Rabbi Michael Eliezer Forshlager
מיכאל אליעזר ב"ר אברהם משה הכהן
Ga'on of BaltimoreDate of Death:
Tue. October 28, 1958 -
Cheshvan 15 5719
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Directions to Kever: B'nai Israel Cemetery in Baltimore, MD maintains computerized records and will provide assistance upon request. Location: Enter from Southern Avenue, follow round around the chapel, and stay to the left. Make the first left after the chapel and go to the first crossroad. The kever is on the right side.
Name Listed on Cemetery Database: Forshlager
Biographical Notes:
Photo Caption: Rabbi Michael Eliezer Forshlager (wearing hat), Credit: Needed
Credit: Dovid Emanuel Feinberg
Credit: S. Schecter, Baltimore, MD
Credit: S. Schecter, Baltimore, MD
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Read YD Miller’s post @ the end for the location:
http://www.ivelt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=339323#p339323
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=7493&st=&pgnum=6
Harav Michoel Forshlager, zt”l – A Gaon in Baltimore
http://www.wherewhatwhen.com/read_articles.asp?id=753
Wow! Very interesting read, Farshlufen. What a Torah giant, how come he wasn’t known.
Rav Forshlager was known to those who knew. A Gaon Olam, and tremendous Masmid. He was a talmid of the Avnei Nezer. Unfortunately, “gornisht geblibben” from his children…
Rav Forshlager is buried in the cemetery on Southern Avenue. He is buried on a corner towards the left side of the cemetery. The kever is a brownish stone. His wife is buried behind him. Other Baltimoreons of note buried in that row are Harry K. Wolpert and Chester Siegel.
Harry K. Wolpert, if I’m not mistaken, was known as Koppel Kelemer, he came from Kelm, and learned by Reb Boruch Ber in the years 1904-1910, when the Yeshiva was still in Slabodka.
There is a tape of Rav Gifter visiting him during the ’80’s, when he was close to 100 years old. He says amazing stories about Reb Boruch Ber, some of them from his visit in America in 1929.
Maybe we can get a picture of Reb Koppel’s kever?
To Curios: There are several direct descendants of HaGaon Rav Forshlager who are Bnei Torah, besides extended family and talmidei talmidim.
To Farshlufen: Rav Forshlager is 3rd from the right against the wall in the picture you posted. (small beard). BTW, all pictures of him were taken w/o his consent.
To All: Avnei Choshen Foundation was formed to “Motzi Laor” all the Ksavim of Harav Forshlager. Contributions and Ideas graciously accepted. Write to me at rabbiamf@gmail.com.
Reb Avrum, I’m so glad to hear!
Thanks.
יהי זכרו ברוך
Location:
3701 Southern Ave
Baltimore MD 21206
To get to the kevar directions are:
Enter the cemetery from the Southern Ave entrance. A chapel will be directly in front of you. Stay to the left (do not turn left) and go around the chapel. Make the first left after the chapel and go to the first cross road. The kevar will be at the corner on your right side. Its brownish red.
Newspaper (quality) portrait:
http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/print.php?ARTICLE_ID=35276
Click & scroll down for a Picture of Rav Forschlager ZT”L giving a Shiur:
http://bnaiisraelcongregation.org/history.php
http://www.baltimorejewishlife.com/news/print.php?ARTICLE_ID=35276
Photo of the Matzeive
Here is a new article about this Gaon. http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=1&ARTICLE_ID=65886
Rav Aaron z’l said he was the greatest Gaon in America
Not to be disrespectful of Rav Forschlager zt”l, however, every third person is said to have been conferred “the greatest Gaon in America” by Rav Aharon ztl.
Here’s a three page review of Rav Forshlager’s sefer תורת מיכאל by Rabbi Israel Tabak from HaDarom of Tishrei 5728 (pp. 218-220 of the original).
https://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=28515&st=&pgnum=224
Rabbi Tabak was rav of Shaarei Zion from 1931 to 1976 so he knew Rav Forshlager in Baltimore for over 25 years. R. Tabak mentions that the gabbai of his shul was the bookbinder who bound Rav Forshlager’s כתבי יד and the latter would drop off a new batch to bind every year before Pesach.
Headstone translation:
Beneath the ‘touching-hands’ symbolism, typical for a Cohen –
Here [lies] buried / the crown upon our heads has been removed / upon the taking from us the pillar of / Torah, prayer/worship and acts of lovingkindness¹ / of spirituality, a double portion² / saintly³ in the priestly order / behold this righteous person, behold this humble person / the Rabbi, the great Gaon⁵ / intellectually-acute and well-versed in all aspects⁶ of Torah / devoted nights as days to study and to teach / author of more than forty books / in all Torah subjects of the ‘PaRDeS-orchard’ / Maran Reb⁸ Michael Eliezer /son of Reb Avraham Moshe, the Cohen, of blessed memory / Forshlager / died on the 4th day [of the Jewish week] 15th Marcheshvan 5719 / may his soul be bound in the bond of [eternal] life.
¹ Shimon the Righteous was from the remnants of the Great Assembly. He would say, “On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on prayer/worship and on acts of lovingkindness.” [Ethics of the Fathers, Pirkei Avot, 1:2]
² When they had crossed, Eliyahu said to Elisha: “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha replied: “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” [2 Kings 2:9]
³ saintly or pious amongst Cohanim or, referring to a Chassidic background, a Chassid amongst Cohanim
⁴ the word הֵי or הַי is Talmudic-Aramaic for ‘behold’, as if pointing a finger in the direction of somebody or something
⁵ Gaon is a superior honorific for a Rabbi – literally a genius or a prodigy
⁶ literally ‘rooms’
⁷ PaRDeS is the transliterated acronym פרד”ס which stands for פשט, רמז, דרש, סוד – the four methods of biblical exegesis. As a word, פרדס means orchard, referring to the abundance of its fruit.
⁸ the title ‘מרן ר is another superlative honorific for a Rabbi
⁹ civil date that year was October 28-29, sunset to sunset, 1958