On Wednesday evening, March 19, community members gathered at Yeshiva Kesser Torah’s commemoration of the sixth yahrzeit of Rav Elyakim Getzel Rosenblatt zt”l, Founder and Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshiva Kesser Torah in Queens. The event was both live and on Zoom.
Rabbi Avraham Dovid Garber welcomed everyone and shared that it’s hard to believe that it has been six years since Rabbi Rosenblatt was niftar. Rabbi Rosenblatt was an inspiration to everyone who knew him. Rabbi Garber then shared a d’var Torah on the parshah.
Hashem infused Betzalel with tremendous wisdom and insight. Betzalel was the son of Chur and the grandson of Miriam, and he was from the tribe of Yehudah. Ahaliav was also instilled with great wisdom. The Torah comments about them earlier, and it says “I placed Betzalel with Ahaliav.” Ahaliav was from the tribe of Dan, which was a lower tribe, since Dan was not from one of the Imahos. Yet, in this week’s parshah, it says “Betzalel and Ahaliav” and the change of lashon according to Rashi is to equate both of them and to show that it didn’t matter where each one of them descended from, but each person’s personal merit is what made him worthy of this position to construct the Mishkan. Ahaliav could rise to the highest level just like Betzalel. The lesson is that each one of us can rise to the highest levels, regardless of personal impediments. We should never let feelings of inferiority hold us back from spiritual growth.
The Rosh Yeshivah taught us that every Jew, no matter what his background is, has the capability to achieve tremendously in ruchniyus.
Rabbi Garber shared how, when he first started at Yeshiva Kesser Torah, he felt inferior to students with a yeshivah background but, the Rosh Yeshivah pushed him to daven at the amud and to teach a Gemara shiur and to give a d’var Torah. The Rebbetzin followed her husband’s ways and pushed Rabbi Garber to share his weekly d’var Torah. Rabbi Rosenblatt taught his talmidim to not be afraid to try. Alumni of Yeshiva Kesser Torah have become rebbeim, melamdim, and spreaders of Torah.
Rabbi Rosenblatt believed in the potential of every Jew. “He pushed us to be better and to accomplish more. I have tremendous hakaras ha’tov for all he did for me in my life.” Rabbi Garber concluded, “Everyone who met him became a better person, emulating his midos.”
Next, Yaakov Rosenblatt, a son of Rabbi Rosenblatt, spoke. He thanked Rabbi Garber for continuing the legacy of Yeshiva Kesser Torah in the neighborhood, and he thanked him for his weekly parshah class at the home of Rebbetzin Rosenblatt. He thanked everyone who attended and shared that it is a big chizuk for the Rosenblatt family.
He shared a d’var Torah that taught that a Jew has to be a person who does something. “My father encouraged others to accomplish. He taught that we have to do something in this world, and he taught this with t’filos, learning, nigunim, and midos.” He said that his father pushed many people to do chesed activities. Yeshiva Kesser Torah continues to be a strong brotherhood. Everyone felt and still feels part of one family – one unit. It is a tremendous mitzvah to help others with ruchniyus and gashmiyus. “My father believed in connecting generations of baalei t’shuvah to our beautiful heritage. He taught to serve Hashem with joy, to work on midos tovos, and the yeshivah is known for its slow, heartfelt davening. He also mentioned his father’s beautiful original nigunim.
Following this, Moshe Rosenblatt, another son of Rabbi Rosenblatt, shared that his father was a role model. He had so many accomplishments in his original music, his s’farim that he wrote, and the “shmuzim” he shared and in running the yeshivah. He worked with hundreds of talmidim, and he ran this shul, which has so much davening going on. He was a husband, a father, and a grandfather, and he left lots of peiros. He worked to help others reach their shleimus. It is a tremendous z’chus to have known him and to be his son.
After this, Ephraim Jafee, the first talmid of the Yeshiva, shared some memories and thoughts. Rabbi Rosenblatt’s songs were an expression of his neshamah. He had a song inside of him. We were impacted by who he was. The Rosenblatt family is all one unit.
He shared that there was so much hashgachah in the starting of Yeshiva Kesser Torah. For Rabbi Rosenblatt it wasn’t about him. It was all about his talmidim. He was infinitely patient. He taught us to try to understand the Gemara’s question and answer. The Rosenblatt’s gave the talmidim endless time. It was a launching pad to life. To me, it feels like he is still alive and lives within all of us.
Rabbi Garber noted that Yeshiva Kesser Torah hosts minyanim every 30 minutes up until midnight. It continues to have Rabbi Rosenblatt’s signature, slow, heartfelt davening.
Following this, everyone viewed some video clips featuring the Rosh Yeshivah and it was so meaningful to hear his voice and see him again. The evening ended with a clip of the Rosh Yeshivah singing one of his beautiful nigunim.
