I visited Rabbi Labaton in the hospital the day he passed away, I attended his funeral, escorted him to Staten Island to be buried, and looked at his empty chair with his Talet draped on it in Shul on Shabbat. I attended his Arayat at the end of the Shivah, and still reality has not set in. For so many years, through all his operations and treatments, he never missed a beat. He never led on what he was going through, or let us think the end would come. He clearly put the welfare of his Kahal before himself in every way.
I moved to West Deal almost 35 years ago, and was not very religiously educated or observant. Rabbi Labaton welcomed me and my family with his soft understanding way, and taught me to love and have a strong thirst for Hashem, Torah, and Misvot – where the Shul became my second home, and the Rabbi and his Kahal, became my second family.
I thank Hashem, that when we made our final decision to choose a home, it was West Deal, and Rabbi Labaton was there every step of the way. He was my Rabbi, my teacher, and my friend. All my children from their birth to Bar-Mitzvahs, schooling, and weddings, had the honor of his involvement. When my Father passed away, he was there for me, helped me through it all, and taught me the importance and reasoning for everything we do.
As President of Magen David, he was always available to me, and we had many discussions for hours that seemed like minutes. He understood the wants and needs of every single person in the Kahal, and always cared and reached out to each person. Rabbi Labaton and his Shul, in my opinion, is an example for every Rabbi and every Shul, in our great community. His doors were open to all; to learn, to teach, and inspire growth in Torah.
I could go on with events and story after story, and I also know we could never replace him. My Family and our entire community have lost a great leader, caring Rabbi, and a mind that only Hashem could have created. May we go on with the lessons, ethics, morals, and values, he has embedded in us for the past three decades.
