Rabbi Joel Grossman delivered a moving farewell shiur to students and faculty at TABC last week as he prepares to retire after 30 years of teaching at the school. Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yosef Adler gave a moving introduction in which he captured Rabbi Grossman’s stature as a world class mechanech.

In his remarks, Rabbi Grossman detailed his lifelong commitment to every single talmid as an extension of his mesorah from his rebbeim, Rabbis Soloveitchik and Alpert, as well as the fulfillment of the specific bracha he received from the Rav that he be “marbeh b’shiurim.” Weaving together quotes from the Talmud and remarkable stories, Rabbi Grossman emphasized the need to treat each person with the highest regard—“leolam yehe adam.” He described how that charge, from Masechet Sanhedrin, has guided him to focus on who he was teaching not what he was teaching. The results speak for themselves. His students have understood his deep commitment to their success and have maintained a relationship with him ever since. Rabbi Grossman concluded with a charge to each and every one present to carry on his mission and stay connected.