Reb Meir Schuster z"l Tribute at the Project Inspire Convention 2019

I had the great honor and privilege to work on a project that was truly life-changing for me. Together with Danielle Haas I would we set out to try and get a glimpse into the extraordinary life of an extraordinary man Reb Meir Shuster zt"l. After the film was complete and I returned after the summer I went to invite Rebbetzin Esther Shuster to the Project Inspire Convention. She had not been to America in a long time and she asked me what date is it? Of course I took out my phone, I checked in my calendar and I told her it's February 22nd through the 24th. She says, "When does that fall out in Hebrew?" That took a different telephone. And I told her in fact it fell out Yud Zion Adar Aleph. Her face went white. That is Reb Meir Shuster's Yahrtzeit. Today as we stand here I can tell you that tens of thousands have watched The Man at the Wall. Hundreds of thousands have been inspired by the life of Reb Meir Shuster. But we learned a lot more from that film. Rebbetzin Shuster we learned what it means to love another Jew. We learned about what it means to go beyond your comfort zone. We learned about what it means to take responsibility for Klal Yisrael. And we learned what it means to be Hashem's shaliach. But on top of everything we learned that this was not just a job of Reb Meir Shuster but in fact the job of every single frum Jew. And so tonight we've compiled a short tribute film on the Yahrtzeit on the fifth Yahrtzeit of Reb Meir Shuster zt"l. I present to you a tribute that gives us all the lesson teaches us all the lesson that we have the ability to change the face of Klal Yisrael. If I have to think about how many great people I met in my lifetime, he was one of the greatest people that I knew. Uh his accomplishments were unbelievable. He couldn't talk. He was shy. Meir Shuster's going to go up to complete strangers and and and then talk them into going to yeshivas and they they would say it's impossible. He had he he was so uh naturally uh an introvert. I remember that when I saw the Kotel I was approached by a tall man who asked me the question uh are you Jewish? And would you be interested in having a Shabbos meal with a religious family, with an Orthodox family and I guess the rest is history. He was not um charismatic but something in his eyes was so sincere, like sparkling, like family that you trusted. He was on a mission. He was driven to relight the flame of every neshama that was in jeopardy or possibly could be lost. He was going to spread as much Torah and light to the world as possible and he knew that this was his mission and he certainly believed it was ours as well. There was no ego. There was no shield between him and the people. It was just him saying this is what I want you to do, this is what you need to do. Reb Shuster didn't see a people, he saw neshamas. It didn't matter what color their hair was, it didn't matter how many earrings they had, it didn't matter what they looked like. He wanted them to give them opportunity to grow. He didn't see where they were coming from, he looked where they could go. Reb Meir was in one word real. He was authentic. He sincerely and really cared and loved every single Jew and that came through in the few words that he spoke. He was driven by love of God and love of Torah and love of Am Yisrael. And if you care about people you just want to go out there and share it and that's what he was doing. It wasn't about the numbers. It was really it was there was something greater than himself and he was he was just Hashem's shaliach. I once asked Reb Meir Shuster how many people did you approach? How many people do you think you sent to the yeshivas? And he was very hesitant to answer me. He said, "I don't know." I said, "You have to have some type of idea." I said, "Do you have a number?" He says, "More than 5,000." One-on-one I don't think anybody had a bigger effect. My wife Robin and I have eight children where of whom five are married. Uh those five married children have resulted in at this point bli ayin hara 13 grandchildren. It was really the dedication and the warmth and the mesirus nefesh of Reb Meir Shuster. We went to visit the Shusters and we brought all the kids. Said, "These are your grandchildren." You know, it's all ripples effect from one tap. When my first child was born Reb Shuster made a knitted sweater for him which we still have which all of my kids wore and which is a uh prized possession. He taught us that you just have to care and if you don't care enough then that's something that we have to work on and that we can use him as an example. When I just look at him and you stand in awe of a of a man like this, what he could accomplish. Could you and I always thought to myself, could you imagine if you had such a passion and you also have other things going with it. I mean how much could be accomplished? I mean what are you going to tell the Ribono shel Olam after 120 years? Where were you? Where was I? I mean what uh you know what we could have done. I once said, "What is a tzaddik person?" But you know, sometimes you have to do something you do it. That's all. Kiruv is is the most important thing in the world today. Because we're losing so many. It's the most important thing. So that it's imperative that you do kiruv. To to to reach out to to try to help somebody. Good luck everyone. My name is Yosef Chaim Weil. Approximately 45 years ago Reb Meir Shuster zt"l tapped my grandfather Zaide Drobbin on the shoulder at the Kotel. Since then we have already three generations of shomrei Torah u'mitzvos. Me and my brothers go to yeshivas and my sisters go to Bais Yaakov. I even have my brother Meir standing next to me who was named after Reb Meir Shuster zt"l. But we are not alone. Behind me are dozens more whose families were touched by Reb Meir and whose lives were transformed into discovering Hashem and becoming close to him. At this time, Rebbetzin Shuster, on behalf of all the people standing behind me and on behalf of my entire family and thousands of others, I want to thank you for your selfless dedication and mesirus nefesh in allowing and supporting your husband in this important work and helping to make this all happen. May all of us and all the people affected by your family be a tremendous zechus for you and your entire family. Thank you. On the yard site of Reb Meir Zvi ben Reb Moshe Chaim Shuster zatzal, may this these these families and the thousands and thousands more be a tremendous zechus for your entire family. Rebbetzin Shuster, I thank you again for joining us here and for being mechazek us. We all We all got the message here. We understand that Reb Meir's message was one of taking responsibility for Yidden around the world and we all sitting here got that message. Be sure that we will continue the legacy, make him proud, and continue to be a zechus for him, for you, and your entire family.