Stories & Memories of Rabbi Zalman Baras

By: Anonymous March 13

A True Chossid

I don't even know where to begin. Rabbi Baras just wasn't your average teacher. He was someone that was Emes from beginning to end. As he would tell us many times in class, how the word Emes has the first, middle and last letters of the Aleph Beis, because the truth always stands out.

I'll never forget the first time I met him. It was the beginning of Shiur Alef Mesivta, and this very warm person with a huge smile on his face which is unforgettable, and after asking my name happily told me how he was going to be my teacher.

His method of teaching was that everyone should be able to understand what they learn properly no matter how long it would take, and it wouldn't ever bother him to go over something 100 times as long as everyone would get the piece of Gemara/Tanya. He would never shy away from a question, rather he encouraged it. He was someone that lived what he taught. It was never about quantity, rather all that mattered was the quality and what came out of our learning.

As a person he was a true Chossid that was completely Mekushar to the Rebbe. One of his biggest Inyonim which he koched in was the Mammer of Vato Tetzave. He would always tell us how it was the last Mammer that the Rebbe gave out and how we have to live the Mammer. With this I have to say a story:

After Pesach in Shiur Gimmel, it was decided that Rabbi Baras would teach Shiur Beis and Gimmel together. He taught the Mammer Vato Tetzave in a very in depth way so we can understand every part of the Mammer perfectly. But we were a bunch of troublemakers and would make it extremely difficult for him. It came to a point where he became really upset, because no matter what incentives he gave people wouldn't listen. It gave him alot of Agmas Nefesh. In Elul, after I came to Zal, I was thinking about how it wasn't right that we weren't involved and that we were giving him alot of Agmas Nefesh. So, I called him and asked for Mechila for the way that I acted. He responded by saying that he was never bothered at all and that he was never upset at us. This came to show me how much of an understanding person he was, who truly understood Bochurim for what they are.

One year on Chof Zayin Adar there was a live stream around the world of an event in 770, and alot of Bochurim were disturbing the Zal, playing around etc. He got up in middle and started saying that if you want to leave the Zal you can, but before you do, tell the Rebbe I don't care!! It wasn't about him that he was getting upset, but it bothered him that as Chassidim, we have a Rebbe, and that's at the end of the day what it's all about.

He was someone that whenever you spoke to him, it felt like he was in your situation together with you. To me one of the reasons why I was able to call Cincinnati yeshiva a home, is because of someone like Rabbi Baras.

I miss him dearly. I still can't believe that this person of Emumah and Bitochon is no longer with us. His essence, Eidelkeit, Chassidishkeit, Lebedikeit, and Varemkait will always have a big impact on me.

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