There is so much I could say about Rabbi Kramer I hardly know where to start.
- Once one of the top doctors asked Rabbi Kramer: “Rabbi, you’re always making Mi Shebeirachs. How do you know it helps? Maybe it’s just a waste of time.” So Rabbi Kramer answered him, “Doctor, I’d like you to do some research and let me know if there’s anyone that has ever had side effects from the Mi Shebeirachs. The doctor was so impressed that could say nothing except express his admiration at the cleverness and quick response of Rabbi Kramer.
- Rabbi Kramer would help everyone at any time. He was never too busy even in the middle of the night he would take calls and listen to what people needed from him. I would learn with him at 12:30 at night and the phone would still be ringing at that time of the night. Not once, not twice, but almost all the time, the phone would not stop. And Rabbi Kramer would be there patiently and help the people who called. It may have been medical matters or other problems where Rabbi Kramer would advise about an expert doctor as required or a matter that needed to be sent to the Lubavitcher Rebbe urgently. Whatever it was, he knew what to do and how to handle the situation to the satisfaction and relief of the caller. It made no difference to him if the callers were friends, acquaintances, strangers or even detractors, the same urgency and attention was given to all.
- Rabbi Kramer took such pride in our Yiddishkeit and we felt so good that he used to come with his wife or others to visit our Succah every year from when we got married.
- It was on his inspiration and idea that we should have a Shiur in CSL and thanks to him we had a Shiur – first with Rabbi Shwei and then Rabbi Yurkovitch. It was all due to his influence.
- I can think of many vertlach and lessons he would say about the weekly Torah portion but one in particular comes to mind now from Parshas Emor: “Uvas ish Kohen… es oviha hi michalleles…” which means that the daughter of a Kohen who sins with immorality has profaned her father. Rabbi Kramer would say: you see, there is no such thing as a bad child, it’s a reflection on the parents. On a happier note, he once asked: what was the name of Achashverosh’s mother-in-law? It says clearly in Megillas Esther, vechamas hamelech shachacha. (The word chama means anger, but it can also be translated as mother-in-law. Hence one can translate it as “the anger of the king abated,” or “the mother-in-law of the king was Shachacha.)
This is the just the beginning, there is so much to say about Rabbi Kramer.
