Hey my good friend Yoni Greenblum passed away yesterday…

Jonathan Greenblum, born May 9, 1963, died July 10, 2024 (4 Tamuz 5784) in Rego Park, NY. He is survived by his five children, Stanley, Esty, Shani, David and Joseph.

Jonathan was known as “The Brachos Man” because he gave out hundreds of blessings daily. Educated in Lubavitch, he collected and distributed hundreds of thousands of charity funds and was a pioneer in the charitable car donation business before he was confined to a wheelchair and legally blind. Late in his life he specialized in condensing Torah wisdom into blessings and dispensed blessings on people who greeted him.

Some examples of blessings the “Brachos Man” was wont to give are as follows:

The Ribbono Shel Olam is going to bless you with the Shabbos Candles, with the light of the Torah. There will only be ayin tov, gutskeit, Simcha’s, brachas, hatzlacha, no ayin haras and only brachas from the light. For you and for your family.

Yidden are all standing in a circle, all pointing to HaShem. All pointing in different directions. Why? Because they are all pointing to HaShem from a different direction. HaShem is in the middle and they’re all pointing to the Master.

The person bentching is blessed (you hear, “same to you”, “Ken L’Mar”). If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I'd be a millionaire. Everybody knows this - but I heard today something I didn't know... Do you know if you curse somebody the curse comes back to you.

Usually in the goyish world having a broken heart it’s a terrible thing. In the goyishe society you have a broken heart when you’re getting divorced or a business problem that’s terrible or some terrible thing. Having a broken heart in Judaism is a good thing. We want a broken heart. You can see their neshama. Hopefully it’s a heart made of gold. We hope to see a heart made of gold. Did you ever see someone with a heart of gold? When someone has broken heart you can see their neshama. I give you a bracha that you should have a golden heart for you and your family and your neshama should be shining illuminating bright and pure and people should be able to see that.

Matza has no ego is very modest, it’s poor man’s food.

Chometz has a very big ego and a yetzer hara. Moshiach is supposed to come on Pesach. We’re good at getting rid of our matza in our house on Pesach … we should get rid of our chometz in our neshamos and our middos… when we do HaShem is going to send a redeemer. If we’re good on Pesach the redeemer might come.

Yoni shared the following about when he meets adults with children who are giving tzedaka:

When I’m dealing with children, parents always want to give me charity. I say “let the child give.” Then when they give, I say “tizche l’mitzvahs. You should be zocheh to good deeds, all the days of your life.” Then I give them a 30-second dvar Torah for the shabbos table. The parents love it and the kids love it. I give the dvar torah, and give the kid a mind trick: say over and over you’ll remember. Then I turn around to the parent and say, “if he stumbles you help him.”

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/jonathan-greenblum/obituary/

Copy