Style & Living

Reprinted with the permission of Ami Magazine

As a child growing up, I never would have imagined myself to be bereft of both of my parents at a young age (according to my calculations). But I was wrong. My father passed away five months after the birth of my first child, and my mother passed away one year after that same child’s bar mitzvah. Although my father did get to meet my son and enjoy the tender pleasure that only a newborn can provide, I cried many tears over the fact that my father didn’t merit to see him grow and develop in a way that would have made him so proud. I had difficulty coming to terms with the fact that both my father and my son (and future children) would miss out on the opportunity to share an irreplaceable bond from which they would have grown so much. My mother did get to see more than my father did, but it wasn’t enough by my standards. When my mother passed away, I grieved for her individually and for the loss of my parents as a unit. The link to my past was broken. My parents would not attend my daughter’s siddur party. They would no longer beam with pride as my boys would make siyumim, nor would they ever again be present at any of our future s’machos. This hurt. It hurt…a lot.

The Pesach Seder is less than a week away, and I am so much looking forward to celebrating this year with my two daughters. Last year, my girls were with their father for the chag, so this year is a real treat. My daughters love to share each and every d’var Torah they learned in school, and it is pure nachas and joy.

Like most kids, ours spend a lot of time on their gadgets. We brought them into the world with the hope they might savor the gift of life. Or at least ride their bikes once in a while. For young people, plugging in is a divine right. After all, they will live forever, have all of their needs met, and perish the thought of enduring a vacant minute. G-d forbid the Internet is ever down!

With Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur behind us, we are about to enter the chag of Sukkos, which is a time designated in the Torah for great happiness. Specifically, regarding the chag of Sukkos, Hashem instructs us, “v’samachtah bchagechah, v’hayisa ach sameach,” translated as, “You shall rejoice on your festivals​, and should be fully happy.”

Finding the Path Within Each of Us to the Rebuilding of the Temple This Tish’ah B’Av

L’ilui nishmos Dr. Reuven Rosenkranz a”h and Aliza Talia Sarah bas Dina Rachel a”h

We are a few days away from the climactic day of the summer, Tish’ah B’Av, and I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions as this significant fast day approaches. Most dread this fast, the heat, and the long summer day. In past years, I have always looked forward to it. Strange, perhaps, but being that my Hebrew birthday falls out the day before The Nine Days, and my English birthday usually within a few days of the Ninth of Av, intuitively I have always felt this made sense: Of course my birthday falls out this week; in the future, this will be the greatest holiday of all!

I love the connection of numbers and Torah. In macro-terms, Torah is the blueprint of the universe. What is the secret of six? According to the famous Passover song, Who Knows One?, one is G-d, two are the Tablets, three are the Forefathers, four are the Matriarchs, five are the Books of Torah, and six are the orders of the Mishnah.