Remembering Rabbi Meir Roness, 74, OBM
Rabbi Meir Roness, a longtime member of the Crown Heights community, passed away on January 13, just one day after celebrating his 74th birthday. The following is a brief profile of the man who quietly introduced Chassidic teachings to thousands, written by Eli Rubin for Chabad.org:
Born in 1941 to Rabbi Avraham and Gittel Roness in Montreal, where his father was a respected educator, young Meir continued his studies at the Central Chabad Yeshivah at 770 Eastern Parkway, the world headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Crown Heights.
In the 1950s and early `60s, he served as rotating substitute counselor at Camp Gan Israel in the Catskill Mountains. Campers still remember how he would lead them in song before playing sports and bring Chassidic joy to every activity.
As the children grew into young men, many of them wanted to have classes in Chabadchassidus in the yeshivahs were they studied. Working with Rabbi Dovid Raskin, chairman of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, Roness threw himself into organizing and sustaining classes throughout the tri-state area.
The efforts were a direct response to the pioneering call of the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—to advance the welfare of Jews everywhere, not only physically but spiritually.
Roness and his fellow yeshivah students took the Rebbe’s message seriously, traveling near and far to give classes and talks, and to organize study groups. While many of his friends joined in the effort, it would be hard to find someone who surpassed the good-heartedness and single-mindedness with which Roness dedicated himself to his mission.
Late one night, he was desperately looking for a ride from the Catskills to Brooklyn, where he needed to be to arrange classes. The person who took him mentioned it to the Rebbe. The Rebbe replied, “praiseworthy is his lot, and great is his merit.”
In 1967, he married Sara Beigel. The couple made their home in Crown Heights.
At one point, there was talk about Roness moving out to serve as a Chabad emissary, but the Rebbe insisted that he remain in Brooklyn, where he was accomplishing great things.
Youthfully Exuberant
More than 50 years later, he continued his efforts uninterrupted. Though he aged physically, his spirit remained youthfully exuberant, and he continued to work diligently on behalf of Lubavitch Youth Organization. Roness considered his work to be a privilege, and he made it his mission to share that privilege with others, inviting everyone he encountered to make a small donation towards Lubavitch Youth Organization’s ongoing programs.
With a wad of bills in his hand and a pocket full of change, he could be seen making his rounds in the Crown Heights neighborhood, approaching one person after another with warm greetings and an uplifting word. In the mornings, he circulated in the synagogues; in the evenings, he made a brief stop at every engagement and wedding celebration in town, energetically congratulating the celebrants and encouraging their generosity.
Roness often invoked the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching that “disseminating the wellsprings” of Chassidic teachings would lead to the ultimate redemption.
Within the Crown Heights community, he was a familiar and beloved presence. An individual of unsurpassed warmth, sincerity and devotion, everyone knew that it was Roness who was being generous; he was not there to seek aid, but to enable an individual to participate in a greater good.
In his quiet and humble way—and over the course of more than half a century—Roness helped introduce Chassidic teachings to tens of thousands of individuals.
Rabbi Meir Roness was predeceased by his first wife, Sara, in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Devorah, and by his children: Chanie Abramowitz (New Haven, Conn.); Dini Gottlieb (Toronto); Dvorie Botnick (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Mushky Roness (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Yossi Roness; Shumi Roness; Zevi Roness (Brooklyn, N.Y.); and Mendy Roness (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
BDE
I personally believe that he was a Tzadik Nistar and that there was a lot work that he never told any about
zecher tzadik livrocho
Ma Rabbi
A great Tzadik. He will be missed by many.
YU Tanya Class
Rabbi Rones raised the funds for the famous YU / OT Thursday night learning
Zalmy Schapiro
Rabbi Meir Roness was the sweetest person in Crown Heights he was a very happy person and he loved everyone he would always say to everyone to prepare for Moshaich
Yossi
A great man, in a great community, may we all learn from him, and give just a little bit to help others, at the end of the day you can’t take anything with you to the grave, all that you take is your good deeds and memories that people have of you and the good words they talk of you, we each have yo do out part in this world to make it a better place, he most defiantly 1000% did that, his children should be proud of him, and they should find comfort in life,
one day we will all meet in the 3rd temple in the land that G-D gave to us, may his name be a blessing may wee all learn from him,
Rabbi YT Rapoport, Syracuse, NY
R’ Meirs’ passing will leave a void that will be felt by many and will be very difficult to fill.
I had the zchus together with many other Bochrim and Yunger Lite to have been closely associated with R’ Meir Roness A”H for many years in giving Tanya Shiurim. I once asked R’ Meir how did he get involved in the Shiuray Tanya and he explained that in the early years of camp Gan Yisroel many non lubavitchers went there as campers and counselors and He was very involved wit them. So it was natural that during the year he stayed in touch with them. This then led to the Tanya Shiurim. Not only did R Meyer arrange Tanya Shiurim in the Yeshivos many times it had to be arranged off the site and many times the Shiur was given in the car. There was a time he had different Shluchim( I remember Rabbi Heschel Greenberg from Buffalo) fly to Cleveland to give shiurim to Bochurim from Telz, which incidentally led to an interesting correspondence between one of the Bochurim and the Rebbe regarding having a beard. He never looked at the expense only at having the Shiur. Which of course led to many financial difficulties for him.
It should also be known that R’ Meir created the first Mobile Mivtza Tank Library in the late 70’s. This was a major Innovation at the time. It was fitted with the latest technology of the time. He actually once lent me the Tank to go visit a Gvir. He also tried to create the first Jewish Childrens Expo Museum with R’Itchke Gansburg A”H who was famous for his Jewish Historical Exhibits which was the forerunner of the Great Jewish Childrens Expo and later the Jewish Childrens Museum. R. Meir actually bought the property on the corner of Union and Albany for this purpose.
I believe I might still have a copy of the Brochure he made for this.
Cincinnati
bsd
Dear Fellow Chassidim
I, like all of you, were shocked to learn yesterday of the Petirah of Reb Meir Ranness. To many of us, growing up in crown heights, he was “part of the furniture” of 770, the dollar line, and every simcha. He was always reminding us with a smile – about Eliyahu Hanavi, a Yarzteit etc – that it was the best time to give Tzedaka.
Regarding the Tanna Rav Meir, the Gemara says “Rav Meir was the smartest from all his friends. If so, how come the halacha in many places is not like him? Because he was so smart, that his friends to not “get to the bottom” of his wisdom.”
I think of this Gemara, when I think of Rebbe Meir (a”h – so hard to write those words!) . I will say that most “his friends- fellow chassidim” did not “get to the bottom” of his many actions to spread chassidus and Moshiach.
I would like to share a personal story – that should be le’ilui nishmaso:
When I moved to Cincinnati to open the – now internationally renowned – Yeshiva, there were many things that I had obviously not thought of, including what material to be given our on the local Mivtzoim routes. (This is a time to thank the ever-energetic shliach Rabbi Shalom B. Kalmanson for “opening his city” foe the Bachurim etc). It was then that I received a phone call from Rabbi Meir Ranness.
When I heard his voice, I wondered, what could he want from me. His voice was – as always friendly and warm – and he asked me if the bachurim have what to give out on Mivtzoim? I was shocked and I said not really. He asked if I would like to receive the weekly GEULA publication. I said “of course!, but how would it get to Cincinnati? He said do not worry!
From then on, every 2 weeks, a box (he paid postage – and many times overnight! and for brochures!!) would arrive at the Yeshiva from his humble address with hundreds of brochures in multiple languages so that “the world should know” that the Geula is coming! What a Zechus, what a Tzaddik!
Yesterday, one of the Talmidei Hashluchim came to me and said “with reb Meir gone, how will be get the “Geula”? I said, it is time for us to bring the Geula and get Reb Meir back with his best friend – Elyahu Hanavi!!
Yehei Zicho baruch!