What a shocking tragedy. He was such a vibrant powerhouse, a real defender of Toras Emes. There aren't many more like him left.
I was always amazed how he would take boys into this Yeshiva from all across America, even from little cities that don't boast yeshivish communities, and he would turn those bochrim into Yeshivaleit of the highest caliber. What a terrible loss.
I haven't heard much from Rav Avremal zt"l, but I heard one drosha he gave many years ago, and one great vort stuck with me until now. He brought down the famous Gemara in Kiddushin about the responsibilities that a father has to towards his son. The Gemarah adds that according to some, a father had to teach his son to swim. Rav Avremal had an unbelievable drush in this. He said, "What's the main focus of swimming? To always keep your head above the water. This Gemara is teaching us that a father needs to instill in his child that no matter what life might throw at you, you always need to keep your head above the water and keep going!"
