By Rabbi Sholom B. Lipskar
It was a remarkable sight that remains engraved on my mind forever. One Shabbat morning, as sheets of torrential rain battered Miami and its surroundings, I spied the figure of a man walking briskly to our synagogue, water dripping from every part of his body. His suit, hat and shirt were so drenched that they visibly stuck to his skin. Despite this discomfort, the man wore a smile that expressed both calm and reverence, the content expression of someone whose life had meaning and purpose. His clothes may have been soaked, but he carried himself with an elegance that reminded me of a painting by a great artist. The man I saw was the legendary Sami Rohr, of blessed memory. As a very successful and astute investor, Mr. Rohr partnered with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, and his system of international emissaries to establish centers in hundreds of communities across the world, with a special concentration in the former Soviet Union. His passion for saving the spirit of the Jewish people, bringing them home to their holy source, had multifaceted expressions.
Sponsored Many Torah Books in Multiple Languages
He loved Torah scholarship, as represented in the many books that he underwrote in multiple languages, culminating with the Rohr Edition of the Talmudic Encyclopedia in memory of his beloved wife, Señora Charlotte, whose royal presence we also merited to have for close to three decades. He loved literature. He loved more than anything else Jewish education, hence the schools and scholarships and programs. And on and on. I would often tell him what a great merit and honor it was to have such an august figure in our community. His response was always the same: "Ay, Rabbi Lipskar, you know better." What humility was embedded in his greatness! On that drenched Shabbat morning, as he strode briskly toward the entrance of the synagogue he helped envision and build, I ran to meet him, ushering him inside. A large puddle quickly formed around his feet, and I beseeched him to utilize our beautiful mikvah (which was beautiful largely because of his generosity in furnishing it for others) to dry himself off, so that he would be more comfortable, and at least not catch cold in the air conditioning.
Prayer is an Opportunity to Meet with G-d
True to his German-Jewish punctiliousness, Mr. Rohr still made it into the sanctuary in time before the prayer service began. For Reb Shmuel, prayer meant a meeting with G-d, an appointment not to be delayed under any circumstance. Humbly present to implore his Father in Heaven, Mr. Rohr’s presence carried a distinctive dignity that rubbed off on others. It was inspiring to behold the glow that illuminated his face when his children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren would come to sit near him during prayer times. To watch him pray was to observe a true servant of God. His eyes would never leave his prayerbook, as he absorbed himself fully in his personal connection to Almighty G-d. The serenity and submission with which Reb Shmuel prayed was twinned with the ebullience and pure nachas with which his eyes twinkled every Friday evening when he’d be surrounded by all his grandchildren, each of whom delivered their own words of Torah at his Shabbat table. And those same prayers uttered with such devotion underpinned the vision and responsibility with which he conducted his philanthropic activities.
