Rav Benny Eisner ז"ל, who lived on campus at BMT, well in my year of 85-86, was like the campus father. I never took his classes, but he would give classes on specific subjects and would sit and learn with us while we used to sit on the roof top doing what teenagers do when they are hanging out.
He would always have students over and his family was ours. His kids were everywhere and if you had something on your mind he was always listening.He ran a number of Shabbat programs where the students, including myself, would go to different cities and settlements to help new immigrants and less religious areas to help them love Israel and Judaism.
He wanted everyone to love each other and especially other Jews and Israelis. He learned with Rav Kook and was there when Jerusalem was reunited.
Over the years I had seen him when I was in Israel, sometimes by accident other times when visiting. Sadly I have not been back in 10 years and did not keep up with him so well. Friends in Israel did and hard to believe one student from 20+ years ago would still be in his mind, but I was.
He died from Cancer which is really not the way someone who cared so much for others should go, but that is for God to decide and for us to accept and live on.
It is appropriate then that Rav benny passed when this week's Parsha from the Torah is from Lech Lecha where God tells Abraham to go to the land he will inherit. Why not say Israel? Because we were destined to love it not for it's name or location but because it was a gift from God and we should always love it. Indeed Rav Benny taught us this much.
Rav Dovid Miller gave this Hesped. And a nice overview of his influence here.
I may not remember all the Rabbi's or people I met that year, but Rav Benny was someone you could never forget.
Shabbat Shalom
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