Rebbe Rebbe

ally call and ask why I am not in yeshiva, as he did to many others.

When the Rav con-
cluded giving me chat-
tan classes before my
wedding, he looked me
straight in the eyes and
said, “Yakhiel, just be a
mensch!” Somewhat
understanding Rav
Walkin Zt”l’s perfection
as a Yid, those words
meant so much more than just that. Furthermore, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Rav had an emergency and couldn’t make it to my wedding. Months went by and the Rav caught me at another talmid’s wedding, grabbed my hands and said “Yakhiel, this is for your wedding” and we danced a bit. This just shows Rav was always just mindful of other people, lifting the spirits of others.

The Rav had a unique sense of humor, jokingly heading out of yeshiva if we did not return a smile first thing in the morning, only to come zooming back in to start another day of teaching Torah. He always knew how to put a smile on our faces.

One of the Rav’s teachings that really stuck with me was when he said: “If you want to quote Rav Walkin in 100