Last year, I had the privilege of composing Donny Morris’s MTA yearbook bio. Having known Donny almost my whole life, it was easy to write the introduction and body. However, I wasn’t exactly sure how to close it off. It was nearly impossible for me to put to paper what Donny would do in the future. I closed the bio with something along the lines of “You will be a rabbi and an inspiration to the future of klal Yisrael.”
Donny, you exceeded any expectations in your time on this earth. I remember the first time we were chavrusas in ninth grade, we made a siyum on Masechet Eruvin. The expression on your face was indescribable and you could not have been more overjoyed. I noticed this passion wasn’t only when you made a siyum, but really any time you were involved in learning Torah.
The annual Yeshiva University seforim sale was one of your highlights of the school year. Not only because there was a plethora of seforim to purchase, but because you were able to assist all your friends in choosing the sefer that you knew would be beneficial to them.
In our ninth-grade Bekius shiur where we attempted to learn Mesechet Moed Katan, there were so many lines that you drilled into my head that I will never forget. One of which happens to be in this week’s Parsha, Behar-Bechukotai, “U’vashana hashivi’it shabbat shabbaton yihiye la’aretz shabbat laHashem sadcha lo tizra v’charmcha lo tizmor.”
I’m going to be honest; I don’t remember all that much of Moed Katan, but one thing I learned about Donny was his love for Shabbat. The Ibn Ezra explains the aforementioned pasuk to mean that Shabbat should be a solemn day of rest. Donny definitely took to the Ibn Ezra’s interpretation. Unlike most teenagers, Donny attended and ran the weekly hashkama minyan at his local shul for years. I remember when I went to Donny’s bar mitzvah, I was slightly annoyed to wake up for hashkama, but then I realized that Donny had been doing so consistently for years, leaving me in an utter state of admiration.
Donny, I now am certain that the way I concluded your yearbook biography was headed in the right track. You were more than just a rabbi; the Torah you learned and influenced others to learn is unmatched. This past week alone, hundreds of people globally have picked up another Mescheta, Seder or even just recited a Perek of Tehillim in your merit. נחמן דניאל בן אריה צבי, your impact will last eternally, and I hope to see you soon when we rejoice in the coming of Moshiach
Ikey Gutlove is a longtime contributor to The Jewish Link of New Jersey sports section and a lifelong friend of Donny Morris, z”l.
