get me the money to pay for it. This year we both forgot.
   Since he has no Jewish decendants it would be fitting for those of us who knew him to learn a mishnah or such l’elui nishmaso…now…and either for 30 days or a year. We are also considering doing a segment on Kol Bramah in his name.
   For those who say Kaddish for others…he should be added to your list of names…and to others who could to say Kaddish to say when possible…..for Yisroel Mordechai ben Avrohom Avinu – Dr. Kenny – Zecher Tzadik Livracha.

6. Can someone post a picture of him?

7. I just read the post from Yitzhok Sokol (#5) and I must say that I am amazed. What a man! May the good Lord hide him under the concealment of his wings and may he stand with all the rest of Israel with the coming of the Messiah.

8. I never knew ! Please tell us more ! What a kiddush Hashem !

9. the correction is correct …his name was Yisroel Chaim ben Avroham Avinu….tonites special shiurim on Hoshana Rabbah on Kol Bramah will be for his zechus…zechuso yagein aleinu…

10. Kenny please be mochel me for not staying up for the lvaya and witnessing the amazing chesed shel emes of the lakewood chevra kadisha. May your amount of hours of learing and davening in the main BM of BMG be a zchus for you in Shomayim. We will not forget you.

11. Picture? Still waiting..

12. Picture?

    Here it is:

    Big Heart
    Ben Torah
    Smart
    Ahavas Yisroel

13. Dear Yitzhok,
    I did know about his daughter; but how old was he? Recently he started to look old, but I always thought he was in the 50’s.

14. i would guess 63…from the context of events …

15. who could forget how Dr. kem was mechaevn to THE ROSHEYESHIVAH HRAV YOSEF EICHENSTIEN from EDISON NJ in p’shat in a seforno parshas noach. maybe some one can share with me his p’shat in the sefurnu in the dor hamabul/ also i would like to know details on the petirah thank you

16. the seforno says on ‘lo yishbosu’ that before the mabul it was eternal spring…but afterward…summer winter etc. lo yishbosu…will not stop…
    Dr. Kenny explained this… that as a result of the cataclysmic forces at the time of the mabul the earth tilted on its axis in its orbit around the sun. ie…before the mabul the earth was ‘upright’ or 90 degrees perpendicular to the route of the orbit around the sun…but afterward it tilted the 23.5 degrees off perpendicular that it is now…which is what makes summer and winter. He also said that it was much healthier then because of the stable spring weather and no big temperature shifts…and probably no wild storms…hurricanes etc..
    he gave chaburos on these topics in yeshivah downstairs and made tapes…if someone can locate them ..we can play them on the air…
    yitzhok