Maintaining the Legacy
Maintaining the Legacy A woman bewailed her bitter plight. “My husband left me in order to live with a gentile woman. My two daughters also left me, in order to live with gentile husbands. And now, my last family member, my son, wishes to commit suicide.” She dissolved in tears over her dissolving family. “Do […]
Schooled in Torah
Schooled in Torah A Jewish man once confided that he lived with a gentile woman. I was exceedingly pained to hear this. I rebuked him strongly, wondering how children from such a union would turn out. At my harsh words, the man said, in all innocence, “But, Honored Rav, I wear tefillin and keep Shabbat.” […]
Imbibing Faith
Imbibing Faith On Seder Night, when we reached the section in the Haggadah, “Pour Your wrath over the nations” (Tehillim 79), Father, zy”a, would open the door, inviting in Eliyahu Hanavi, as is the custom of Jews everywhere. One year, I asked my father, “Where is Eliyahu Hanavi? Did you see him enter?” “Did you […]
Music to My Ears
Music to My Ears From when I was a young boy, I always remembered Father’s constant refrain, “B’ezrat Hashem.” These words, said in his pleasant tone of voice, in Arabic, continue to ring in my ears to this day. Such is the power of hearing. Words which are heard at a very young age, when […]
Education
“Train the youth according to his way; even when he grows old, he will not deviate from it” (Mishlei 22:6) The Gra says that it is impossible to change a person’s destiny, or break his nature. What is placed within a person’s power is the ability to channel his nature in the direction he chooses. […]
Life after Death
Life after Death “Honored Rav,” a woman sobbed to me, “I have been hit with a double tragedy. Not only was my beloved husband taken from me, but my daughter has turned her back on Hashem as a result. She constantly has complaints against Hashem, asking why her dear father was taken.” I was honestly […]
A Fishy Story
A Fishy Story I had occasion to visit the ancient cemetery in Vienna on a trip to Austria. On one tombstone, I was surprised to find, in place of a name, an illustration of a fish. My escorts told me that the story started hundreds of years back. At that time, the Rav purchased a […]
A Solid Message
A Solid Message A man who had died in Lyon was exhumed and brought to burial in Eretz Yisrael. I helped carry the bier. I felt that there were liquids in the coffin and asked the chevrah kadisha if this could be the case. “Definitely,” they replied. Since the body had been enclosed in the […]
Only Hashem Avenges
Only Hashem Avenges A son of one of my secretaries committed suicide, rachmana litzlan. There were different versions to the story. According to one, he had been threatened with his life by the underworld and decided to take it on his own. According to another, out of fear of his enemies (probably the said underworld), […]
A Grave Lesson
A Grave Lesson In Guadeloupe, a country off the coast of Venezuela, a great mitzvah came my way. A Jewish body was found in a mass grave. Burial among gentiles causes indescribable anguish to a Jewish neshamah. It was therefore decided to exhume this body and bring it to proper Jewish burial. I was asked […]
A Contribution to the Creator
A Contribution to the Creator Many Jews from around the world came to celebrate the wedding of my son, Rabbi Moshe Aharon, shlita, which took place in Eretz Yisrael. Among the attendees was the eminent philanthropist, Mr. Matzliach. He generously supports our holy institutions and donated a beautiful Sefer Torah to our Beit Hakeneset in […]
A Death Notice
A Death Notice When I was receiving people in the States, Mr. Azulai approached me. He had married at a late age and asked to be blessed with children. As is my practice, I asked him to improve certain aspects of his Avodat Hashem. With Hashem’s help, his wife gave birth to triplets. The next […]
