In remembrance of our beloved Rabbi Emeritus Bradley Bleefeld

Rabbi Bradley Bleefeld, of blessed memory, was our Rabbi and guiding light from 2001 until his retirement in 2024.  Although it is impossible to fully capture his spirit, brilliance, humor, goodness, and his love of life, love of Torah, Israel and our congregation in a few paragraphs, the traditional words, “zichrono l’verocha, May his memory be a blessing” help us reflect on how he infused our hearts and lives with blessing.   

Rabbi Bleefeld’s spiritual leadership was a blessing in countless ways.  We were blessed in how he illuminated our lives, enriched our spirits, and taught us Torah. He shared his deep knowledge of Jewish learning and tradition, encouraging us, always challenging us to question and continue learning.  He taught us by example, from the pulpit, as a friend, and with his never-ending love for his wife, Merrie and his devotion to his family.  Whether as a travel guide in Israel, a master storyteller, drawing upon his endless trove of stories, or dressing up in outlandish costumes on Purim, his talent as a teacher was without limit.

He blessed us with his understanding of God.  He reminded us that when we each come forward with our most precious values:  honesty, integrity, compassion, love for life and mitzvot, and with our best questions and curiosity, this is how we build holiness in our hearts, in our kehillah and in society.  This, Rabbi Bleefeld told us, is how we may bring God to dwell among us.   He blessed us not only by leading our congregation, but being an inseparable part of our kehillah kedusha.

When he became ill, he blessed us with his example of strength – in his words, his “resoluteness.” He never stopped reminding us of the presence of God in the farthest reaches of the universe, the miracles of medical science and in the intimacy of our personal friendships.

When our congregation conferred the honor of Emeritus on him, Rabbi Bleefeld was as proud as if he had been appointed Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.  For him, it was an enduring testament to the love we shared. Nothing mattered more. When the time came for Rabbi Bleefeld to pass the Torah to Rabbi Rhoda Harrison, he blessed us with his wisdom in giving our new rabbi his selfless encouragement and support to connect, grow and flourish within our kehillah with joy and meaning.   

In the Babylonian Talmud there is a famous tribute said upon the death of revered scholars and sages:   “Chaval al de’avdin vela mishtakchin — Woe unto those who are lost and cannot be replaced.” (Sanhedrin 111a).  We are blessed that the beauty and strength of Rabbi Bleefeld’s teachings will continue to illuminate Temple Beth Hillel-Beth Abraham and each of our lives.  May his memory be a blessing.