When we moved to Baltimore, 21 years ago, we looked at two houses: a nice house on a street with few frum families, and a house that needed “tender loving care” on a street with lots of frum families. What to do? After a few phone calls, the consensus was in: “location, location, location.” And that is how we ended up on Williamson Avenue. Baruch Hashem, we more or less fixed up the house. More importantly, we enjoy our neighbors immensely. One neighbor stands out, and we wanted to tell you about him, as we feel that there is so much to learn from Rabbi Reuven Lyss, z”l.
We’re sure that you have neighbors who wave hello and even say hello when you get into your car in the morning or come home at the end of the day. But did you ever have a neighbor who not only greeted you each time but flashed a big smile as well? And then asked not only how you were but how your whole family was doing? And when your neighbor asked about your family, did he or she mention each person and try to name them on their own?
That is a tall order, especially when you have lots of neighbors with big families, ka”h. But our neighbor, Rabbi Reuven Lyss, did all that. My younger daughter told me that even though she was a young girl, Rabbi Lyss always came over to say hello to her and chit chat. My son told me that Rabbi Lyss always made him feel important.
That is just the tip of the iceberg of Reuven Lyss. He really cared. He was the first to say hello to anyone, and his Shabbos table had all kinds of guests – frum and not necessarily as frum, healthy or challenged in some way. All people were equal and important in Reuven’s eyes.
Rabbi Lyss worked at Empire for over 30 years. At the shiva, we heard that many, many employees kept asking, “How is Rabbi Lyss feeling?” Everyone knew him, because he took an interest in them, their families, and their lives. He was an anav, a person with no airs, yet he was a tremendous talmid chacham. Everyone in Empire trusted him both as a shochet and a mashgiach. We heard stories about how he took extra time and care when he sharpened his shechita knife, and how dedicated he was to learning Torah.
Rabbi Lyss had a love for learning, and even when he was very sick he continued with his chavrusas. The last Friday before his petira (passing), there was a siyum on Meseches Brachos in the hospital, with a minyan. How appropriate for his last siyum to be on a mesechta with hilchos tefila (the laws of prayer), his special connection.
Rabbi Lyss had a special way with children. He learned with neighborhood boys and tested them on chemdas when he was able. As it got harder for him, Rabbi Lyss had the boys teach him mishnayos, and he made them feel really special.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Reuven was always so thankful to Hashem for all the good things in his life. Even during the difficult times of his illness, his family told us that he was often heard saying to them, “Baruch Hashem, Hashem is good to me.” Reuven had a special relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu (G-d). He loved the Eibishter, and knew that all that Hakadosh Baruch Hu did was for his own good. To see him daven and hear him articulate each word was unbelievable. He was ke’eved lifnai hamelech – like a servant before the king. The unconditional love his family speaks about is unmatched; it is another sign that showed his care for others.
We don’t know if we can do justice to our dear friend Reuven in one short article, but we’re sure we speak for all who knew him when we say that we will remember forever his simchas hachaim. Even now we smile to ourselves as we think about Reuven laughing with us and giving us one of his big greetings. We feel blessed to have known him and certainly privileged to write about him.
So please, le’iluy nishmas Reuven Peretz ben Getzel, let’s try to be makdim shalom – be the first one to say hello and greet each person besever panim yafos (a smile), be it at home, with neighbors, at work, in shul, at the park… anywhere. Let’s try to thank Hashem, as Rabbi Reuven Lyss did, and remember Reuven’s care for each person, because achdus (unity) is the key.
The writers thank Miriam Lyss and Chedva Reidler for their help with this article.
