The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 8

We were conducting an informal email chat concerning how Naftali Herz Imber has been unfairly blamed for the statement
"Lihyot am chofshi b'artzenu..."

When actually NHI wrote instead: "Lashuv el eretz avoteinu"

So one chaveir asked disappointingly - so there's no R Gorelick story?!

Then came the AHA!

Yes RYG did often similarly lament

"What did poor R Yitzchok Elchanan [Spektor] ever do to deserve naming this yeshivh after him!"

V'hameivin Yavin

Meanwhile back to Imber, tikvoseinu, Al Jolson and Rav Kook

See
Daled Amos: HaTikvah: Rav Kook and Al Jolson

http://daledamos.blogspot.com/2006/02/hatikvah-rav-kook-and-al-jolson.html


Here too there is an error:
«L'yichod Dovid, Dovid chano»


AFAIK S/B "l'ir bah" instead of "l'yichod"

Shalom
RRW

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 7

RYG was very frum. His observance of mitzvos and his long sh'moneh esrei revealed a passion for Piety. Yet as a Litvak, he had little use for empty piety.

In one sense he insisted that students master concepts and not be slavishly literal. He did not have much patience with mindless rote repetition of a principle that had not been properly internalized

One statement he used several times reflects this rejection of rigidity:

«Die problem mit du [eich] is ven du zogts Ashrei - du zits't!»

You're problem is that when you say Ashrei you [literally] sit! Meaning don't be so rigidly literal

It occurred to me only decades later that The Rov Z"L read this into the Rambam as normative Halachah. I still wonder today if there was a coded double entendre there somehow.?

Shalom
RRW

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 6

This post is dedicated
To R Reuven Mann,
To R Eliyahu Safran and
To Mel Reichert
whom I believe first related this story to me - enjoy!

Once Upon a time R Yerucham Gorelick [RYG] was appointed to be the young Rab in small town in Poland. RYG himself hailed from Lita and apparently the societies were different enough. And following the death of one of Poland's leaders. RYG was asked to be Maspid him. [For the sake of the simplicity - let's presume that it was Marshal Pilsudski who was the Polish leader and someone who was somewhat fair to Jews *]

Now
• RYG's Polish was weak
• His personal knowledge of the niftar was weak
• His comfort level at sharing the podium with Gentile strangers and clergy was very low

And so RYG started out by boldly proclaiming: "MARSHALL PILSUDSKI". Then he repeated it over and over as he began weeping only to finally brake down dumbfounded!

The Poles ate it up! They supposedly remarked it was the most moving eulogy they could remember.
Such a display of feelings trumped any eloquent speeches!

Shalom
RRW

* Józef Piłsudski
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Pi%C5%82sudski

Widely recognized for his opposition to the National Democrats antisemitic policies,[131][132][133][134][135][136] he extended his policy of "state-assimilation" to Polish Jews.[129][130][137][138] The years 1926–35, and Piłsudski himself, were favorably viewed by many Polish Jews whose situation improved especially under Piłsudski-appointed Prime Minister Kazimierz Bartel.[139][140] Many Jews saw Piłsudski as their only hope for restraining antisemitic currents in Poland and for maintaining public order; he was seen as a guarantor of stability and a friend of the Jewish people, who voted for him and actively participated in his political bloc.[141] Piłsudski's death in 1935 brought a deterioration in the quality of life of Poland's Jews.[136]

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 5

Here is another first person story.

Remember Photograys?

The Symbionese Liberation Army?

Once upon a time I got prescription photogray lenses. When I would walk in from the Sunshine it looked like I was wearing sunglasses for quite a while.

Once my glasses must have turned a very dark shade, and RYG turned to me and said something like "You look like [your with] Patty Hearst"

Looks were deceiving. The truth was they were NOT sunglasses, but .... It still makes for a good story. :-)

Shalom
RRW

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 4B

Again - it's almost New Year's Eve as I write this. On another year RYG had warned his boys NOT to be caught dating on New Year's Eve.

Here is story #2 on this topic.

RYG caught a fellow "David" on the subway dating a young woman.
When caught, David protested: "This is NOT a date! She's my sister."
RYG responded: "Avraham Avinu gehot die zelbe taynah"
[Avraham made the same claim]

Shalom
RRW

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 4A

It's almost New Year's Eve as I write this.

Well once RYG had warned his boys NOT to be caught dating on New Year's Eve.
Here is story #1 on this topic.
RYG caught a fellow "Binyamin" on the subway dating a young woman.
Next time in shiur RYG kept his peace for a good hour or so. Meanwhile, Binyamin was trembling, dreading the certain moment of humiliation.
Quite abruptly in the middle of shiur RYG turned to Binyamin and blurted out "chodsh a sheina!". [At least a good-looker!]

Shalom
RRW

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 3

Now for some "first hand" stories that were not directed at me personally. This one I call:

The "death" of R Hershel Sh?chter

[note my spelling is intentionally ambiguous.]

RYG was emphasizing to a student that one should be clear as to what he means. Here goes the story as I recall it The first person below is RYG speaking:

«I saw your uncle in Shul this morning. He announced: "Rav Sh?chter iz geshtorben!". [Rav Sh?chter has died].

I was upset And I wondered which one? The elder shul rabbi or the younger YU Teacher? *»

While RYG was "klerring" which one had passed ways; "the uncle" finally blurted out:

«"Rav HESCHEL fun die Schechter Seminaar iz geshtorben"».

[IOW Rabbi AJ Heschel of JTS passed away. He had been "misnamed" R Heschel SCHECHTER - as JTS was known in Yiddish]

Quite a story about confusion and getting the story straight! Thus neither of the YU Rabbis Hershel Sh?chter had actually passed away, but the announcement had been oh so misleading.

And RYG was able to make his point in his own witty way with words.

Shalom
RRW

* Note the YU community circa 1973 had two R Hershel Shachters. A senior rabbi and RIETS alumnus - in the Bronx IIRC.. And then there was of course the more famous R Hershel Shachter, son of R Melech Shachter, who was already a popular Maggid Shiur albeit a young man at that time.]

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 2

Often RYG could use a Mashal like the Dubner Maggid!
Once I was trying to "kvetch a teirutz". RYG wanted me to be explicit and I was allowing myself enough ambiguity to go either way...
RYG said "Wolpoe! du bist vi azei a KRECHST In KOPP" [Wolpoe you resemble "scratching one's head"]
He then proceeded to explain. Once upon a time a Jew was in the field and he thought he spied the local "poretz" from a distance. But he was uncertain
What to do? He had a dilemma - to leave his hat on in front of the Poretz was disrespectful and even dangerous. To otherwise go bareheaded was [quoting Tevye] Unthinkable!
So he removed his cap and proceeded to scratch his head. If this was the Poretz - behold his cap was doffed! If it were a fellow Jew - no harm being bareheaded, because after all he was merely scratching his head!
Shalom
RRW

The Wit and Wisdom of Rav Yerucham Gorelick Z"L - 1

I only wish we had tapes of Rav Yerucham Gorelick's [RYG] Shiur. They were lively, informative and he MADE you think. He was ultimately the sharpest person I've met, albeit his sharpness cut both ways, and some feathers got ruffled

First - being self-referenced :-) - I will start with my own First Hand stories

I was a "split-personality" @ YU. Not Torah uMada but Torah and Sports! I obviously had boundless nervous energy and jogging and sports allowed me to expend it in a semi-constructive way.

But it also meant that if I had played hockey until 11:00 PM I did not get to sleep before 1:00 AM - so I was often drowsy in shiur. This is before I got addicted to the miracle drug popularly known as COFFEE. :-)

One fine day in RYG's shiur I was slouched down in my desk with my long legs stretched out in RYG's general direction. I was wearing my usual pair of running shoes..

While I was in a revelry of sort, RYG turned towards my direction, gave me his "once over" and proceeded to give me a swift kick into the soles of my shoes..

As I woke up startled he exclaimed "Ich shpiel ball aich" [I play ball too - no doubt a reference to Soccer]

Suffice it to say he got my attention and restored my focus. Now for another cup of JAVA!

Shalom
RRW