Rabbi Shemaryahu Gurary, Rashag- Yahrtzeit 6 Adar, True Chasid of the Rebbe, History- RC Dalfin

Today the sixth of is the yard site of Mario Guri known as Rashag. The Rashad was the Reb's older brother-in-law a son the older his the older son-in-law of the Fredba. Just a few points about his life. He was born in 1898 I believe passed away in in 1989. He was 91 and he was a yeid who who gave over he gave his life to he knew a lot of they say he knew 300 my heart in his youth what [clears throat] he learned in mabage and yeshiva and um he was someone who who dedicated himself to and to the just a few points he was appointed by the kba to to help defa gather funds for the uh funding of matzah of uh the soldiers uh that were fighting in in the war in Russia and such other campaigns he was responsible for and he was a statesman. He was tall and handsome, dressed well, spoke very well, and you can see in different pictures and articles how he took a lead role for the Fred KB in in orchestrating all of those things. And this was at a time when you know Stalin and communism was active and it was very difficult and people were being shot left or right and the and Mikas were allers and mikas were all being closed down and yet he he took a full full responsibility in in going forward. and he had accomplished and he had connections with the biggest biggest people in the joint and in government and uh he he was a major player. This was in Russia. And then later in in America 1940 when he came together with the fid in 1940 he he was in charge of 14 yeshivas talking about 770 and the yeshiva in Montreal and the smaller yeshiva day schools in um in Rochester and in Boston and in Philadelphia and in Buffalo uh in Newark and many in Chicago. He he he took a lead role and uh raised funds for them and organized the Bakim 770, the American Bakarim who were the first students to go out of course everything with the blessing and direction of the but but practically he implemented all that and that was the foundation for for many things. He also as soon as he became he Rabbi Jacobson who was the head of Kabad the umbrella organization and Kadisha the burial society organization um he was the head of it when the Rashad came to America in 1940 Jacism who came in 1926 he gave it all over to him of course he he worked worked with him and he did many things and in fact he was the the actual person Rabbi Jacobs was who you know implemented everything during those years but um officially the Rashad was his boss and gladly he gave it over to the Rashad. Another thing that uh we we hear about is that 195051 52 when the previous previous passed away and there was a question and you know by some by a few [clears throat] who should be the next Reb here's the older son-in-law after a year or two um which didn't come from him. uh he was too smart to get out. He's a too smart and sophisticated to think that he sh you know to be a reb to was a very good person and had pedigree and connection and the son-in-law of it's all good and fine but not but the family pushed them for whatever reason. I wrote a book called Rashbash and you could read all about this and there many documents and things if you want to know history and I encourage you to do that. But for now he he asked something that said he asked he should go speak to the so he says what do you mean speak to the what does that mean? And he says you talk to him and you'll get an answer. and he saw the seriousness of theba how he really means it and believes it and and more so that that's where he is that's where he's at and he's able to communicate with the that broke him that's if that's the case he's this is the early years in 52 53 those years in 1970 or 71 there was uh the tish When the many Rashidan came out of Raj, they came to the Reba and the Reba, you know, spoke with to them and gave them an honor by bringing them to the to the Beimma, I think during [clears throat] Teas and close to him by the Rashad saw all this and and the Fabangans and he was very impacted and he wrote a letter to the Reb saying that he felt as though he was in labavich again in his youth, you know, 1911. 11, 12, 13, 14, whatever those years that he was there, he he he felt and he he he had he lauded and admired and he poured his heart out with such love uh to to the Reba's leadership throughout the years when he came to the and asked the Reba, he didn't have enough money, you know, for the fund to pay salaries and things like that and the Reb would answer him and he always reached out I got to see him up close because in I was learning 770 and then Shabas morning I was sitted at the same table that he had sat and learned together with a mash today and I think they were learning and they were learning my rebab these courses of the reb And Rabbi Katan Khan had a safer had a book and he would read and Rashad would stop him sometimes and say he was a stroke patient. I think he had a stroke in 1982. So his mind was it seemed to be sharp but just his mouth his speech was mumbled. He couldn't understand it but I could see that he's correcting him and he's correcting him not by looking inside the text he's correcting him for memory. So it substantiated what I heard when I told you earlier that he knew many many my by heart. Also Friday nights he um was up and he the feed the kba they say set made a condition with him and the rebba that to part of the the marriage to his daughters to be up Friday night and learn and he would come down to 770 to the z medish and there he would learn and then bram sometimes would ask him questions and sing the for him. Um, this was to keep him up, you know, as he was getting older. They say that at some point he said, "I he can't keep his eyes open." And the said, "What can I do? You have to. It's between you and my our father-in-law. I I didn't make the condition with you. Even at the time of the uh famous or some say notorious situation of the swarm where um his son unfortunately Rashak's son you know stole some and there was a whole and all of that. Rashak sided with the and you have to understand that this is no simple matter here. He has uh a wife, a daughter and he has a son, an only son and basically he sides with his brother-in-law over wife and son. Naturally this left uh you know in a way it was it was very difficult for them but he stood his ground because he saw the reb as the emis is the truth. So today on his yard site when we think about him and in a way he's like forgotten you know in Kabad it's important to know that you know he was an important player in the development of Kabad in America Russia for sure I'm saying even here in America um and [clears throat] like told one of the uh one of the helpers that helped her in the house told me that she said that my husband's greatest was Rabbi Guri meaning the rash and I heard from too who were around in the 50s and 60s who felt the same way that his his commitment his ble his subservience to the wishes of the rebba etc was uh the greatest of the great as we say May you come back together. Mashia's coming. Amen. Immediately. Amen. Amen.