By: Rabbi Yisroel Edelman
Deerfield Beach, FL
To the esteemed Popack family שיחיו
I would like to express my condolences upon
the loss of your husband, father and brother Reb Shmuel Isaac Halevi Popackע''ה . I had the pleasure and honor
of knowing Reb Shmuel Isaac from my earliest childhood. My parentsשי' are close friends and would
frequently visit the Popacks on our trips to NY. My father would always say
that when he came to Lubavitch in 1941 “Shmuel Isacc ran Lubavitch!” If anyone
needed anything, help or assistance in any area b’gashmius ub'ruchnius, he was
the one who got it done.
There are many memories which stand out in my mind which I would like to share. As a child going to NY, to the Rebbe, to 770 was an incredible experience but there were other incidents that made the trip even more memorable. One of them was the festivities in the packed (1/2) Sukka on the back porch on Crown Street where the food and drink was plentiful and Reb Shmuel Isaac was never at a loss for words! You felt the Yom Tov spirit expanding the walls of the Sukka!
The Popacks were visitors in our home as well. One summer they came to visit in our summer cottage on a lake in East Otis MA for a Shabbos. On Sunday the neighbors were water skiing on the lake and Reb Shmuel Isaac wanted to try skiing as well. Of course he did. I can see the indelible picture engraved in my mind of the boat surging forward in the water and Shmuel Isaac with Herculean efforts standing up… momentarily, and then flopping down into the lake, but he had a blast, as did we all! (If only we had a camera...).
Over the years Reb Shmuel Isaac would ask me about my pursuits and in the last two winters he and his wife יבלח''ט joined our community in Deerfield Beach FL. He would sit next to me at the Daf Yomi every day and constantly demonstrated his ever sharp mind and wit. Through his generous efforts Cholov Yisroel has become a staple at the Daf as well. He would regale me with stories of his personal interactions with the Rebbe throughout the years. There was a fire in his eyes and passion in his heart when he would relive those precious moments in a way that only a true Chosid is capable of. His ever present wit and charm left his mark on this community. We shall all miss him.
May you all continue in his ways ofצדקה וחסד and merit to see the גאולה בקרוב ממש.
