COMMUNITY 20 Adar 5775 // March 11, 2015 Tribute 69 Emanuel Gettinger, z”l

RAFAEL HOFFMAN Gettinger’s dedication to the clarity, but for his ability to and famous sense of humor, organization’s mission of work with the questioner in he set an uncompromis- Rabbi Emanuel Getting- supporting the poor of Eretz finding a way to practically ing standard for respect of er, z”l, long-time Rav of the Yisrael that he once borrowed adapt his response into their halachah, the beis haknesses, Young Israel of the West Side $300,000 from the bank to lives, especially when he had a and the position of the Rab- and president of the historic cover a lack of funds. stringent approach. banus itself. In his unwav- Ezras tzedakah organi- He possessed tremendous The niftar’s vast scientif- ering loyalty to mesorah, he zation, was niftar on 15 Adar, love for Eretz Yisrael and had ic knowledge also gave him was unbending on what he Shushan , in , a special affection and admi- unique insight into many perceived as innovations that where he resided since suffer- ration for those who merit to halachic issues, and he was were outside the purview of ing a severe stroke. live there. known as an expert on the Torah. Rabbi Gettinger was Rabbi Gettinger followed a international dateline. He is survived by, ybl”c, renowned for his phenom- unique path in his approach to Whether in the role of his wife, Rebbetzin Rochel enal breadth and depth in learning. In his absolute dedi- , teacher or advisor, Gettinger; his three chil- Torah as well as in science, cation to truth, he attempted Rabbi Gettinger was beloved dren, Harav Refoel Moshe mathematics, and many other to plumb the depths of Tanach for his ability to really listen Gettinger, Rosh Yeshivah of fields of secular knowledge. and Shas in a search for the to people and understand the Medrash Chaim in Rabbi Gettinger’s scholarship fullest understanding of issues they were presenting. Lakewood, NJ; Harav Yisrael and Rabbanus were marked pshat, the simple meaning of Gettinger was a master of Since its founding in 1953 Gettinger, Rav of Cong. Bnei by their independence and texts, uncomplicated by more psak halachah and was a until his recent retirement, Torah of Indianapolis; and uncompromising search and pilpulistic readings. It could popular address for a wide Rabbi Gettinger served as Mrs. Sarah Ungar of Chicago; defense of truth. He left an be said that his originality was range of queries. He set him- the Rav of the Young Israel of and many grandchildren and indelible impression on gen- born of a loyalty to simplicity. self apart, not only by his the West Side. Alongside his great-grandchildren. erations of students and mis- In his yearly Shabbos Shu- encyclopedic knowledge and warm and caring personality Yehi zichro baruch. pallelim. vah and Shabbos Hagadol Born in 1925 to Ahron and addresses, he dazzled his lis- Sarah Gettinger, as a young teners, including many talmi- man he attended dei chachamim who especial- Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin and ly relished the events. was one of the very few boys Some of Rabbi Gettinger’s in Brownsville at the time to accomplishments in schol- receive a formal Torah edu- arship are preserved in his cation. His father, a Stuchin- magnum opus, Menach Yoma. er Chassid, was a member of Not completed until late in the famous Reyim Ha’ahuvim his life, it is the culmination of shul in Brownsville, where decades of toil that the niftar the family lived. Rabbi Get- invested in dealing with the tinger would often speak of various opinions surrounding the colorful characters that he bein hashmashos, the period recalled from the shtiebel of of twilight. It is a monument his youth. not only to Rabbi Gettinger’s In Chaim Berlin, where novel thinking, but also to his Rabbi Gettinger studied thorough understanding of for many years, he quickly astronomy and other relevant gained a reputation as one of areas of natural science. the yeshivah’s most brilliant In addition to his written and dedicated students. He legacy, Rabbi Gettinger leaves enjoyed an especially close behind a rich living legacy bond with his rebbi, Hagaon in the dozens of lives that Harav Yitzchok Hutner, zt”l. he influenced, particularly It was Harav Hutner who among the cadre of students, dissuaded his young talmid mostly from nearby Columbia from using his analytical pow- University, that flocked to him ers to become a physicist and in the 1960’s and ’70’s. These to focus on delving into the young intellectuals, many world of Shas and poskim. of whom went on to become In 1951 Rabbi Gettinger top-level academics, doctors, married Rochel Riff, daugh- and professionals of all sorts, ter of Rabbi Naphtali Riff, a were drawn by Rabbi Getting- great-grandson of the Netziv, er’s full understanding of the who served as Rav in Camden, modern world anchored in his New Jersey, and led the Ezras uncompromising dedication Torah organization. Much to Torah and values. of the niftar’s “old-world” For many, their encoun- approach to the Rabbinate ter with Rabbi Gettinger was was gleaned from his revered life-changing. In the words of father-in-law. one of the group’s members, Following Rabbi Riff’s “He took young professionals passing in 1976, his trusted who kept Torah and mitzvos son-in-law became tremen- as part of their lives and made dously involved in the leg- Torah the focus of their lives.” endary organization, and was Having received his hala- eventually appointed as its chic mentoring from Harav president. So great was Rabbi Eliyahu Henkin, zt”l, Rabbi