Divrei Hesped For Rabbi Moshe Hauer | Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

All of you are very very aware of the the tragic uh death of Mosha Hower Zraa, the executive vice president of the of the Orthodox Union, really the the head rabbitic leader of the entire U structure. Um and I know that yesterday I believe was a memorial service held um in the OU center in Harotim. Um I was not able to go paradoxically because Rabbisenhower's sister Rachel Newberger made a inlay yesterday. So Bafka the family itself was split between the Kasna and the memorial and the memorial service. Uh but I I I do feel that I I have to say say something. Uh I knew I've known Rabbi Hower for many many many years. uh he was a Rev in Baltimore uh with great distinction for 26 years. He was a tom of Ner Israel also with great distinction and um I know that uh everybody who interacted with him felt they had a special relationship and I could say I felt they had a special relationship but not really. The nature of his personality was such there was such sweetness, such humility, such respect with everybody that he interacted with that everybody thought they had a special relationship with him. And as say who is a person who is deserving of honor, he who shows honor to all of God's creations. And if any of you ever had the to even talk to him briefly or even hear him talk, uh you would see that he was a person who gave you unconditional covert. And what's fascinating is as I was looking at the different eulogies and the different statements that were made, I saw a statement issued by a good Israel. Israel is there's yeshiva institution to the right of the U without getting into all of the politics there and is normally not particularly friendly to the U and a number of issues although I may hear from a good on this uh but they issued a beautiful statement about Rab Howard's Petira in which you could really see the love that they had for him uh the respect that they had for him and that was quite unusual that that a good Israel uh would issue a statement uh not just a proform statement it it genuine genuine affection. I was a little surprised because sometimes even when a good leaders die I have not seen statements written with the same affection and respect. At the other end of the spectrum, Rick Jacobs, the head of the reform movement, I don't know exactly what his title is, issued a statement bemoning the loss of his kabusa and dear friends that they loved so much. And he talked about the fact that they disagreed on everything, but they were friends and they talked and they were united in their concern for Ammy Israel, for Erit Israel, even though it took different forms. Not too many people in the world are going to get accolades from both a good Israel and the reform movement. And I think it shows you what a remarkable bridge builder Rabbi Hower was. That every single Jew on any point of the spectrum was able to come to him, interact with him, be treated with respect to see that he would see the legitimacy within every position of the little facets of truth that are everywhere scattered. And he was able to be a consensus builder, an ish shalom. And Godam one of the names of God is the name of Shalom. And he truly was a godly man. Uh in that way I do want to emphasize that he was a person in spite of his openness, his akus, his aas is he was a person who was very very rooted in Torah. He was a phenomenally great to he loved learning. He loved his entire life. He loved learning. uh I don't know once he worked for the OU I'm not sure how much time he had but when he was above in Baltimore when he was not involved in rabbitic duties he was in the ner Israel based medish I mean he went I mean he learned uh you know five six hours a day uh in the nar is based medish so he loved learning uh he was good at it he was a creative thinker in detra and everything every decision that that he made even if he didn't you know I guess when he's talking to Rick Jacobs, he's not necessarily going to quote a toos or a a Rambam. Uh but every decision that he made was always based on what he took out of the dra the dra Torah. But he combined his great great knowledge of Torah and not just his knowledge but his love of Torah with a love for ami Israel. He was a man with a mission. You know there is a medish in Tana de Ali Leah in which Alio Hanovi is quoted as revealing a great secret that he heard from God himself where God said there are two things that I love with a complete love. I love my Torah and I love my Jewish people. And alien then said he asked God but which do you like more and God initially didn't want to answer it said I don't want to answer that question I plead the fifth uh but aloi pushed him and Hashem said I love the Jewish people even more this is the med I think in this way rahawer once again emulated the ways of god he loved the Torah tremendously and he loved ami Israel perhaps even perhaps even more I can't say even more but on that type of level in which every single Jew mattered truth is every single person mattered I mean uh when there was a conference and this is a little controversial of different rabbis even interdenominational about uh Israel and the time of danger and all the struggles we've gone through in Gaza and obviously the the point of uh it was to address the suffering of the Jewish people. Rabbi Hower who of course addressed that and that was his primary concern. But he was the only one the only one who alluded to the fact that we have to have rakamim for everybody including again don't don't kill me I'm kind of I think uh quoting him but including even Palestinian suffering has to enter into an equation obviously uh the protection of Jewish lives is going to be our primary goal and he he made that point many many times but he said we can't forget the other side of the equation as well just as When the Egyptians were drowning in the sea, God said, "My creations are drowning. It is not a time for joy and jubilation." You know, Rav Cook once remarked that by chauffeur, we start blowing from the narrow end and it goes out to the wide end. And he said, "This is really a message for how a person grows as a Jew and how a person grows spiritually." When you're first born, a baby, the only thing you think about, if we could use the word thought, is what you need. You're hungry. You need to be cleaned. Whatever it would be, your preoccupation is with yourself. As you grow, you eventually embrace more and more people, your family, your community, and spiritual growth progresses from the egotism or the narcissism. I'm not suggesting babies are narcissists but from that preoccupation with the self to kind of go broader because you regard them as part of yourself. yourself becomes expanded and Rafuk says that is the [clears throat] rem of why the chauffeur you start with the narrow and you blow outwards family you know wife children community I'm Israel even the world to some degree and I think in Rafara we we definitely saw that growth again at one point in his life he was totally focused on his learning in in yeshiva which he became very very accomplished. As he grew older, his ambit of concerns gradually expanded. His sh the Baltimore community eventually the entire Jewish community of the United States and indeed the entire world, Eric Israel, where Jews were everywhere. And in that sense, although he's younger than me, uh he was a role model, a mentor, a teacher, someone that we could all look up to uh for so many reasons. His Torah, his aasel, his modesty, his humility, and the unconditional respect that he showed uh every uh every person. Um I should also emphasize that he had a special love for Erit Israel and all of his life he wanted to come to Erit Israel and he used to say with a great deal of sadness that perhaps his name is Moshe and just as Hashem decreed that Mosheu could not enter Erit Israel perhaps that gazer is on him as well although again obviously that's not a compelling logic there are many motions in Israel but he felt that perhaps he was Niklau in that. But when he was a RV, I think even when he was a Revmeritus because he continued to dabin in in his B, in fact he lived in Baltimore, although he was running the U, he actually lived in Baltimore, but he would get Torah. And when Hashem says to Moshe, I have shown you the land, but you shall not go. He always started crying. He started crying at that puzz because he felt it was almost as if the Torah was speaking to him at that particular point, but he did work tirelessly uh on doing whatever he could regarding the hostages. And and some pointed out although who knows the mi the you know the mystery here that his felos and his efforts were so powerful that when an hosana rabba the 20 hostages that were alive were finally freed finally released and that itself has great cababalistic implications why it was rabba he died the next day it's almost as if he completed his mission hashem wanted him to see the fruits [snorts] of all of his efforts and then Hashem took him took him. So have the famous saying alas for those who are lost and they cannot be replaced. You know we have many Torah scholars on one side. We have many o Israel big tense people who are kind and tolerant on the other side but sometimes it's a little hard to get a combination of the two not that many people around and each one is so precious each one is so needed and when like leaves the world there's an enormous void that is created and as is always the case when a void is created we have to step up and try to fill that void. So if he you know had a million things that he contributed each of us takes on you know something and maybe cumulatively we can replace or at least supplement all that he accomplished. So um again I it's really very very very devastating and again I was at a the kasna of his family vafa yesterday and it was kind of a a very mixed atmosphere. It was a joyous on the other hand but connected with with the Shiva with the may his memory blessing. Uh and may we uh as Kazal say sadikim even in their death are called alive because if we follow their ways and we learn from their then in a sense their life continues to permeate the existence of that we go through. So and again I I apologize for talking off topic a little bit uh but I think it was very very important. I feel very bad that I was not able to be mishtv uh in the zikuran yesterday. So I thought today might be a logical opportunity to give honor to a truly truly great man and a great beloved man as well.