A eulogy for Rabbi Daniel Rosenthal
Who is wise, one who learns from everyone
Establish many students. (Avot 1:1)
Bet Shamai says, you should only teach a person who is worthy and from a good family. But Bet Hillel says that you should teach any person. They gave an analogy, a women places many eggs under a chicken and only a few hatch, but if she only places a few then she will get none…
Rabbi Akiva says, even if you established many students in your youth, don’t sit back and say “enough”, rather establish them in your old age and increase Torah study, since you never know…
Avot deRabbi Natan
When I first met Rabbi Rosenthal as his high school student, he already seemed like an old Zaidy. He had made Aliyah after a long career as an educator and institution builder in America, where he had provided a Jewish education for many students that other people didn’t even think about1. Upon making Aliya, some people might take the opportunity to retire but Rabbi Rosenthal continued teaching.
The main feeling that I got from being around him was having fun with ideas. Torah study with Rabbi Rosenthal was playful. In 11th grade, my Chavruta and I studied with him every day instead of going to class. That summer we prepared the sources for Rabbi Chait’s Shavuos shiur. In every area Rabbi Rosenthal exuded a child-like excitement in learning a new area. When he heard an idea, his face would light up.
But that enjoyment didn’t compromise his high expectations and exacting standard. Before accepting an idea he would test it from all sides, he wouldn’t let us continue if the idea wasn’t clear and we couldn’t answer all of his questions on it2. He wouldn’t pretend to understand something when he didn’t. He would rather live - and if necessary die – with a question, than accept a bad answer. When in his presence, you had to be ready to think about a question, and not try to fake understanding. There was no fooling yourself around him, since that would be uncovered with a few sharp questions.
He once told me that there were questions that he was bothered by for decades and still didn’t have an answer for. Some of these questions were on very fundamental issues, yet he continued on in spite of the questions. I don’t know which of those questions were still unanswered when he died, and perhaps he is now discovering answers and new ideas about them in the next world3.
Rabbi Rosenthal was also generous in his praise of Chachamim, he wanted to learn from them, or anyone else who had something to teach. He wasn’t shy to admit that he didn’t know something and was excited to learn the truth from whomever taught it, with no concern for his personal honor.
Rabbi Rosenthal’s influence on me was not primarily through any specific idea or lesson, but through his embodiment of intellectual virtue and of the moral virtues instrumental to knowledge45. He was someone who lived for the adventure of ideas. Being around Rabbi Rosenthal one was called upon to justify their existence - not to him - but to oneself and in front of Hashem. This wasn’t done in a threatening way, and I don’t think it was on purpose; but by embodying a life of satisfaction with his path6, and as someone who was naturally himself - merely being around him, you were called upon to ask if your own path was worthwhile.
The unity and clarity of Rabbi Rosenthal’s personality struck me during the hespedim at the funeral. Rabbi Maroof quoted the Mishna (Avot 4:1): “Who is wise, one who learns from every person. As it says: “From all my teacher’s I have become wise, for your testimonies are my conversation” ”. Rabbenu Yonah explains that wisdom is not a quantity of knowledge, rather it is a love of knowledge. Someone who loves knowledge will eventually come to know God, even if their knowledge is extremely limited at the beginning, and will be thrilled to learn from anyone. The pasuk goes further in explaining the causality by attributing this wisdom to Torah being one’s conversation. Someone who is always conversing about Torah will find many opportunities to learn from people that you wouldn’t have expected had something to teach.
The rest of the Mishna also contains appropriate descriptions of Rabbi Rosenthal. “Who is powerful, one who controls their instincts… Who is rich, one who rejoices in their portion… Who is honored, one who respects other people”.7 The Mishna calls on us to rethink our notions of wisdom, power, wealth and honor - in this sense (as mentioned in some of the eulogies8), Rabbi Rosenthal was wise and honored, rich and powerful.
Initially I was surprised to hear this quoted - this was the exact Mishna that I had been reflecting on while riding the train down to the funeral a few hours earlier - and here it was again. But then it occurred to me that it was because this Mishna really expresses who Rabbi Rosenthal was. He was a person who loved knowledge, Whose conversation was always about Torah. Who didn’t write off any students, since you never can tell where someone will end up. Someone who was happy with their portion, even when life was a struggle. And was never too old to learn something new.
והיתה נפש אדונינו צרורה בצרור החיים את יהוה אלהיך
Students who lived out of town, and if not for the schools that Rabbi Rosenthal founded would have ended up going to public school and probably assimilating. For more on this perspective on Rabbi Rosenthal you can read Rabbi Schneeweiss’s eulogy.
Some of my Chavrutot and friends studied in schools that wouldn’t have existed without him, and have mentioned that they never would have encountered the joy and beauty of Torah study if it weren’t for him. Similarly, some of my teachers got their first experience teaching after being hired by Rabbi Rosenthal, and were given the space to experiment with their educational style, allowing them to develop their own creative methods of Torah study.
Or if we reached a point from which he didn’t see how to go further, in which case we left it as in need of future study.
Speaking about Olam Haba, I have personally wondered whether eternal life would just get boring. Rabbi Rosenthal is one of the few people I have met, who I am confident would not get bored.
Such as patience, courage and friendliness.
In addition, he also had a significant indirect affect on me, because he encouraged me to learn from Rebbi vMori Rabbi Sacks.
I suspect that this was in spite of having questions on it.
Each of these clauses deserves a post in its own right, including an explanation of the verse quoted for each one. Rabbi Rosenthal would hopefully forgive me for referencing them here without that careful analysis.
You can listen to the eulogies from the funeral here: https://livestream.com/bti/harav-daniel-rosenthal-funeral/videos/239622984