Chaim Meir Garelik
Rabbi Chaim Meir Garelik (1895 - 27 Shevat 1976) was a distinguished Chassidic educator who spread Judaism as a shliach of the Rebbe in the Crimean region of Russia, and after his departure - in Kfar Chabad.
Life History[edit | edit source]
Born in 1895 in the town of Binda (Boida), to his father Rabbi Ben Zion Gerlik and his mother Mrs. Esther Minia Ettel.
At age 7 he was orphaned from his father, and in his youth studied at Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch in the court of the Rebbe Rashab, which he arrived at following his brother Yehuda Aryeh Leib.
Later he recounted about his first days in 'Tomchei Tmimim' in the presence of the Rebbe Rashab:
"Being a young lad when I first arrived in Lubavitch to the Rebbe Rashab, I remained standing in my place without moving. The Rebbe began to daven, slowly and with a heartfelt niggun, and the voice of his pleasant prayer penetrated my heart—the heart of an orphaned boy. The deep excitement that enveloped me while I heard the sounds of the Rebbe's niggunim during prayer remained etched in my memory long afterward. At that moment, I firmly decided – this is the holiest and purest place in the world! From my exhaustion, I approached one of the tables and fell asleep beside it, with the pleasant prayer ringing in my ears and absorbed in my memory for all the days of my life."
Upon reaching marriageable age, he married his wife Mrs. Rivka Leah, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Rivlin.
He was a shochet and bodek (ritual slaughterer and inspector) and one of the Frierdiker Rebbe's shluchim in remote areas of Soviet Russia, in order to spread Judaism underground and in hiding, including cities in Kazakhstan, and maintained contact and visits with the Rebbe's father, Reb Levik, in Alma Ata.
During that period, he wanted to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael and requested permission from the Frierdiker Rebbe. The Rebbe asked him about his wife's opinion, and when he answered affirmatively, the Rebbe asked about his children's views. Rabbi Gerlik went home and asked his daughter Hadassah, who was then about four years old; Hadassah happily agreed. After that, he asked his daughter Yocheved, who was then about one year old, who shook her head in disagreement. When he returned to the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Rebbe told him not to travel, because of his shlichus in Crimea, so as not to leave the Jews of Crimea without a rabbi (leader), and blessed him with long life, and also promised him that he would be buried on the Mount of Olives.
During World War II, he migrated to Tashkent where he engaged in teaching and raised many students with his pedagogical talents.
In 1946, he left Russia in the Great Exodus, and made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. Upon arriving in the Holy Land, he lived in Kfar Chabad and engaged in education and teaching, while simultaneously taking risks to perform corrections and proofreading of Torah scrolls in settlements and kibbutzim, endangering himself and dedicating hours upon hours of his personal time.
He passed away on 27 Shevat 1976 and was buried in the cemetery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
His Sons[edit | edit source]
- Rabbi Gershon Mendel Gerlik - the Rebbe's shliach and rabbi of Milan, Italy.
- Rabbi Ben Zion Gerlik.
His Daughters[edit | edit source]
- Mrs. Hadassah, wife of R' Yosef Perman.
- Mrs. Yocheved Zalmanov, wife of R' Yisrael Yitzchak