20 Jan “ASEH L’CHA RAV U’KNEH LECHA CHAVER” …MAKE A RAV FOR YOURSELF AND YOU WILL THEN ACQUIRE A FRIEND

I have so much to say about Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer ZT”L. At the times in my life when I was at my lowest, dealing with unimaginable decisions and pain, Rabbi Kelemer was there for me.

While most know Rabbi Kelemer to be a soft spoken individual, to me he was a warrior. He fought for me, he guided my children and me and in our last meeting he gave me the biggest gift of all; a beautiful acrostic poem he wrote for Ari’s Z”L matzeivah.

Rabbi Kelemer also had a lighthearted side as he always had a riddle for my kids and in the middle of a meeting one night he even made a phone call to his personal doctor when one of my kids was experiencing painful heartburn.

He was empathetic, sensitive, brilliant, funny and a voice for those who needed an advocate.

Rabbi Kelemer lived two lifetimes in his lifetime since he hardly slept because there was so much work to be done, but even so when he was with you he was solely focused on you.

In my humble opinion Rabbi Kelemer viewed Piskei Halacha through the lens of wisdom and empathy and that was part of his brilliance.

In our very last conversation Rabbi Kelemer told me that it was OK for me to move forward in my life.

Thank you Rabbi Kelemer and Ruchie for always making the time for my children and me, no matter what time of day or night. There is a void in the world, in our community and in my heart.