12 Jan REMEMBERING RABBI YEHUDA KELEMER ZT”L

I feel that I could write a book about Rabbi Kelemer’s greatness. I truly hope that ArtScroll will take up the task. There are so many interactions and impressions that flood my mind about Mori VeRabi zt’l for the last 38 years. It amazes me that each time I reflect, different lessons come to mind. I had the privilege of sitting behind the Rav in the weekday minyan for many years. I would watch everything that he did as there was so much to learn. He was a “quick” davener. The sifrei chassidus that he was enamored with speak of davening smoothly and quickly. He was able to cut immediately to the core of prayer and didn’t need to draw things out. As he lived in the world of the spirit, he didn’t need the requisite pre-game that mere mortals do. He always had his head in a chelek of shas during the repetition of shemona esreh. It was always a small gemara in an obscure mesechta looking at a tosfos and lifting up his glasses to look more carefully. I loved his halacha learning between mincha/maariv. It was lomdus and analysis of the highest caliber and it enraptured us. He engaged the congregation and helped them develop their thoughts. It was awe-inspiring to observe him teach meseches avoda zara on motzei shabbos to throngs of balei batim. It was a shiur for the best and the brightest of West Hempstead and he was light years ahead of everyone, delving deeply into the nosei kelim on the Rambam and sharing his own chiddushim. Every drasha was a gem. There always was a beautiful insight, something novel, something fresh. It was a pleasure to listen to him share his Torah. It was oneg of the highest levels. It is of the greatest privileges of my life to have sat at his feet. Yehi zichro baruch.

Rabbi Dovid M. Cohen, Esq., M.Sc. is the Rabbi of Congregation Ohr Torah & The Yachad Senior Relationship Officer.