By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Every once in a while a Rabbi, a leader of a community, comes along and not only fills the role of a community Rav, but he entirely redefines the role.

Such was Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer zt”l, a remarkable Talmid Chochom, Rav who cared about people, and Baal Chessed extraordinaire.  And an ever so slight glimpse of this remarkable Neshama can be seen in a new biography by Dr. Stuart Apfel and Rabbi Hanoch Teller.

The biography is filled with vignettes about what he had accomplished, his life of Chessed, and some of the Divrei Torah that he graced people with.  What is not so well-known was that he authored a remarkable sefer on Kesuvos and fielded shailos from all over the world.  Rav Kelemer, the son of a Chazan, displayed remarkable skills as a child prodigy.  This author was in school with Rav Kelemer’s brother when they were living in Los Angeles. Rav Kelemer learned in Yeshiva Ner Yisroel as well as the Telze Yeshiva.  Previously, he had had a day school education.  Afterward, he had studied under the most illustrious Roshei Yeshiva in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim.

The biography is filled with Bikkur Cholim, Shalom Bayis stories, and just helping the underdog.  His humility was legendary, notwithstanding his tremendous erudition.   The fact is that everyone who knew him had his or her own incredible interaction with Rabbi Kelemer.

Rav Kelemer had a fabulous sense of humor as well.  Once, Rav Kelemer came to kasher the home of a new family that moved into the community.  The young three year old son thought that he was the dishwasher repairman.  Years later, under the young man’s Chuppah, Rav Kelemer gently joked with him about the incident.

Although Rav Kelemer’s erudition was so deep and thorough, he treated every other Rabbi and Rav with remarkable deference.  He made them feel so very special.  The greatest of Rabbonim would speak to him in learning and even ask him halachic Shailos.

Once, another shul had a Bar Mitzvah.  The shul had a new Rav and Rabbi Kelemer knew that if he entered, it might cause a commotion and could possibly take away from the New Rav’s Kavod.  He wished a Mazel Tov to the Bar Mitzvah bachur from outside.

Just a quick story that exemplifies Rav Kelemer’s devotion and care to others (see p. 151):  A family that just moved into the neighborhood had a problem with their old oil burner.  It caught on fire.  The firemen came and wanted to get access with axes and such.  Rav Kelemer succeeded to convince them to go through an open window in the basement.  What is even more remarkable is that he never told them.  Another shul member informed the homeowner of what had transpired.

In the meantime, members of his own community that he grew, have made their mark on the Torah world.  There are yungeleit in Kollelim all over the world.  There are Kiruv professionals who have been mekarev thousands of people.  And there are Rabbonim as well.

Rav Kelemer zt”l was a role model for other Rabbonim as to how to inspire others toward remarkable growth in Avodas Hashem.  The world is a different place without him.

The reviewer can be reached at [email protected]