“Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and Your Torah is truth. May Your mercies come upon me so that I may live, for Your Torah is my preoccupation” (Tehillim 119:77,142)
Rav Ezra zt”l, was the Ish Emet – the Truthful Man. Whenever I spoke with him, or listened to him teach, or whenever I observed him in his interaction with family, friends, congregants or students, one thought was always inescapable: this is the Ish Emet – the Truthful Man.
The rabbi loved Hashem and Hashem’s truth; he loved Hashem’s Torah because it was the truth. Rambam in Sefer Hamisvot states: “the misva of the love of Hashem includes that we should call all humankind to his worship and teach the proper belief in Hashem… for if you love Hashem – through your understanding and realization of His true existence – behold you will without a doubt call out to the ignorant and teach the truths of Hashem that you already know. And the language of Siphre: ‘and you shall love Hashem’ – cause human beings to love Him like Abraham your father”. Rav Ezra zt”l was a living example of this great misva! His own love of Hashem and truth stirred in him an almost fanatical desire to teach others. Two days a week I watched him come into Hillel Yeshiva with a zeal and purpose that no illness, no medical treatment, no surgery could diminish. He loved to teach, he loved his students and he was so alive and engaged while sharing his knowledge with them. Any pain that he was experiencing became non-existent, as the Torah was his joy and preoccupation. It was only natural that our students loved and respected Rabbi Labaton zt”l.
Rav Ezra zt”l, was also a parent at Hillel Yeshiva. I had the pleasure of having his youngest child, Mordechai, as a student in my shiur for three years (Ovadiah, Sarah and Devorah were students before my arrival). Given the rabbi’s knowledge and position, he could have been quite a difficult parent yet he was one of the most appreciative parents I have ever encountered. He would thank me time and time again for teaching his son Torah. Rav Ezra’s face would beam with pride that his son was enjoying the shiur and being exposed to the analytic methodology of his own rebbe, HaGaon HaRav Joseph Soloveitchik zt”l – a methodology that plumbs the fundamental truths and formulations of the Halakha. He would often comment to me “it’s amazing what you’re doing” and other “Rabbi Labaton-like” compliments. He would never let my expressions of false modesty stand and would repeat his compliments over again. Little did he know how happy and proud I was to play a role in teaching his and Emily’s child Torah.
Rav Ezra’s passion for emet – truth, precluded him from “playing politics” in the communal realm. He spoke the truth, preached the truth and acted based on the truths he was privileged to perceive. He truly lived up to the view stated by Rambam in numerous places, “Hear the truth regardless of who said it.” His great love of חסד צדקה ומשפט – loving kindness, righteousness and justice, stemmed from his love of the truth of the בורא עולם – the Creator of the Universe. To quote a verse from Yirmiyahu 9:23, that he told me was so meaningful to him, “For only with this may one glorify himself – contemplating and knowing Me, for I am Hashem who does loving kindness, justice and righteousness in the land, for in these is My desire – the word of Hashem.”
Our community, yeshiva and his thousands of students were privileged to observe a man who so heroically lived the words of the Prophet Yirmiyahu.
I have lost a friend and great colleague – we have all lost a giant of a man.
“If only my head would be water and my eyes a spring of tears, so that I could cry all day and night” (Yirmiyahu 8:23)
יהי זכרו ברוך
