Community Gathers for an Evening in Memory of Reb Gedaliah Shaffer

At 7:00pm last night, a hatcholas sefer torah l’iluy nishmas R. Gedaliah Yerachmiel ben Michel (Shaffer) was held on the second floor of the Jewish Children’s Museum. Family members and close friends participated in writing the first few pesukim of B’raishis on a chelek of klaf honoring a man whose whole life was devoted to and imbued with Torah.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

At 8:00pm, Yosef Shaffer started the siyum of meseches moed katan, (the mesechta that Gedaliah Shaffer was in middle of learning) and chazered a part of a maamer from the Rebbe. As the room filled up with people who relate to Gedaliah Shaffer as “a teacher”, “a mentor”, “a friend”, Eli Slavin, the MC, introduced in turn Dr. Yaakov Marsh, a fellow student at MIT, Dr. Jack Shershaw, a man of science who refers to Gedaliah Shaffer as the person who brought him to yiddishkeit, Rabbi Kasriel Kastel, a friend from the “old days” in Boston, Dr. Eli Rosen, a close friend and chavrusa, Dr. Sylvan Cappell, a colleague from university and finally, Rabbi Michoel Seligson, a neighbor and close family friend.

Doron Slutzkin (represented by Yehuda Goldman), Rabbi Ephraim Simon, and Yehuda Goldman, eidim of Gedaliah Shaffer, spoke about their personal relationships with him and the effect he had and continues to have on the family and klal yisroel.

Yosef Shaffer concluded the program by thanking everyone involved in offering support, care and love. He said that the a question that people ask – which in and of itself is a nechama – is, “what can we do?” Although the correct derech in such circumstances is not to be angry or have taanis to Hashem, the Rebbe said that sometimes taanis – when they come from a bituldike and emunahdik place – are correct and necessary. So the answer to “what can we do?” is to shout “ Ad Mosai!” and to be really seriously, actively involved in bringing Moshiach, where the neshama will have the greatest aliya yet – a yerida to a Moshiachdike velt.

9 Comments

  • fraida perelstein

    i cannot say in words the feeling i had last night his family and friends are truly a testement to who and what he was and will continue to be.the love i felt living bt the shaffers cannot be expressed they are what the Rebbe and being Lubavich are all about im not a writer so i cant begin to express what is truly in my heart as a child i lived at 711 fdr drive in the eastside i lived in the basement at the shaffers at 711 montgomery st got engaged there and lived there for a while after i got married they treated me with love and care watched me go out as a mother and father would there own children and they do this many times over for so many people may there family be proud the children showed such love for each other as well as others may we all learn and grow from the evening last night i for one have make a pledge to myself to try everyday to do something that would make him proud of me as the Rebbe is my father so are all lubavichers my brothers and sisters try everyday to make a difference in others lives as well as your own we honor his and the Rebbes memory in this way.

  • wonderful pics not enough words

    where are the captions
    it is much easier to understand the pictures if we know who those people are

    for example mr schaffers son in lawe etc

    thank you

  • family friend

    To the Shaffer family,
    All the members of your beautiful family, each with a kind personality and good mind, truly bears testament to the great man your father was. You are the living representation of a man whose presence is sorely missed. May you all continue bringing your father nachas, and continue being such wonderful assets to our community. May we very speedily merit the geula shlaima!

  • MM

    An incredible evening, and proud to know such a man…
    How interesting it was to hear a about the different aspects of Gedalia’s life by a wide variety of speakers.
    Would love to hear more information on the Torah that they are beginning to write…

  • Leah

    Yes, Please can you put captions under the pictures as I’d like to know who they are.

  • a Friend

    R Gedalya was one person, whom I truly was able to respect, I surely miss him.