by Rabbi Yair Hoffman ([email protected])

It was an extremely emotional levaya because he was so beloved. The levaya began with essah ainay. Then mimaamakim

Rav Moshe Brown shlita spoke first.

Many years ago, he remembered in Baltimor, the RY had a picture of Rav Hutner on the wall of his foyer. RMB asked why does he give a krechtz everytime he passes?

Rabbi Kalish, when he was very young, the trajectory in his life was to a baki beshas. There are people here that knew him from HILI.  A baki beshas, who was marbitz Torah beRabbim, who worked on middos – he became an ish nichbad me’od me’od

The Gemorah in Yuma says that the Name of Hashem should be beloved by your actions. And beside that he must be involved with the brios.  It doesn’t come to Hashem being lived – unless he is beloved.  When people do that people say “Praised is his father that taught him Torah.

We saw the heiliger niftar – not only did he know shas – but he was beloved by the brios.  His parents, for years took enormous pride in the KH he was making.

I have this image of Rav Elya Svei saying, “Ah mein Talmid.”

I don’t think in all the years – I never saw him get angry.  You want to say the truth and not be megazem.

His midos taovos that are there to complement. The harbatzas Torah is something we should all learn from.

Avrohom Avinu says to Hashem – Chalilah lecha to do something improper.

Avrohom is davening for the people who stood for the opposite of what he stood for. Why? For the dor haflaga he was not melamed zchus – but here by sdom he did.  The explanation is that in between, Avrohom Avinu became the Av of all mankind – av hamon goyim.  The older people who have life experience they have only good things to say.

In being maspid. Rav Yehoshua zatzal, It would be very difficult to find st negative he would have said.

The next speaker was Rabbi Kalish’s brother, Reb Aharon.

It is very hard to speak about my brother.  Everything that was said about Avrohom Avinu in the parsha applied to my brother. Another thing that never left him was his simchas hachaim. He loved other yidden

His two sons spoke next.

Reb Moshe,

You started in Yerushalayim – Rav Nochum was your Rebbe

In BMG you learned 12 hours a day in Kollel.. maisim lailos kayamim

Then came YFR you loved every talmid as a child..

Then came Harborview..

How many almanos and yesomos did you help!

Then came the Kollel – you loved learning and teaching halacha l’maaseh.

Abba, you were such a giant. You finisged shas 40 times.. you were so down to earth.  You were not only my father and rebbe – you were my friend.. The last time we spoke you said I love you.. Abba I love you forever

Rav Meir SImcha spoke next

Abba! We miss you so much!  I remember when you eulogized Mr. Rapp you cried and asked Who will replace him?  Abba who will replace your Torah!  Who will replace your chessed?!  Your favorite Gemorah was Baitzah.. Finished it 100 times.. You always quoted that there is a Neshama yesairah.. but Motzay Shabbos they take it from him.. Abba Hashem took your neshama Motzai Shabbos..

Abba your soul was so lofty but you always enjoyed everything you made piece between soul and body.. You always had a neshama yesairah!

Your last night where you could speak you sand Shabbos zmiros..  Abba, a permament goodbye is much too painful, but l’asid lavo we will see you soon.  You left so many talmidim behind in Torah, tefillah and chessed,, You set new maalos in these.. It was so hard for you that you couldnt attend Shimmy Rapp’s wedding..  The dance will need to take plavce hen Hashem returns your holy neshama..

Rav Daniel spoke next.

He quoted the halacha of the greaat need to be maspid properly.. The difficulty in losing someone with so much chiyus – so much life.. I felt that those that met him in Rav Ovadiah’s Kollel saw someone so young.. The tzaar, of young grandchildren losing a friend who was so vibrant, so a part of their lives.. For all of us, we never for a second did we think that Abba wouldn’t get up.  I was convinced because of his energy, excitement, so much passion.. Abba came to us for Sukkos for the first days..

Our relationship to Hashem can be perhaps explained – we wear tefillin.  Pe’ero alai – Hashem’s glory is on me.  The Yid has such a passion to be connected to Hashem. Shabbos the yid sings Ka ribon.. We sat in teh hospital proud to be yidden – ashreinu mah tov chelkainu – the glory of teh yid – putting on Tefillin – pe-ero allai – Hashem’s glory is on us.. Hashem wears tefillin kavyachol as well.  Hashem talks about us, ki yadativ for I love Avrohom.. This is the example of all relationships.. We all had such a pride in our father.. we lost it.  I want to describe the pride my mother had of her husband.. the pride, my husband’s a lomaid Torah.. It was our pride from the youngest of ages, it energized us.. Every child, every einekel walked around with such a pride – a servant of Hashem, a lomaid Torah, a lover of Yidden.. This beautful shul hd such pride, yes the one who knows Shas like he knows our name.. Everyone in this shul had such pride.. Abba your pride was on us and will always remain on us..

Every bochur in Yeshiva of Far Rockaway had ths pride.  Every Son in law; every daughter in law; the old Camp Heller friends – they prided our chaver the Shas yid, the tzaddik the Talmid Chochom.. All of Waterbury.. The Rebbe’s father, between us – we know Shas.. (laughter).. To be shayach tos omeone like this was a pride that elevated and energized..

My father had such pride in the tzibbur.  He celebrated them and appreciated them.  Imma knows – ask her she’s very smart.. His pride in his children – it was a source of chiyus.. All his children he prided in them all. In every member of his daf shiur that he taught for over 4 decades..

He spoke so much lashon tov.. Not just avoiding lashon harah he would constantly speak of them all.. My 9 year old son is broken because his zaideh loved him.  His life was blessed, 28 years in this shul..The shaarei Tefillah chevreh  He said, Doniel I want to live, but I am happy with my life.. He was so excited about each talmid at waterbury, he hugged them and kissed them and considered them his eineklich.. He was so oving and accepting.. This is the meaning of Hashem’s tefillin.. It wasn’t the successes per se, my siblings and his children have grown was because of his pride..

My father loved the person who talked the most in shul.. His sha! came from love.. He had the tremendous love and appreciation, everyone he was was accepted and loved.. It was all an emesdikah ahavah..

The kesher that my parents had for this shul.. the Ahavah to the mispallelim.. We want to thank this beautiful tzibbur – each one was so close and we have such hakaras hatov..

He once came late to a maariv because he was listening to a Met’s game a bit too long.  He made up never to listen to a game again..  I want to ask him mechila. I wasn ot mechabed him enough.  We all haven aveidah.. one for gantz klal Yisroel..

You cared about them all – the hostages the soldiers that were killed..  He is now in Shamayim.. And he is causing a tumult.. He is arguing with the Chofetz Chaim with Rav Akiva Eiger.. With Rav Meir Simcha..  Please abba, be a meilitz yosher for all of klal yisroel..

Rav Elya Roth the Rav’s son-in-law spoke next

You were mekayem Mah hu rachum af attah rachum.. so very well..

There was no shtick you always wanted to know what’s the Din, whats the halacha.. No corruption, honest to the tee.. tzaddik v’yashar hu – so many psukim personify Abbah..

We thought Abba was immortal – superhuman strength.. He always had time for us.. We don’t know where we will turn..

Rav Mordechai Kamenetsky (not of Southshore), the Rav’s son-in-law spoke next

You could be tired and exhausted but you never tired of giving time to learning or to others..This is not a natural phenomenon..  You met their needs and that led to your leading a life of tremendous intentionality.. Every person who came acorss you felt like a million dollars.. You looked at everyone like a chailek elokah mimaal.. I was moved and inspired by watching it.. You mae uncomfortable calls and meetings because you knew it was the right thing..You knew it would give chizuk to others.. to sum it up – adam l’amel ylad – a person was created to show grit..

Yaakov Kalish ainekel of the Rav representing all the einiklach

I feel so inadequate.. I always thought zayde was a tzaddik.. I know that for a fcat now.. He never uttered a word of complaint. His acceptance was absoultely – he clung to life, but had no fear of death.. He had the biggest heart and was made out of steel..

Rabbi Stern from Camp Mogain Avrohom spoke next

The only day that one may not learn Torah is Tisha B’Av..  What he would do every year n Camp – was from Mincha to Maarive he would give a shiur for 6 and 1/2 hours in meseches Moed Kotton.. Those who went through it were changed.. They were heroes and became leading Talmideo Chachomim..

Rabbi Efrati, the shul’s Rav (formerly asst. Rav) spoke next

Nafla Ateres Rosheinu.. The Rav was a yashar.. He went up to Shamayim with thousnads of blatt Gemorah with Avodah, with Gemlius Chasadim.. We are left here broken..

Last night the power here went out.. In the entire neighborhood.. His koach of protection was removed from us..

At the end of Neilah he said right here.. He screamed out from the depths of his soul, useshuvah usefila utzedakah maavrini is ro’ah haGzeira.. But it was not to be..

We knew who he was.  We knew his gadlus..  He was known for not caring at all about his own kavod..

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