As Martin Grossman was being buried Wednesday tonight B’kevuras Yisroel, YWN has exclusively obtained a letter written by Martin Grossman just one week ago dated Feb 10, 2010. Martin writes how “appreciative” he was to all of his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters for rallying for him in his quest for “political mercy” from Florida Governor Charlie Crist. He notes that he prays the “amidah” 3 times a day and says Viduy and recites Tehillim. Martin also writes that he is internally searching for ways to do a real Teshuva and repentance and the concept of forgiveness should be spread. Grossman expresses his personal feelings of thanks for the support and concern he is receiving from the Jewish community and thanks his Jewish brothers and sisters for caring about him.
[CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE] There have been many inquiries as to the actual level of religious observance of Mr. Grossman. This letter sheds new light on a man who is clearly looking for ways to find repentance and one who was taking pride in his ever- improving level of religious observance. Lessons applicable to most anybody.
As the Grossman debate rages on in the community, “Monday morning opinions” are being offered by self- styled writers,analysts and bloggers, as to the wisdom and expenditure of community time and resources to save Martin’s life. These arm chair analysts in my view give an opportunity and opening to those with a negative predisposition against our established Klal organizations. Using this very difficult and troubling case to promote their partisan agenda, flies in the face of the Ahavas Yisroel that Martin Grossman wished for all of us.
Silence on the issue I suspect would have garnered a similar outcry from the very same opinion makers. I could see the posts now, where is Klal Yisroel?!
Martin concludes with contact information to those who wish to reach out to his aunt and ends the letter with a final simple sign off,
Love, Martin.
Boruch Dayan Emes…
(Chaim Weiss – YWN)
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15 Responses
Again the people ae not allowed to hear all sides with every comment not in support of Grossman, always being deleted.
That, as he faced death, Martin Grossman contributed more to achdus amongst Klal Yisroel than many gedolim do in their lifetimes there can be no doubt. The OU, Agudah, Young Israel, Chabad, and Satmar all banded together in order to appeal to Governor Crist to spare Mr. Grossman. A noble effort that ultimately failed. While some criticize the expenditure of political capital, and make no mistake about it, I understand the logic and reasoning of those arguments, I can’t criticize the efforts to save a Jewish life. The man was a Jew and seemed to have sincerely returned to his faith.
The two things I do take people to task for are going too far in their appeals to spare his life and calling the mother of Mr. Grossman’s victim. Let us not forget that she lost her daughter, tragically, brutally, and horribly, at the hands of Mr. Grossman. If she cannot forgive him, if she cannot ask the Governor for clemency on behalf of Mr. Grossman, who are we to blame her? And, the second thing I take people to task for is making Mr. Grossman out to be a tzaddik at the end of his life. A ba’al teshuva perhaps, even a very sincere one, but a tzaddik? Hardly. Let us not forget that he did murder someone and, therefore, would have potentially been chayiv misa even under the laws of Bais Din.
“Inquiries as to the actual level of religious observance of Mr.Grossman”? Pure gaiva on the part of those haughty enough to make such inquiries.
Reb Michoel Yechiel z”l was niftar a tzaddik gamur.
I ask other readers to protest this tone and absence of civil discussion about legitimately held opinions. If this were a reasonable venue for frum people to voice their opinions and feelings they would not be criticized in such a manner.
I find this discrediting and ultimately disappointing. You are showing why we shouldn’t be visiting these sites to begin with.
So many are too interested in advancing their own agendas, like this writer.YWN should be a venue for information that is adequately researched and supported by gedolei Yisroel. But you are not living up to that. That is very clear at least to this reader.
Everyone should realize they are just reading press releases. There is very little here that is based in fact and sound research and opinion.
Lawman,
Second part of your post is right on the money!
Let’s not forget, although its written ‘ad yom mosoh tichakeh lo’, a person has time to do teshuva until the last minute, he committed one of the three catrdinal sins. The teshuva in this case can be achieved, but its a difficult teshuvah,
To #2
BMokom shbaalei teshuva Omdim Afilu Tzadikim Gemurim Ain Yecholim Laamod Shom.
Recognise his upbringing that made him so troubled
A life of Yesurim R”L.
I must say that it is really great that he did Teshvah (he sounds real about it, and I think most people would if they had 26 years to think about what they did) that being said, it should make no difference what so ever from the governors point of view. Imagine if it was a irreligious Muslim that killed a Jewish cop, then sat for 26 years and became a “born again Muslim” felt bad for what he did and all that good stuff, will we say the same thing?? Bottom line is you do the crime there is a price to pay, it makes no difference if you feel bad about it after or not.
I think it’s time to put this “difficult upbringing” to rest. Many, many people have terrible childhoods, far more difficult than Grossman, and they don’t brutally murder people. Would you use that to excuse a black man who killed someone and people said, “look, he didn’t have a father, he had problems with drugs,” etc.? I doubt it.
Born again doesn’t get you out of the death penalty.
You want to get people out of the death penalty? Get involved in fighting its existence.
No one is denying that Martin Grossman deserved a harsh punishment for the brutal murder he committed when he was 19, regardless of his messed up childhood. However, a death sentence should be reserved for the worst of the worst in our society, those evil and ruthless killers. Think Manson and Bundy. In this case there was no premeditation for murder, he was caught off guard and panicked. All this while under the influence of drugs and with a low IQ that borders retarded. The punishment didn’t fit the crime considering all factors. Why should he be grouped along with the most horrific and violent murders that deserve the death sentence?
A full page of that letter, and Yiddish translation of interesting parts of the 3 page letter, appears in today’s Der Yid.
Lawman (no. 2):
I hadn’t considered the hashkafa of the last sentence of your posting, whereunder a Jew who has killed a non-Jew is subject to the same punishment as someone who has killed a Jew.
From what I’ve seen of masechtas Makos, it’s plain that anyone who murders a Jew, with due hasra’a, is chayiv misa.
I don’t recall seeing where human courts are afforded the right to freely impose the death penalty on a Jew for killing a non-Jew (other than his eved K’nani under limited circumstances). Can you please point me to that Torah source?
He did teshuva.
I ask you – I ask MYSELF – did you do teshuva today?????
Please, stop the fighting already. Whatever your opinions are, there are most certainly lessons to be gained. Fighting, arguing, bickering, making a chillul HaShem – that’s not what HaShem wants!
It’s quite apropos that Rav Avraham Schorr, at the Hakhel shiur this Monday, spoke of Ador – Alef Dor – HaShem residing amongst us . . .
Machlokes won’t please HaShem! Loshon hora won’t please HaShem! Learning lessons and improving and furthering achdus in Klal Yisroel will.
Michoel Yechiel ben Avraham, a”h, was a Yid. A Yid is a Yid is a Yid. Every single Yid is precious; read some of Rabbi Tauber’s sefer for elaboration on the issue.
A gut Shabbos – and please stop fighting . . .
#12, you took the words out of my mouth. Kudos to you for stepping up.
I found this on a sitecalled “Revach L’neshama” http://www.revach.net
Martin Grossman O”H – Special Zchusim, Special Lessons
When I heard in passing that a Jewish inmate was scheduled to be executed in Florida, it did not really grab my attention. Then my wife mentioned that some prominent Gedolim had taken up the case and asked the tzibbur to petition the governor on his behalf. It surprised me, but despite my doubts about Jews making lots of noise on behalf of a self admitted murderer, I took the call seriously and started to write. Although it was hard to think of anything to write at first, as I wrote it became increasing easier until by time I was done I was passionate for the cause.
This reminded me of a famous lesson taught by Rav Eliyahu Dessler in Michtav MeiEliyahu. Love is about loving ourselves. The reason why we love others is that we have invested our energies in them so that they become an extension of ourselves. Then loving them becomes easy. The more you give to the people around you, the more you love them. So there I was after fifteen minutes of writing, totally changed in my view of Martin Grossman who now suddenly had a special place in my heart. But why was Martin Grossman so fortunate to have evoked this burst of passion when there are many other Jews waiting for us on death row?
I have an uncle buried on Har HaMenuchos who died without children. Every year on his yahrtzeit, my neighbor, who teaches in a Yeshiva for weak bochurim, brings a Minyan with us to his Kever to say Tehilim and Kaddish. The dream of each one of these bochurim is to be accepted into a normal mainstream Yeshiva. When we arrive at the Kever my neighbor gives a whole speech about what a special tzaddik this man was, and how if the boys daven they will surely get into Yeshiva.
I always try to hold my chuckle as he goes on and on in a most sincere manner. This year I finally said to him, “Reb Chaim, did you know my uncle, because I did and I have no idea who you are talking about. Don’t you think you are getting carried away?” His answer was serious and straight forward, and he said to me, “If this man has the zchus that every year bochurim pour their hearts out at his kever on his yahrtzeit, he must have done something good. And by the way, I don’t know if it is their tefilos or his intervention, but most of them get in to Yeshivos at a higher percentage than the rest of the boys in our Yeshiva.”
The gemara in Shabbos (32a) tells us, “Migalgilin Zchus Al Yidei Zakkai”. If a zchus is coming to the world, it is done with a righteous person as the intermediary. I don’t know much about Martin Grossman other than small bits reported by the media, but the one thing he managed to do in his final days was to unite Klal Yisroel in an all to infrequent showcase of achdus and Ahavas Yisroel. Many people leave machlokes and hate behind in their wake. Martin left Ahavas Yisroel. How many of us would love to leave the world in such grand fashion.
Why was he different than any of the other Jews sitting on Florida’s death row? Only Hashem knows. The one thing we do know for sure was that Martin Grossman did something right to merit the desperately need zchus of Achdus and Ahavas Yisroel that he brought to Klal Yisroel. Migalgilin Zchus Al Yidei Zakkai.
Besides for the one time show of Ahavas Yisroel, the lesson and the legacy of Martin Grossman is far more powerful. It is a lesson on how easy it is to create a feeling of true Ahavas Yisroel. All you need to do is, “do it”. With a little smile, a nice word, a tiny favor to the person who for whatever reason you don’t take an interest in or you don’t like, poof! just like that you can develop feelings for him. If you don’t believe me ask any of the people who lifted a pen, a telephone receiver, or the cover of their laptop for a Jew convicted of murder on death row. Let’s try to focus on our Ahavas Yisroel. Do a small act L’Iluy Nishmas Michoel Yechiel ben Avrohom O”H because through him we learned the way