Rabbi Shmuel Plotkin, 97, Shliach to Berditchov, Talmud Chocham & Author- Rabbi Chaim Dalfin

This is a tribute to the nishama of a very special someone who I personally knew and had a an opportunity to interview extensively a year to year and a half ago. This is Rabbi Shuel Plutkin. Rabbi Plutkin was 97 and passed on Sukus Tshin PV. The number one thing that stands out about Ra Plutkin to me is that at the age of 55 to 60 somewhere there he decides to become a inich like in that same city. Not only does he become a there traveling back and forth from his home on President Street on the same block of the Reb in Crown Heights, but he spends months there years. He hires other he raises the money for them till today. He raises the money. The organization still exists and they do need funds. So if I forget now's the time to say send Saddaka in memory of Rab Platkin for his nishama he'll be very very happy because when I interviewed him he told me Gazak he said as soon as he feels better he told his wife who was a very special woman who I had a chance to speak to and interview as well. He told me that he's going right back to Berdich and he meant it. Now this isn't a kind of from America. This a Russianborn kassid whose father was the great go the talmutic scholar and genius rebellia platkin who was a tim he learned in labavich I believe 19 from 1906 and who wrote and his son published some of them there's talk of in the freedom about him. A famous story I heard from my my s Branson. He was a very good friend of Rabbi Platkin from their childhood, their teenhood that Sim I think it was actually that they used to be accustomed to the KBA made a kdesh dur during the while the rashab was alive and he he took quite a bit of mashka. Rabbi Plin, Rabbi Ramya, he took quite a bit of mashk and he was very sluggish and he said, don't quote me on the exact words, but something what's with me like he couldn't walk. He was heartened. The Reb said if he said hold on to my and as I walk into my father's room, you'll come along with me. You see you're talking here about not just uh another this was you know balto from the rashab this was the the nicest and the choiciest of the rebab amongst the amongst the theim and then I believe became the like the head of the kabad in in pocking in Germany maybe in France but we're not talking about him today we're talking about his son I remember seeing him in 770 sitting on the bench like on top part of the bench and and and Khazering strong the mimer loud and he probably was 75 80 at the time and he's going at it full force you know it was beautiful to see he also did something that many people are not aware of today because did it way back in the uh late7s 80s where he made an entire trask as we say in Yiddish. He made a storm. He stormed the Kronite 770 world. There has to be better learning of of of Gimara and and and and the Baham should come on time and hull should come and he he stormed it up. You know, he didn't sit still. He himself could sit in could he could have sat in this corner minded his business learn Davin I'm told in the last 10 years he was the rv of um the sh gets shul on president in Kingston over there in the basement of 1414 and he used to kaz every shabas and fabang you know he was the mashp of the yeshiv of the of the shu maybe the as well don't know but the point is the the the commitment to and to be nephish that he got from being a tom in in in the underground yeshivas and then later in in in in France etc and then coming to America and being by the I think he came in 52 53 very early on creates this person. So when I interview him at the age of 95 96, you know, he's full of life, he's full of energy, and he's he's he's like, "When can I get on the plane to go back to Bardichov?" Could you imagine a man has 55 to 60 most, you know, most of his life has already passed, you know, half of his life has passed and he and he's driven. And what is he driven to do? to help Yedon in Berdich learn a an olive and a base. He told me he would learn people olive bays and brokers basics. I also saw this by my here even in Brooklyn with Russian Jews. You know, you would think these are learning and they want to teach and you know they learned olive base who is learning with who which which or you know which taking the time at the age of 60 to sit with a Russian Jew who doesn't know any Hebrew and to teach him the olive base. Show, show, show, show me, show me. One, two, three. And guess what? If they're doing it, they're doing it because they learned it from Libavage. But anyway, that's for aside. You could disagree. That's not the point here. Let's let's let's let's go on. So, I feel very I I feel elated. I feel great up, you know, and even though it's now the Shiva and it's it's it's, you know, it's Shiva, but this Hassid really got me uh excited. He got me excited. I I've done a lot of interviews with these people, spoken to a lot of them, know a lot of the pe these people. this when when I came into him, he was just energetic, sharp, and we um we conversed and there were certain things I wanted to draw out of him and I saw how he was able to skirt the issue. He didn't want to talk about it, you know, in a very smart way. There's many things to say, but I think that these few words is an appropriate tribute to the shama of Plkin Benia had another name. I forget the second name, but um Litman was also had three three names. I forget the second name now. I'm sorry. You're an inspiration. You're an inspiration to me. you're in. I also have a white beard that you're an inspiration because when I looked at you and I interviewed you and I came to your house, it was in the winter and there was snow outside and and what I saw and what I picked up and what I what was left in my memory of our interviews is that how I one day how I should be in my 90s and my head should be clear and your memory the memory was fantastic. details and the sim that they call in the literature world you know it's not really sim doesn't use you know but the the ledite the kite the varmite the you had well the elephant that your entire family starting with my good friend from yeshiva from Marstown and in motion parkway Abrakin in Toronto, I think of Markham or somewhere around there. Um, and we spent many days together and talking that you and your entire family have and it will be very soon and your father will come back very shortly. Only to to you and the entire family. Thank you.