10 Responses

1. He was a true Osek BTzorchie Tzibbur B’Emunah. I had the pleasure of teaching a few of his sons, and of learning in the Kollel Mechanchim for several years.

2. Big loss to the community. Nice person. Any time anyone needed to get stitched up in an emergency he made himself available.

3. Boruch Dayan Emes. He was a truly great man.

4. Boruch Dayan Emes, he was truly a Tzaddik. May hashem give this chashiva family Malatz Yosher.

5. dr abbott was by far from the last few REAL tzadikim of our generation. there isnt a person that he ever met him that didnt walk away with a smile. wether it was a kid in the street, school where he was president or at a simcha he was mkabol every person bseder panim yafos. you would never hear the words NO from him there was nothing he couldnt do. he was a massive baal tzedaka and a huge baal chesed. if you didn thave $ and needed a eye dr he would see you no questions asked. if you or someone you knew (that he never knew or met) needed stitches at any hour of any day he was always there to say come tzadikal i will stitch you up come to my house anytime. when his in laws lived in LA up until very recently when his father in law (which was his step father in law) was niftar he was there for his shvigger his shver at all hours for their many health issues they had suffered over the last few years and he never once complained and came every time they called without hesitation at any given hour. you would be able to find dr abbott at the LA KOLLEL evey afternoon learning with a smile because thats what he truly loved to do. he personally mostly by himself financed the afternoon kollel lemachanchim so that the rabbeim of this city would be able to earn extra much needed $$$ for their families. klal yisroel and espically the LA community has lost a most choshuv prominent member of its kehilla and the loss will be felt for many years to come.
   MAY HE BE A MEILITZ YOSHER FOR HIS FAMILY AND EVERYONE IN LA AND GANTZ KLAL YISROEL AND MAY WE ALL BE ZOCHE TO SEE MOSHIACH BKAROV MAMASH

6. the funeral will be motzei shabos 8:30pm in moshe ganz hall (upstairs from bais yehuda shul) corner of oakwood and la brea and the aron will be flown on sunday at 1:45pm from LAX airport for a flight to israel for the burial which will be sometime late monday afternoon and shiva will follow in LA
   besurot tovot

7. It is comforting to see the other comments from bloggers note that Dr. Abbot was a Tzaddik, a great man, a nice person, and an Oisek B’Tzorchei Tzibbur. For many years in the future, people may even go so far as to say that he was one of the last few Real Tzadikim. But what is really so sad is that we may seriously fail in appreciating what Charlie really represented to so many.
   Chazal tell us that when we are going to be judged by the Beis Din Shel Ma’aloh, the Beis Din will be comprised exclusively of contemporary gedolim who understand our vices, natures, and tendencies. Due to my own arrogance, I personally never felt so threatened by what such Gedolim may say to me because I could assert that they never had to endure the Nisyonos that working average frumme yidden have to constantly endure to earn a parnassah, maintain Shalom Bayis, and balance our sanity at the same time; but we as ordinary ballabattim will have to shudder as frumme yidden now because Dr. Abbot will be on that Beis Din and will undoubtedly represent what we all should have been.
   Dr. Abbot was not merely satisfied by contributing enormous sums to Tzedakah; for those sums to have been even Chomesh of his earnings would have been humanly impossible because to have earned five times what he gave in Tzedakah would have required him to have worked five times more than he actually did and then actually gotten paid for it. Dr. Abbott took charge of his life as a true Eved Hashem. He was the askan that took charge of effecting real change in Los Angeles and elsewhere. I wish I would have merited to have at least been exposed to the full scope of the Mosdos and causes that Dr. Abbot shouldered, but Lakewood Yeshiva, Kollel Le’Mechanchim, Toras Emes were not merely organizations which he “hosted” in his home or “led” or “chaired” or “organized” or “supported” HE felt RESPONSIBLE for them. He felt responsible as a member of Klal Yisroel for K’lal Yisroel. He understood and recognized what it meant to be responsible. He never compromised on his Chashivus for Limud Torah or for Lomdei Torah. He was an Eved Hashem TWENTY FOUR HOURS a day B’Chol L’vovoy, B’chol Nafshoi, UB’Chol Me’odoi. (He was so dedicated to the Klal that I hope that his family doesn’t have to come upon the Klal) He was not a Rov, He should have been the same guy like the next one trying to earn a nice living in Los Angeles. But remarkably, he was far more. The Gashmiyus of Los Angeles never affected him despite the fact that he could not always shelter himself in the Koslei Beis Hamedrash and actually worked for a living. He was Mekadesh Shem Shomayim every where that he went. He dressed differently, spoke differently, and dealt with people with the exclusive programming of an Eved and Oved Hashem which what all of us should at least aspire to be like.
   The article is painfully inaccurate to simply say that he is survived by five sons. His children are wonderful. But Yidden please don’t forget that he is survived by Kollel Lemechanchim!!!! He is survived by Toras Emes!!!! and he is survived by Lakewood!!!! What are we going to say about our own lives? This man raised five B’nei Torah and raised the standards of so many Lomdei Torah in Los Angeles!!! His whole life was a dedication to Klal Yisroel and I don’t doubt that he will be as significant a Meiletz Yosher as there could be in our generation because of how seriously and he sincerely he loved Klal Yisroel. The love of Klal Yisroel that you find depicted in Artscroll biographies of Gedolim over the last century manifested itself every day in the accountability, devotion, and responsibility that Dr. Abbot conducted himself with. Dr. Abbot’s life and mesiras nefesh not only demonstrate an incredible Tzaddik and Gadol, but obligate any and everyone who knew him to ask themselves what differentiates him from ourselves. If he could achieve so much in fifty years for the benefit of Klal Yisroel and Limud Hatorah, WHAT ARE WE EACH ACHIEVING for the Klal with similar simple and sincere devotion and dedication? For those of you reading this comment and do not know who this man was, ask someone who lived in Los Angeles. They may be able to tell you. Then ask someone else as well. He was the Eved Hashem that will obligate and be Mechayev all of us if and when we fail to do the same in our own lives. And if we would be able to ask him, he wouldn’t know what you were talking about, but he also would not have the time to sit around and talk because he was constantly charged with the Achrayos of supporting and assisting B’nei Torah and Chinuch in Los Angeles and all over the world.
   The tragedy is that I wonder though how many people are going to say to themselves why bother even trying to give Tzedakah and work for Tzorchei Tzibbur, because Charlie clearly was a benchmark, and one could innocently question his own fate and faith in the process wondering whether such actions are justifiably meritous if it yielded an untimely and painful passing, nonetheless. The response to such doubts must stem from the accomplishments and achievements that this man made in a matter of a few decades. Most people who have lived to a ripe old age never merited the Zechusim this man has had to shape, improve, and develop Klal Yisroel in just a few decades. Oy Eibershter, why did we not merit to continue to witness the continuous and consistent Kidush Shem Shomayim of Refael Nechemiah ben Addah? May we all be able to accept this Gezerah Be’Ahavah.

8. Baruch Dayan Emes!

9. machshivtorah,

   I was very moved by your post. Thank you.

   Baruch Dayan Emes

10. And when we are niftar is anybody going to say that about us? From what is written here gives us an obligation to improve our lives even if we don’t have money. If by losing such a great person causes many to improve it will go for his mitzvos