(belated post) הגה"ח ר' אליעזר צבי זאב ע"ה צירקינד

Sometimes important milestones or stories go by unnoticed here, where in the past we'd surely have covered them. That's due either to lack of time or information, or both. Or sometimes we think that either you guys wouldn't be interested or would miss the point. In the case of Rabbi Zirkind lack of time and information at the time of his passing was the factor. And usually it's עבר זמנו בטל קרבנו, but not in this case! We'l make up for it now!

I don't think I ever met or even saw Rabbi Zirkind, despite having been around Lubavitch and 770 for quite some time. But that's often the case. You can go through life and not meet people that spent many of the same occasions with you. But here I think it was more of an intentional low profile being kept which kept him from being recognized and known by many in the younger generation. Having said that, everybody knew that there was a father to all those Zirkind children somewhere in Crown Heights. The father runs a very tight ship. He lights candles at like chatzos or plag haMinchah on Friday afternoon. He doesn't step into Oholei Torah on Eastern Parkway or send his kids to school there because it was a Conservative temple. He wears "Polish style Chassidic clothing" as the website Collive so "eloquently" put it, and so do his children and grandchildren, something most unique in today's Lubavitch.  He was the founder of the Zirkind "shevet," if you will, all very recognizable. Others made mention in the obituary, if you will, of the fact that he was drafted into the Korean War and had his beard forcefully removed because it was against Army regulations, while being held down by 5 guys.(!) Or that he would translate the sichos to English-speakers who could not understand the Rebbe. Or that he reported all his cash earnings to the Government! But you get the indelible feeling that this only scratches the surface. That it's בבחינת מגלה טפח ומכסה טפחיים. I just don't have the answers. Maybe you all can fill in the blanks?

Some parting words on Collive

Photos courtesy of Chabad Lubavitch Archives

הגה"ח ר' יצחק צירקינד ע"ה

a tribute by Mordechai Lightstone - click to enlarge

Many of you complain to me why I don't write about this and that, whatever it may be. I welcome and appreciate such ideas and suggestions. It means you're listening and watching and are active in the discussions. Last week, after the Vizhnitzer Rebbe passed away, I got a "sharfe" email from a Lubavitcher yungerman ( I think he's married...) He was upset that I didn't write about the sudden passing of HaRav Reb Yitzchok Zirkind, ע"ה of Crown Heights on 18 Adar. The truth is I didn't have the time to write about it, and I thought that just posting a picture with a few words copied from one of the illustrious unofficial Chabad sites... will do him no justice. And then time marches on, pushing it down the proverbial "totem pole." So is the way of the world. The world of blogging, anyway. Reb Yitzchok Zirkind was someone I saw but never got to know. You might find this surprising, but I'm b'teva very shy, which means I never just approach people, even if they're public figures and expect to be bothered by complete strangers.

Edited for clarity, grammar and vechulu.


Here goes: That's it? unzere aigene (Harav Zirkind) does not matter, only the groise Rebbes and gedolim (Reb Michel Yuda Lefkowitz vekadoime, and now Vizhnitz) matter, ober unzere who cares?! chutsh he was Lubavitch - you could cut and paste from the Lubavitch sites just like you could do benogea ale di andere. I understand you don't have time, but I'm sure it can come before you watch epes ah video from epes ah yidishist an apikores - [he means the Chaim Grade piece I put up then - HT] (don't get me wrong I loved it (he chatzi got chasidus, but he missed the whole omek (ubifrat kefi shemevuar al yedei chassidus chabad) that the whole choil is emes but is only emes being that it is durchgedrungen with shabbos. anyways).

B'emes I was just in a bad mood from a full day of going to the levayeh and feld and being depressed, that the minute I looked for a little calming down I see that the first thing on one's mind is Vizhnitz (who was (chas veshalom not denigrating the loss) molei shnoisav, anyways bain shamayim la'aretz for k'mat seven years and bifrat the last 5 years.)

(I had responded that he should write something about RYZ since I had little time these days, to which he responded:)

"You say I should write something, do you think that a yoshev ohel is allowed to have more time than someone who is osek in yeshuvoi shel oilam. If ye what is his amasla for not doing other things? fine saying strong words, its just that i have no experience in writing these things, which would mean I would have to take alot of time which I don't have. Ersht darf men endiken kama sugyos geruntig mit der richtige peshat (I know it sounds stupid as it seems that I hang around the web, however that is just a small percent of the time. and just ah shtikle to relax ah bisel.). You, however, have experience so it takes less time. Just a couple of peratim......... חסר קצת...... the nekuda is that his last act alive was with his beloved seforim, which his whole life was lilmoid u'lelamaid LISHMOIR VELA'ASOIS.

Also, I promise you that he only got involved (in Crown Hts עסקנות - HT) leshem shamayim, to fix kashrus and to instill chinuch.] He was one of the Lubavitchers with whom one could be mefalpel in lomdishe inyanim and also where one could pasken halacha lema'ase, but with lomdus - and bichlal he knew. He was an amazing personality who has so much to himself. Stam, just to bring out who he was on a plain level; I heard that Benjy Stock has since said that it will take 3 people to replace him. He was a wonderful person who really cared about things, that people should learn good gemara, halacha. He had so much potential, left a wife and 9 children (8 unmarried kids).ער איז פשוט געווען א טייערער איד. He could speak to you in yedios in a lomdus in a sugya in halacha in teshuvois and in haintige sifrei pesak, ah shtikle ish ho'eshkoilois, but above all a gem. He had a geshmake humor with an intersante candor, but with a lovely smile (kemat cute). ah tzadik.

(the levaya in front of 770 EP)