Musings of Shaya 5778
Dearest Shaya,
I am not sure what you know up there right next to the Kisei Hakavod- right next to Hashem, so let me share with you a couple of things that have happened since you were niftar.
Your beautiful legacy that you have left us is still going strong. So many people have gained so much and are constantly inspired to change their ways because of all the beautiful inspiring divrei torah that you wrote every week.
Not everyone knows, however, of all the hours that you put in every single week to tweek the dvar torah to perfection, to ensure that no one would get insulted by your words. How you used to spend hours making sure that the grammar was correct, and hours upon hours looking through different sefarim and listening to countless shiurim to find that perfect balanced dvar torah that no one on ‘either side of the fence’ (right/left wing) would be hurt by. Your divrei torah hit home no matter if the person reading it had a kippah seruga/ black hat/ streimel/ covered their hair or didn’t. Everyone was truly inspired.
Your legacy continues, as one of your chavrusas whom you learnt with for a number of years before you were niftar has finally finished his first tractate in Gemarah (Berachos). Someone to whom a thought of finishing an entire tractate may have come to his head if not for you drilling in to him that drive and passion for Torah. That person is now making a siyum on Tractate Berachos and it is all thanks to you for starting that drive and to the person that helped him accomplish this goal after you left us.
Your holy legacy continues as other chavrusas of yours who were indelibly inspired by your patience warmth and smile continue to strive for greater and greater heights knowing that you, Shaya, are looking down from that high place in Shamayim and are flashing them that huge smile of yours and telling them YOU CAN DO IT! JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE…!
Shaya, your legacy continues as people all around the world do things for you for the Iluy of your sweet Neshama.
Shaya, so many people were touched by that warm smile of yours no matter how difficult the illness may have been at that time – that smile had to be on your lips!
That smile, I thought that I was the only one to get that one thousand watt smile whenever you saw me, and then I realized during your shivah that you gave that smile to every single person to whom you encountered and it was a real genuine and authetic smile because you truly loved each and every person you met as if they were a close friend or relative. It made no difference who the person was, you always manged to find the good in that person and to praise that person.
What a privilege to have someone like you in our generation and family! |