I was too young and stupid at the time to appreciate Rav Oratz's holiness or scholarship.  But I do remember an incident about 35 years ago, when I was in the Head Counselor's office for some reason.  Rav Oratz was in an intensive discussion with someone, (perhaps, Dr. Josh Daniels) about the significance of music as a path to deep spiritual expression.  I remember Rav Oratz excitedly speaking about how music has potential to touch ruchaniyut in a unique manner.  I remember him saying that when the song בלבבי משכן אבנה appeared he felt we had reached a new level of spiirtual expression.

This conversation has been embedded in my memory.  It was meaningful for me to hear, and perhaps it sheds a tiny addition on understanding what a beautiful man he was.  יהי זכרו ברוך

Remembering Pesach Oratz

How do I remember Pesach?

In addition to all of his other virtues as a true friend, a real mensch, a funny and delightful conversationalist, and an outstanding Talmid Chacham he was, if I can state it as succinctly as I can, simply the smartest person I've ever known in my life among my contemporaries.

It seemed to me whenever we spoke about any subject, be it in the realm of Torah or of Madah, that he was fully conversant with the most intricate and esoteric aspects of the topic. When it came to matters that touched on Jewish writings he could immediately quote by heart lengthy portions together with personal commentary that clarified things I thought I knew but never really fully understood until Pesach added his insights.

One particular story stands out in my mind. We were sitting on the porch of the building in which he spent so many summers at Camp Morasha. As would often happen, Pesach went off on a brilliant dissertation that began with the comments of the Netziv - one of his most beloved M’forshim on the Torah - and to which he then added a series of dazzling illustrations and extremely relevant proof texts. I was awed by this magnificent display of his intellectual prowess. But what happened next is what will ever remain with me as the most beautiful demonstration of Pesach’s true greatness. Our conversation had to come to an end because Pesach was scheduled to teach a group of campers - a group that was a particular favorite of his and whose members loved Pesach probably more than any other teacher. Yes, after sharing with me the kind of Torah exemplifying a true GODOL, Pesach went to teach the Nitzis, the youngest group of campers who were on the Alef/Bet level of learning. I sat in on that class and simply could not get over how one and the same person could reach intellectual heights unimaginable one moment and then, through an act that I can only compare to divine TZIMTSUM, bring himself down to the level required by little children. I thought about it for some time and I finally figured out how Pesach was able to do it. The true secret of his teaching was that he passed on his passion for Torah even more than the content - and that passion was fully absorbed by the minds of those first graders in the same way that college students and adults treasured his teachings.

There were many times that his students shared with me their conviction that he was not only the best teacher they ever had but probably the best teacher they ever would have for the rest of their lives.

What I can say in all honesty is that I share that feeling - because although Pesach and I would have defined our relationship as very close and dear friends I always knew in the back of my mind that he was also my teacher, a man I looked up to as someone capable of teaching me a great deal and capable of serving as an ongoing inspiration.

I remember the first time I met Rabbi Oratz, as an older Nitzi. He told us a story about a treasure under a bridge in Cracow. Each year, we heard the same story, and each year, I loved the story even more. Although I cannot believe he's gone, his memory will be in our hearts forever, just like his story of Cracow. He was an amazing and holy man whose presence in Camp Morasha will be missed so much this summer, and for all those summers to come. 

While I haven't seen or spoken to Rabbi Oratz in a good may years, I couldn't help but shed a few tears upon learning of his passing.  (Like everything else in my life,) I didn't appreciate the great teachers I was surrounded by in Morasha for the umpteen summers I attended and heaven knows I never paid attention during anyone's shiur.  But I was lucky enough to have failed 7th grade halacha which led to Rabbi Oratz tutoring me that following summer: to this day, I remember every halacha of Krias Shma not just due to his teaching but the way he taught it, the demeanor with which he spoke to me, an uninterested-in-learning-torah shtili.  But based on the postings below, my feelings aren't unique, which only lends to his greatness.  We're all better people for having been in his presence.        

One can't expect their summer as a waiter to be a meaningful one. But Baruch Hashem I was lucky. I had the zechut to be a waiter for Rabbi and Rebbetzin Oratz. Just being in Rabbi Oratz's presence was inspiring. When I walked up close to him to hear his few requests (mainly cinnamon or plain hot water which I couldn't always get because Rebbetzin Richter got it first), I simply felt holier and closer to Hashem. I remember trying to sneak next to him while he recited his soft, most captivating brachot to have the ability to answer Amen to a tzaddik's bracha. I can speak for my friends too when I say he had the most beautiful smile we've ever seen. It literally filled the room with light and you couldn't help smiling yourself. But besides this unbelievable kedusha that was emanating from him, it awed me how much Torah he knew. Rabbi Oratz led the BMP in Kinot on Tisha B'Av. Despite his age (and sitting on a milk crate), Rabbi Oratz’s gevura was boundless. His words of mussar were so powerful that I can still hear them ringing in my ears today, and the fact that he was able to qoute Tanach like we can say Shema only added to this amazing energy. After Tisha B’Av, my friend said to me "Rabbi Oratz rocked those kinot," and I couldn't agree more. I learned from Rabbi Oratz how to live, learn, and speak like a Jew. My expectations as a waiter were completely wrong.

tehai nishmato tzerura b'tzror ha'chayim

Nati Abittan

One thing that always will remain in my heart is a memory of a Shabbat Afternoon that I spent with Rabbi Oratz.

I was only about 12 years old, and I had been learning with Rabbi Oratz and my bunkmates in a scheduled Shabbat afternoon learning group. After the group was over, a few of us went back with him to his lodge on campus. I will never forget the warmth and kindness he extended us that afternoon. Rabbi Oratz offered us pretzels and chips, and he told us stories of Torah and Rabbeim throughout the afternoon. I remember his gentle smile looking over at us. He gave us his undivided attention, and that attention alone made us feel very special, like we were the most important people to him at that moment.  It was such a nice afternoon.

Soon, it was getting late and shabbat was ending, but it was just starting to rain. Without hesitation, Rabbi Oratz offered us to let us stay indefinitely in his lodge until the rain stopped. To this day, the warmth of his smile and kindness of his heart has made a lasting impression upon me. Rabbi Oratz's middot are a model in my life and, in my mind, should be a model for all to strive for.

Every single morning, Rabbi Oratz and I gave eachother  a big "Shalom Aleichem." Rabbi Oratz always came up with good ideas.  He came up with a "sheayla" at the meals. He gave us a long time to think about it.  Rabbi Oratz told us that he saw Rav Kanievsky on Sukkos.  He told us that he walked into the sukkah and he saw that Rav Kanievsky's face was shining from all of the Torah that he learned. I learned from this story that if you learn Torah Hashem will give you good stuff.  If there were thirty seconds left to shiur and a daycamper asked if shiur was over, Rabbi Oratz was very careful to teach for thirty more seconds. He wanted to keep on learning Torah.  I really liked shiur.  I really like that Rabbi Oratz was my teacher.  He always told interesting stories and showed us nice things that explained and went with the Parsha.  Rabbi Oratz always spoke to me in such a gentle way.  I feel so sad that Rabbi Oratz pased away.

Rabbi Oratz was my rebbe for four summers.  Rabbi Oratz was a very dignified man.  Rabbi Oratz loved Torah.  Not only what he taught but the words and tone that Rabbi Oratz used showed how much he loved the Torah.  Rabbi Oratz did not allow any interruptions during shiur.  He made sure that we stayed on topic.  I liked his stories.  They made the lessons exciting and even more meaningful.  Rabbi Oratz told me that my middle name, Isaac is an acronym for Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov Zera Kodesh.

I had the privilege of knowing Rabbi Oratz Z'TL for the past 16 summers.  He and his wife Chani were our table mates for several of those summers.  I watched as he taught my day campers as well as the older children in camp.  They ALL loved him.  Rabbi Oratz spoke softly but the power of his words was tremendous.  Each word was well thought out and carried a message.  Rabbi Oratz was a truly humble man.  One would watch him as he walked around camp and stopped to talk to people.  He had the respect of everyone. 

Rabbi Oratz had a wonderful sense of humor.  He was witty and entertaining.  We would sit on our porch together Friday nights discussing politics and world events as well as parsha and the events in camp.  Rabbi Oratz possessed a breadth of knowledge in all subject areas.  What I will miss most of all though is his connection to our family.  I had the privilege of having Rav Oratz teach my grandson and having my son-in-law on the Ed staff with him.  He also taught my daughter-in-law and daughter as well as my sons.   He shepped nachas from them all as if they were his own mishpacha.  Rabbi Oratz was a true tzaddik and I was honored to spend my summers in the shadow of such a tzaddik. I will truly miss him. May his memory be a blessing.

My first encounter with Rabbi Oratz TZ"L was as a 6th grader in HAFTR. He had me sit right next to his desk to keep me in line. He kept my attention throughout and after a while I felt like he was givng me a private shiur. His wit and sense of humor were right on point. he explained things in a way no one else could. I never missed one of his classes. later on, at after my year in Israel when i was a counselor in morasha i had the Z'chus to hear him give Divrei Torah and then aga in at stern.  My oldest son spent a summer at Morasha kollel where he too became enamored with Rabbi Oratz ZT"L.I wish all my children had the privelege of learning Torah with him and that all marbitzei Torah had his chen and ability to reach students.

Rabbi Oratz was more than just a shiur teacher who taught me for a 45 minute period numerous times during my tenure at Camp Morasha.  He was more than just a lecturer in Stern, helping me fulfill my "Bible requirement." Rabbi Oratz was a mechanech.  Not only with the material he taught but the way he comported himself. He was a living embodiment of Torah and how Limmud HaTorah and teaching Torah perfects and purifies a person.

One summer, probably when I was around 11 or 12, he taught my age the weekly haftaras. Much to my chagrin, I don't remember the material that was taught there.  I do remember that every week, we would all be flipping through our sefarim to find the right page for the haftara and Rabbi Oratz would quietly say- oh, look, the right page. Siyata Dishmaya! He never flipped through the pages, the pages turned to the right section for him.

The summer that I was 17, I was privileged to be in a very special chabura with Rabbi Oratz in Midreshet Machon.  We learned amazing letters from the Gerrer Rebbe and others.  It was an education in Yirat Shamayim, Ahavat HaTorah and Dveikut BaHashem.  All lessons that could also be learned by being in contact with Rabbi Oratz. He was our link to a different generation, to gedolim that we had only heard about in stories.  Rabbi Oratz had either been their talmidim or had had close personal contact with them.  He was allowing us to become another link in the chain of the Mesorah. 

I am so happy that I was able to introduce Rabbi Oratz to my family and to see the smile that lit up his face when he met my children.  My only regret is that they were not able to have him as a teacher. 

Morasha and Morasha chinuch will not be the same without such a giant as Rabbi Oratz.

Nili Turetsky

I have had the pleasure of knowing Rabbi Oratz for 29 years. He was my teacher throughout high school as well as my teacher in Stern College. What was really special about him was that when he saw my children in Camp Morasha he made them feel so good. Summer after summer he would recognize them and make them feel like they were so special.He had a way about him. He was humble, knowlegeable, and so caring.You enjoyed having a conversation with him because you learned so much from him. His passing is not only a lose for Camp Morasha but for all of Klal Yisroel.

One of the things that always struck me about Rabbi Oratz zt”l was how much respect he had for all people, of any age.  It could be a four year old child asking him what bracha to say on a grape, a teenage boy talking to him about sports, or a rav asking him a complicated halachik question.  No question was too small.  It didn’t matter that Rabbi Oratz knew more and had more life experience than the other person he was speaking to; he always gave the feeling that he was enriched by the conversation.  And he genuinely was because Rabbi Oratz really enjoyed people.  He also enjoyed life; watching him you could see that he appreciated every day.  I was privileged to work with Rabbi Oratz on chinuch staff for the last five summers.  I especially enjoyed discussing with him questions of Jewish Philosophy.  He had a breadth of knowledge that encompassed so many different perspectives.  At the same time, as an educator, he was able to frame his answers in such a way that they could enter the heart of his listeners.  He was a humble man, with an incredible chein and a tremendous sense of humor.  A spellbinding teacher, my 6 year old daughter would linger in the library after shiur so that she could hear the end of his shiur to the senior boys.  I feel blessed and enriched that I had the honor of knowing Rabbi Oratz

i was lucky to ahve Rabbi Oratz as my shiur teacher during my first summer at Morasha.  Although i did not know him that much i think he was a very special man.  he was my father's and uncles' shiur teacher at Morasha when they went there, and my mommy's teacher at Stern College.  he was also friends with my grandfather, Joel Paul. Ia am so glad that I had the chance to meet him.  I will miss him alot and am sad that he wont be my teacher this summer.  i'll always remember what he taught me

Stevie Paul bunk 1 B Summer 2009

I am one of the campers who had the privilidge of having Rabbi Oratz z"tl every year in camp. He was very inspirational to us and was very important in our growth. He taught us to be careful when reading torah and treated us to many stories that enhanced our learning and understanding of who he was. What amazed us was his vast knowledge including people and torah. Every time we got a new talmud in our shiur, we would prove to them how much of a gadol Rabbi Oratz was by having Rabbi Oratz tell the student their background.

On the last day of shiur in my last year of camp I had to go back into the shiur room because I left something. Rabbi Oratz was still there and the last thing he told me was that I should not let myself be pulled into stupidity and I should always remain focused. This is a lesson that I will never forget.