The last of the last...R' Chaim Stein Ztl

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The art students were sitting on their little collapsable chairs with their easels before them. Their eyes intently studying the great masterpiece on the wall as their hands attempted to recreate it on the canvases before them.
Suddenly the great masterpiece was yanked off the wall before them leaving the students stunned and bewildered.
They had to finish their paintings but suddenly had nothing to copy. They struggled to remember details and turned to one another for guidance.

One cannot underestimate the enormous tragedy of the passing of my Rebbe and Rosh Yeshiva R' Chaim Stein Ztl.
He was a masterpiece from an earlier time.
He was witness to worlds that are quickly fading from our memory.

He was the last of the last..
It's as if someone from 1000 years ago just passed away for all practical purposes.

I close my eyes and see the twinkle in his eyes.
That big big heart that felt everyones pain and joy.
The fire that made his whole body flicker and simmer when he would daven.

He had an eternal quality..perpetual youth..and stamina.

But for all of Klal Yisrael he was a living window into our past. And now..all we have are words...


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