On Motza’ei Shabbos, January 27, community members, community rabbanim, and alumni of Yeshiva Kesser Torah gathered for the annual Yeshiva Kesser Torah Melaveh Malkah to show hakaras ha’tov to the yeshivah.
Rabbi Avraham Dovid Garber, Rav of the shul, welcomed everyone on behalf of Yeshiva Kesser Torah and Rebbetzin Trani Rosenblatt and Rabbi Elyakim Getzel Rosenblatt zt”l, founder and rosh yeshivah of Yeshiva Kesser Torah.
Rabbi Garber shared that “Everything the shul does now reflects the imprint of Rabbi Rosenblatt. Where else is there such slow meaningful davening, where the sh’liach tzibur is asked to slow down? Where else do Jews from every background – Ashkenazim, Sefardim, chasidim – daven together in perfect harmony? Where else is there davening with a minyan going on every hour of the day from Shacharis all the way until midnight? Where else can you sit in the beis midrash any hour and learn Torah? Where else do you hear Rabbi Rosenblatt’s original beautiful melodies during Yom Tov and Shabbos davening?
Next, Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, Rav of the Young Israel of Queens valley, shared divrei brachah. He noted that when he went to a large, out-of-town community, there was no Maariv minyan after 9:30 p.m. We take it for granted that we can find a minyan at Yeshiva Kesser Torah if needed late at night. This is a real service to our community. Any hour that you need a minyan, you can go there to daven. We owe tremendous hakaras ha’tov to the shul, and to both Rebbetzin Rosenblatt and Rabbi Garber, for continuing Rabbi Rosenblatt’s legacy. He noted how Rabbi Rosenblatt always had such a warm smile.
“What is a bayis gadol?” he asked. According to the Maharsha, it is a house of Torah, where lots of Torah is spread, and it is, as well, a mekom t’filah. Yeshiva Kesser Torah embodies both of these. With Rabbi Rosenblatt’s beautiful nigunim, Yeshiva Kesser Torah is a place of serving Hashem with simchah. We are grateful to all that the Rosh Yeshivah accomplished and to the contributions of Yeshiva Kesser Torah to our community. On Shabbos Shirah, it is appropriate to thank Yeshiva Kesser Torah.
Following this, Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, Rav of Congregation Charm Circle and CEO of Chazaq, thanked the shul for all that it does for our community. “How many minyanim would we have missed?” He noted that, personally, with his busy schedule, it is so helpful to know that he can find a minyan there at all times. “I am forever grateful to Rabbi Rosenblatt. I’ll never forget his smile and his simchah in serving Hashem.”
In the Parshas B’Shalach, we see that when Moshe raises his arms, the Jews were successful in battle, but when he couldn’t manage the weight anymore, and he lowered them, the Jews started to lose the battle. This is symbolic that when am Yisrael is looking up to Hashem, then we will be able to vanquish our enemies, to get shidduchim, shalom bayis , and brachos. However, when we think to ourselves, “We did it,” then that is our downfall.
“How much we have to be grateful for this yeshivah in our community, where we can go anytime of day or night and connect to Hashem.”
Next, Rabbi Naftali Weitz, Rav of Beis Hamedrash Ishei Yisroel, spoke about the guest of honor, Dr. Yisroel Bitterman, who was a talmid of Rabbi Rosenblatt. Rabbi Weitz shared that Rabbeinu Yonah [ed., 1200-1263 CE] taught that you can judge a person by what he praises. “I feel, walking into this room, that this yeshivah gave Dr. Bitterman what he needed to have a beautiful family with sterling midos. I bless the yeshivah to continue to develop generations to create houses such as his and his wife Leah Bitterman’s house.”
Dr. Bitterman then spoke about how Moshe threw the stick into the water, and it became sweet. Water is essential for physical life. It’s spiritual counterpart, Torah, is essential for spiritual life. Just as we can’t go three days in our physical life without water, so, too, we can’t go three days spiritually without Torah. When the Torah says that the water was bitter for B’nei Yisrael, it means they didn’t have a taste for it. One has to be thirsty for Torah. Torah has to be given over in a way that gives it ta’am. You have to give a piece of yourself when you teach Torah. Rabbi Rosenblatt gave everything of himself when he taught Torah. He looked for shalom. He always had a smile. He lifted you up. His whole family is like that. “He led by example, and he put k’dushah into Yeshiva Kesser Torah.” It continues because of who he was. “You feel this is home. This is where I belong.”
After this, Rabbi Garber spoke about Pinchas Solow a”h. Everyone who knew him realized that he was a special neshamah. He was so dedicated to midos and learning Torah, which is why the shul decided to dedicate the aron where the Torah is stored in his memory. He was imbued with so many midos that the rosh yeshivah valued. Rabbi Jordan Ginsberg, nephew of Pinchas Solow a”h, then shared a d’var Torah. He pointed out that his uncle was a tzadik in Torah, t’filah, and chesed. He was so connected to Hashem. His last conversation with his uncle was about one of his uncle’s special education students, who, he was pained to see, was not enrolled in yeshivah. He wanted to help his student to find Hashem. He shared that his whole family would like to thank Yeshiva Kesser Torah for all it did for his uncle.
Following this, Rabbi Garber shared a d’var Torah. He shared that the Egyptians merited to be buried by Hashem in the Red Sea. What was their merit? He said that, according to Rabbeinu Bachya, it was hakaras ha’tov because their ancestors accompanied Yaakov’s remains out of Egypt. He then thanked Rebbetzin Rosenblatt and the Rosenblatt family for all they do to keep Yeshiva Kesser Torah as a mekom t’filah with minyanim around the clock, and this is the z’chus of Rabbi Rosenblatt.
He thanked the secretary, Mrs. Chanie Katz, who worked tirelessly with so much heartfelt dedication, and Mr. Michael Poulad, the dinner chairman, who also worked tirelessly. He thanked Mrs. Jenifer Jaffe who, with great dedication, put the dinner journal together and created the flyers; and he thanked all the people in the shul who help every week. He then turned to the audience and thanked everyone for coming and supporting Kesser Torah.
Following this, Mr. Michael Septimus, Mr. Michael Poulad, and Moshe Rosenblatt (son of Rabbi Rosenblatt zt”l), played Rabbi Rosenblatt’s wonderful songs, and there was a grand rikud. There was a feeling of simchah, and you felt the rosh yeshivah’s presence there in some way as his former talmidim, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren along with community supporters danced together.
“For me, at Kesser Torah, I feel at home.” (Roberta Ackerman, shul member)
“My 30-year involvement with Kesser Torah has given so much to me spiritually and emotionally. Beginning with my first few years as a full-time student, I had a positive yeshivah experience. This has continued to the present, with warm davening there and wonderful kiddushim and inspiring divrei Torah from Rabbi Garber. Yeshiva Kesser Torah provided the foundation and currently reinforces my continued Torah learning and doing mitzvos in order to serve Hashem.” (David Labovitz)
“It’s just a wonderful place to daven because you can have a lot of kavanah here. You feel welcome and you feel connected to Hashem.” (Longtime shul member)
Everyone left humming the rosh yeshivah’s nigunim.
By Susie Garber
Photo Credits: Gabe Solomon
of Lifecapture Images
