This week marks the fifth yahrzeit of my friend and colleague, Rabbi Fred Elias. To mark this milestone, I reunited with several classmates at the Jewish Theological Seminary for a morning of memorializing, reflection, and learning.
Fred stood out as a classmate that was kind, generous with his time and heart, steady, reliable, nonjudgmental, and compassionate. He was witty, silly, and someone that was dedicated to his study of Torah. He was a mensch—through and through.
Our beloved rabbinical school class dean, Rabbi Bill Lebeau, taught a text from Pirke Avot 6:1. The piece explains that when a person learns Torah for the mere sake of learning Torah, the person becomes an emissary for Torah itself. And the text explains that this student of Torah “…makes him like a fountain that only grows in strength and like a river that never ceases its flowing.” Rabbi Lebeau reminded us that this was both Fred in his life and continues well after. Rabbi Lebeau taught, “Fred’s influence is renewed even after his death for those that continue to drink from fountains and rivers of wisdom, and kindness, that flowed from him in his lifetime.”
Today, Fred’s presence was palpable; I could feel his Torah wash over our class: A rabbi from beyond the grave, renewing his classmates with vigor, passion for teaching, and a reminder to continue pursuing our individual and collective callings. His fountain of goodness, embodied within the Torah he gifted the world, flowed back into each of his classmates. His river of kindness, encompassed within the mitzvot and thousands of people he touched, reinvigorated his colleagues’ desires to better the world.
He so very much wanted to live longer, be with his family, and continue spreading the light of Torah to his students and community. Fred, your classmates will do this for you.
In your memory, we hope to make you proud.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is senior rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik or on Instagram @rabbiguzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
