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JULY 2, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
B
aruch, It is hard to believe you are no longer with us. Ever yone loved you. Many would say you were a “great guy,” the ultimate nondescript praise. But the truth is, you were. You were great! GREAT! Our exceptional parents, Rav Ephraim and Rebbetzin Shlomis Eisenberg, raised us to speak in a refined manner. They didn’t appreciate that expression. But Baruch, you were indeed great... and also one of the boys. You were approachable and humble and easygoing and relaxed and upbeat…and the list goes on and on. You were everything. You never looked down on others and never thought more of yourself. With your effervescent smile, you looked to share your goodness with so many. As your brother-in-law, Yehuda, said, “He was a ‘noach’ (comfortable) person; it was ‘noach’ to be around him, and he caused others to be ‘noach.’”
Simchas Hachaim Baruch’s demeanor was positive and optimistic. He had a deep sim-
chas hachaim. He greeted everyone with a warm smile and a wave, a firm handshake, or a hug. Always with a kind word, a positive remark, or a witty response, Baruch enjoyed a good joke and knew how to say just the right comment to make another person think to himself, “My day just got better!” He was wholesome and genuine. One of his sisters put it this way: “He didn’t worry about what others thought of him. Maybe that’s why he was able to focus on others.” Another sister fondly remembers the way Baruch would lift his arms and greet her and her husband with an exuberant “Baruch haba” whenever they came for Shabbos and the caring way he would answer her weekly “Gut Shabbos” texts. He found joy and humor in places where others may have only seen ordinary happenings. He was the favorite family speaker, and even the younger kids waited for his speeches at every family simcha. Although he certainly realized that we all appreciated his terrific sense of humor, he never brought attention to himself; he was modest and unassuming. Baruch enhanced our Shabbos tables and family get-togethers with his
quick wit and interesting stories but all was given over in an unpretentious manner. He would chuckle, his eyes would crinkle, he would tilt his head back and he would nod toward us... and just like that, a closeness was created.
Acceptance Baruch was accepting of whatever came his way and happily made the best of things. His mottos of “It’s all good!” and “Life is great!” were accompanied by his trademark smile, which showed he really meant what he said. We can all testify that Baruch was never a complainer. Rav Naftali Jaeger, rosh yeshiva of Sh’or Yoshuv, mentioned his “sever panim yafos,” how he didn’t let on to others the challenges he was going through. Why make others suffer? He made light of his ordeals, finding humor even in difficult situations. Who can forget that Shabbos we spent together in Passaic shortly after a procedure that left a visible scar on his forehead? He was so uncomfortable going to shul like that, but he took it in stride. When he came back and we wondered aloud how he’d handled the discomfort, his reply was classic. “I didn’t wait for anyone to ask. When
they looked at me, I told them, ‘Don’t try snowboarding; it’s not worth it!’”
With a Cheshbon But it was more than acceptance and humor. There was also the aspect of elevating his life. Our uncle, Rav Yankel Reisman, mentioned how Baruch asked him about putting on tefillin after that same procedure. Uncle Yankel connected Baruch’s attachment to mitzvos to a vort (based on the Olelos Ephraim), about the nesiim (from Parshas Naso, the parasha of his petirah). Though they all brought the same offering when the Mishkan was set up, the Torah details each nasi’s gift separately. According to the Ramban, this is because every one of them had a different kavanah. Our father, Rav Ephraim Eisenberg, zt”l, would say, “Lots of people do the same actions, but their intentions are individual. What each person has in mind identifies him.” And regarding Baruch, Uncle Yankel asserted, “Baruch looked like any other person who put on tefillin, but his kavanos were unique to him!” R’ Aaron Landsberg, his brother-in-law, recalled Baruch’s aufruf, where Rav Yaakov Weinberg, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, discussed how Hashem blesses us when
