As many of you know, I'm here in Boston visiting my Dad, who is now in a nursing home and has Alzheimers. Thankfully, Dad was not in the Holocaust, but I can't even begin to tell you how many of his memories he never shared with me. He is no longer capable of doing so. In fact, on Friday, he spoke a full sentence to me other than "yes" or "no" for the first time in about two months. And I think it's because I was here in person and not trying to speak to him by phone - the only way in which I can speak to him from Israel.
So this trip is a bit painful....
Let's go to the videotape. It's by Abie Rothenberg and its sung by Mordechai Ben David and Avraham Fried.
I hope you'll all forgive me if the song I play right as the Sabbath starts will not be a Sabbath song.
I once heard (in fact more than once) from Rabbi Yitzchak Mordechai Rubin that someone who attends a young person's funeral does not have to study Musar (a type of study that works on one's character) for a month, because attending that funeral reminds him so vividly of where he comes from and where he is going.
Today was a very difficult day.... I mentioned earlier that I attended a funeral and burial on the Mount of Olives. The father is a dear friend who is also not well. The girl was a friend of my daughter's. His other children and his married children's spouses are friends of my children and my married children's spouses. May God have mercy....
The song is by Abie Rotenberg and it's called What will become of all the memories(English with Hebrew subtitles). Let's go to the videotape.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
