By Shmuel Binder. Yesterday, R’ and Mrs. Moshe Gellis held a seudah marking the fifth yahrzeit of their son, Hayeled Shmuel Gellis, at the Lutzker Bais Medrash banquet hall.

For many who have been dealt this hand, the loss of a child is something they never truly recover from. Turning tragedy into triumph, the Gellis’ have transformed this loss into the founding of early morning Kollel Ohr Shmuel, a Kollel that is fast morphing into the early morning movement in Klal Yisroel.

Together, R’ Moshe and yedid n’eman R’ Feivish Waxman oversee myriad aspects of the Kolel as branches form and grow everywhere from Lakewood to Israel, UK, Australia and elsewhere. Today, KOS has approximately 2,000 members worldwide who rise for a Seder between 6-7 am followed by davening.

One truly has to experience the KOS morning magic to understand what has frum men globally not only getting up at this hour, but literally dancing to the Bais Medrash with the energy, joy and bren of Rosh Chodesh Elul every day of the year. In fact, over 100 members continued at just the Lutzker location this bein hazmanim.

Limudim at the Kollel span everything from individuals studying their subject of choice, to daf yomi, gemara and other shiurim. It’s actually hard not to find something you’d like to learn and someone you’d like to learn it with in the kollel’s welcoming atmosphere.

At the seudah R’ Shmuel Weisel, a member who just finished with the daf yomi chaburah was misayem Meseches Gittin. R’ Moshe also spoke expressing his emunah Hashem’s ways, gratitude for all they’ve been able to accomplish in his son’s zechus and his utmost gratitude to R’ Feivish who remains masur lev v’nefesh to the kollel’s needs.

Hayeled Shmuel was not in this world for very long, but his life continues to affect tens of thousands of yiddin around the world.