In Memoriam: Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H, Our Brightest Star

Some of my favorite memories of Rabbi Labaton A”H were his Motzaei Shabbat classes dealing with issues regarding Science and Religion. When everyone else would bolt out of shul as soon as Shabbat ended, a few regulars such as Stanley, Charlie, Dr. Shamash, Yossi and myself would remain. As Charlie would prepare our teacher’s favorite green tea, I would look forward with the greatest anticipation to this series of special classes, commencing each Winter, when Shabbat ended earlier. Although, I must extend my apologies to the Labaton family for my selfish monopolization of the Rabbi’s time spent away from them, this sublime hour jump-started my entire week.

Rabbi Labaton was the first spiritual leader I had ever met who had the courage to delve into subjects dealing with Maase Bereishit or Maase Merkavah, as Ha’Rambam demanded of us. He helped us grapple with the mysteries of G-d’s universe, to not only help us better understand but, to love our Creator- Boreh Olam. These subjects were not for the faint-hearted. Yet, for us brave few who attended, he would expertly guide us through our perplexity without holding back his breadth of knowledge – in complex matters of both science and philosophy. Our Rabbi would read to us from his collection of essays, articles and books written by scientists and scholars, as part of his singular quest for truth. He always presented a balanced approach– showing us various sides and opinions on certain hot topics still under debate.

I would come home almost giddy from these discussions. Rabbi Labaton used to describe a sensation he sometimes experienced when attending certain lectures given by The Rav Soloveitchik. He said he would come home feeling: “Intellectually innebriated”… I could definitely relate, because that was a feeling that I could ascribe to my own Saturday night sessions with Rabbi Labaton – which always felt like they ended much too soon. As the Rabbi rattled off certain scientific facts of the cosmos at his typical speed of light pace, such as:

• The weight of the sun is a billion trillion tons
OR…

• The speed of the ever-expanding universe is 73.8 kilometers per second,
OR…

• The distance between our Milky Way galaxy to Andromeda- the next nearest galaxy- is 2.5 million light years, etc., etc., etc….
…. my head would spin- just like a planet in our solar system !

As he described the properties of gamma rays down to sub-atomic particles, it was all meant to convey a deep respect and appreciation of G-d’s masterwork: His wondrous universe. So, when we say in our daily prayers: “Mah Rabbu Maasecha Adonai, Kulam Behochma Assitah…”, those words would resonate with us.

I recently read a quote by Rabbi Marc Angel, former Rabbi of the historic Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue- Shearith Israel, written “In Memoriam to Rabbi Labaton”. He wrote:

“To me, he was one of the bright stars in the contemporary Rabbinate in general, and in the Sephardi Rabbinate in particular…”

When I read that – I said to myself, how apropos that the Rabbi himself, would be described as a bright star. I was instantly reminded of one of our numerous discussions related to Supernovas. One can easily draw the comparison to Rabbi Labaton; A Supernova is a blindingly bright star that burns like a beacon in the night sky. Let me clarify that… That bright star isn’t actually a star- at least, not anymore. The brilliant point of light is the result of the explosion of a star that has reached the end of its life- known as a Supernova. Supernovas can briefly outshine entire galaxies and radiate more energy than our sun will in its entire lifetime. They’re also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe. During a Supernova, when a massive star explodes at the end of its life, the resulting high energy environment enables the creation of some of the heaviest elements across the universe, scattering the stardust which makes up planets, including our Earth.

The Rabbi used to tell us: We are all made of stardust. It sounds like a line from a poem, but there is some solid science behind his statement too: Almost every element on Earth was formed at the heart of a star. So, the next time you’re out gazing at stars twinkling in the night sky, please spare a thought for our Rabbi—our “Brightest of Stars”, who was always bursting forth with the most intense energy, as the infinite light of his Torah wisdom travelled from his amazing mind- to shine onto each and every one of us. As all life on Earth and the atoms in our bodies were created in the furnace of now- long faded stars, our souls have also been imbued with the heavenly light that our dear Rabbi radiated whenever he spoke words of Torah truth.

As Elliot Braha reminded us, the light of our souls are still all connected to the Rabbi’s- which is an intriguing and a miraculous thought to be contemplated! Rather than be reminded of the gaping Black Hole caused by his passing, let’s focus on the infinite light of his teachings. His legacy will forever remain the spark that ignited my soul as, I am sure- for those of many fortunate others.

May his family find consolation in these words and be forever blessed by his loving memory.

Thanks and Shabbat Shalom!