BDE: Reb Aron Rosenwasser, Z"L

   We are saddened to inform of the petira of Reb Aron Rosenwasser, a”h, who was described as a “friend to all” by his longtime rabbi, Rav Aaron Glick. 

   In addition to davening every Shabbos at the Kaminitz shul, where Reb Rosenwasser’s levaya took place today, he was also a longtime member of two other shuls that are all within one block of each other. Mr. Rosenwasser davened for Shachris by Manestritch and Mincha/Maariv by Congregation Bais Yisroel. 

  Rav Aaron Glick, the rabbi of the Kamenitz shul, knew Reb Rosenwasser, a”h, as he davened by Kamenitz for 40 years, during which 15 of those years, Rav Glick has been the shul’s leader. Reb Rosenwasser also regularly attended the Boro Park Senior Center, where Rabbi Glick teaches Ein Yaakov, Parsha, and Halacha shiurim.

   “He was a wonderful listener who taped, wrote up, and typed every single shiur he heard,” said Rabbi Glick, who said Reb Rosenwasser was “very humble, a fine person, who would never hurt a fly, run away from machlockes, and was trying to do good for everyone around him.”

   Another very nice middah of Reb Rosenwasser was that he didn’t complain.

 “He accepted things the way they were,” said Rabbi Glick admiringly. “For instance, something important in Mr. Rosenwasser’s apartment didn’t work for 15 years. He complained about it once, but it never got fixed. Eventually, he just changed apartments.”

   Something else that Rabbi Glick admired about Mr. Rosenwasser was that he was a baal teshuva, who turned himself into a talmid chochom. 

    Rabbi Glick explained that in his 30s, Reb Rosenwasser had been a non-frum competitive swimmer, who was becoming very successful when his father passed away, and he realized he did not know how to say Kaddish. 

   “He had not learned Hebrew, but he had a very good brain,” Rabbi Glick said. “He became a learned man, who learned Gemara and Halacha, and learned many hours a day. He learned a lot, and it was amazing to what levels he reached. He didn’t read the news or use the Internet. Reb Rosenwasser was fully Torah.” 

   Just two Shabboses ago, Reb Rosenwasser came to the Kamenitz shul to daven, but “he used all his koichos,” to come see the plaque that showed that he had dedicated the funds to sponsor Parshas Bereshis for a new sefer Torah that the shul is dedicating to members they have lost this year to coronavirus and other reasons.  

   “When Reb Rosenwasser saw his plaque, he was very happy,” Rabbi Glick said. “We blessed him that he should be zocheh to be able to come to shul when we dedicate our new sefer Torah, at Shavous time.”

   Rabbi Glick added that friends of Reb Rosenwasser and others can donate to the Kamenitz shul’s new sefer Torah, which they hope to have by Shavous, by e-mailing him at [email protected] or by calling or texting, (347) 865-1966.

   Reb Rosenwasser, who is survived by his sister Elaine Chase, who was very proud of him and very close to him, will be buried in Har HaZeisim in Yerushaylim. 

 Yehi zichro boruch.