From Boro Park to Lakewood
“I grew up in Boro Park,” he begins, “and I moved to Lakewood back in 2009. Over there, I davened together with Rabbi Dovid Rosenberg.”
Rabbi Rosenberg, one of Toras Avigdor’s longtime volunteers, made the introduction. “He was already a follower of Rabbi Miller, and I became close with him, and then I got into it myself.”
Soon after, Mrs. Guttman bought her husband an iPod filled with Rabbi Miller’s lectures.
“That was a gift a few years ago,” he says. “Every time I go to work, when I drive, I listen. I drive once or twice a week. I think I’ve heard almost a thousand shiurim.”
A thousand???
He shrugs it off. “I’ve been listening to those shiurim for the past few years almost every week.”
And like so many others who started listening, he soon found himself wanting to do more.
Thinking Out of the Box
Growing up, Rabbi Guttman had never heard of Rabbi Miller. Now he’d never give it up. With his chassidish background, he’s in a great position to spread Rabbi Miller’s Torah further.
Once a week, after work, he stops by Rabbi Rosenberg’s home to pick up Toras Avigdor booklets.
“He has all the boxes there. I pick up the copies, and then drop them off at two shuls, Belz and KTR (Khal Toms River).”
Between both shuls, he distributes about twenty to thirty copies each week. “It’s along my way,” he says simply. “Belz is my shul anyway, so it’s like a win-win, a real no-brainer to distribute it.”
Distributing eventually became second nature. At one point, Rabbi Guttman noticed a need for Yiddish copies. Since he was receiving only English ones, he decided to print a few copies in Yiddish on his own printer and distribute them. This has been going on for a few months now, and he has a number of grateful recipients.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Over time, those hours on the road listening to Rabbi Miller began to have an effect.
“It changed my life. It changed my outlook on just about everything, how I look at the world, how I approach things, what to do, what not to do. We need to appreciate everything.”
That appreciation isn’t abstract. It’s meant to be lived every moment of every day, and it’s classic Rabbi Miller.
“You go out, you take a breath. You breathe in the fresh air. You can breathe on your own. It’s a nes. You’re rich just for being able to breathe yourself without having to be hooked up to a machine. And you can enjoy the view, the blue sky, the green trees, wherever you go. You can live and enjoy life!”
The Simple Truth
When asked what message he’d share with readers, Rabbi Guttman demurs.
“I don’t qualify to speak in Rabbi Miller’s place,” he says, “but Rabbi Avigdor Miller speaks the truth, and if you want to find the truth, go listen to him.”
He may call himself a regular guy. But for dozens of readers each week, he’s the reason a little more truth finds its way into the world.
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thank you …..Old City Jerusalem Israel.