1. His Clarity in Torah Learning
One of the defining qualities of R’ Ezra was the crystal clarity with which he approached Torah. I remember sitting with him one Friday night at his oneg when he shared a line that left a lasting impression on me. He said,
“A person shouldn’t learn Chumash as a mussar sefer. Rather, he should learn it the same way he learns a Gemara sugya — to truly understand the machlokes between Rashi and the Ramban.”

That perspective completely changed how I viewed learning. To him, every pasuk and every Rashi were to be studied with precision — with the same rigorous analysis as a Tosfos.

When it came to learning Gemara, he instilled in me the value of deep understanding and focus. He would say to first learn the words of the Gemara, Rashi, and Tosfos very well. The clearer one becomes on those three, the clearer the sugya becomes. In shiur, he modeled that approach — focusing purely on those core texts, extracting every nuance. That method gave me a profound appreciation for the beauty and depth of Torah learning, an appreciation that continues to guide me until today.

2. His Love and Care for His Talmidim
Equally striking was his genuine love for his talmidim. He didn’t just teach us Torah — he cared about us deeply as individuals.

I remember when I got engaged. R’ Ezra was walking through the yeshiva hallway, and when he saw me, his whole face lit up. With a big smile, he exclaimed, “Chasandenan! How are you?” That warmth was so real and personal.

Years later, when I was sitting shiva for my father, z'l, in New York, I received a message from one of the kollel yungeleit that R’ Ezra wanted to come but wasn’t able to make it. I appreciated the thought — but the next day, at 3:00 PM, there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, to my utter shock, there stood R’ Ezra himself. He had driven all the way from Baltimore just to be menachem avel me. He sat with me for half an hour, offering words of comfort. When I told him how surprised I was that he came, he simply said, “I rescheduled my day. I felt it was really important to come.” That moment captured who he was — someone whose love for his talmidim was not theoretical, but expressed through real, heartfelt action.

Even during my years in kollel, he would ask about my life in the most sincere way — not just polite conversation, but real interest. He wanted to understand each of us, to connect, to care.

3. His Closeness to Hakadosh Baruch Hu
There was his deep connection to Hashem.

At his Friday night oneg, we would sing together with such ruach. One time, as I began the niggun Modeh Ani Lefanecha, I glanced at him and saw something unforgettable. He had lifted his hands in the air, eyes closed, swaying as he sang. In that moment, it truly felt as if he and Hashem were singing together. The purity of his avodah was palpable.

Even in lighter moments, his Torah knowledge and depth shone through. Once, I came to him with a klal question and jokingly added, “Sheker and Chanifus wanted to come into the Teivah, but Noach told them they’d have to get married first. They did, and they gave birth to politics.” Without missing a beat, R’ Ezra smiled and immediately showed me a Daas Zekeinim in Parshas Noach, showing that even in jest, there’s Torah to be found.

4. His Understanding of His Talmidim
And finally, another remarkable quality of R’ Ezra was his deep understanding of each talmid — how well he could see a person’s inner strengths and guide them toward their true tafkid.

At one point, I was offered a position to serve as Executive Director of a yeshiva. It was the first time such an opportunity had come my way, and truthfully, it didn’t feel like something I wanted to do. The offer bothered me, and I went to R’ Ezra to ask his advice.

He looked at me and said something I’ll never forget:
“Binyamin, if I weren’t in the yeshiva, I probably would have been an accountant for the government, pushing numbers. If you weren’t in the yeshiva, you would have been a businessman. What’s the closest thing to that in klal work? Being an Executive Director. This is how you can use the kochos that Hashem gave you.”

Hearing that from him gave me tremendous clarity. It helped me see that this was, in fact, what Hashem wanted me to do — to use the talents I had in a way that could benefit the tzibbur.

That was R’ Ezra, ZT'L — a rebbe whose mind was full of Torah, whose heart was full of love, and whose life was full of Hashem.

Yehi zichro baruch.