The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | AUGUST 24, 2017
which coincided with the first night of selichos. What a bracha, Klal Yisroel stormed the heavens with prayers for your complete recovery, but Hashem had another plan. He afforded your family and friends time to be with you, share memories, pray, and cry. The hospital reported there were over 300 visitors who came to
unscathed. The secret is faith; faith in knowing we are not alone, faith in knowing there is a bigger picture that we are not privy to, and faith in the knowledge that there is a loving and caring Father that has our best interest in mind. My faith has been what has carried me and my children. We see the Yad Hashem in our lives on a
Who would have guessed that would be the last time you would stand in our home, the last time we would hear I love you or see your beautiful smile? see you in ICU, another miracle that they let them in. Your life was one of chessed and your passing was filled with chessed. Hashem knows how precious your soul was and chose you to be the source of much bracha to the world. The bracha came from your inconspicuous ways; your dress and appearance did not reflect the neshama that you had inside, however as soon as you spoke your goodness came through. Your simchas hachaim was palpable, your love for every Jew and non-Jew alike was ever present. Your friends came from all walks of life, each one a gem, some more polished than others, but each one a precious child of Hashem. How did we get through these past two years? It was not easy, but the chessed of Hashem has been so great it’s impossible to deny His presence. Grief is a journey, it comes in waves, and part of the journey is learning how to ride those waves. There are days which seem impossible to bear, lest for the grace of Hashem, and days which we pass through
daily basis. Hashem does wondrous miracles for us every second of every day. The secret is to look for them, as it is in the seeking that we find. There is no greater pleasure for me than having my children tell me what Hashem did for them today. As we train ourselves to see the blessings in our lives the ripple effect trickles down to our children. Sitting around at the dinner table and sharing the blessings of the day certainly beats fighting or rushing to use some electronic device. When we got up from shiva we went to Oh Nuts and purchased different color jelly beans for each family member and designated a small jar as our brachos jar. Each time someone saw a blessing in their life they put a jelly bean into the jar and at the end of the week the one with the most jelly beans got the whole jar. Truth be told we didn’t have much of an appetite for candy at that time, however, the jar was filling quickly, so I brought the jelly beans every few weeks to my office for others to enjoy. It’s a fun activity
and kids love it, but most importantly it trains us to view the world through different glasses. We all go through challenges in our lives, some bigger than others, however, who are we to say whose challenge is greater? There is a plan for each of us; left to our own devices we often feel overwhelmed and may even fall prey to depression and anxiety. Faith that there is a divine plan and that everything in our lives is coordinated perfectly for our good brings about our own personal salvation. For myself and my family there is no other way for us to thrive. T There is an ache in our heart and soul that will not be filled till Mashiach comes, for now we choose to celebrate the life of our beautiful daughter and sister by emulating her acts of chessed and love for others. All who knew her commented how she made them feel like they were the most important person, be it her students, her friends, or even the gas station attendant. Most of us ignore him. She asked if he wanted something from Starbucks one cold winter day. Her home was open to all and she had many friends who slept on her couch when they had nowhere else to go, be it they were visiting from out of town or too tired to drive home after a long day. Raizy was a gift in our life whose demise was too early.
Lisa Rosenblatt is a clinical social worker with offices in the Five Towns and Brooklyn. She works with families, individuals and couples. She facilitates a support group for parents who lost a child to addiction. For more information Lisa can be reached at (516)313-9483 or email lisa.rosenblattlcsw@gmail.com.
Scholarship Fund L’ilui nishmas Raizel Malka bas Yona In honor of her memory we have established a fund to help at-risk youth attend the Madraigos Rosh Hashana Retreat. Throughout the years, we have been in contact with Rabbi Silver of Madraigos, who has given us guidance and encouragement. Madraigos has been, and continues to be, a haven for the children in our community, regardless of where they are in life. It has programs for those who are struggling with substances, religion, and/or family, as well as youth who are seeking a structured and nurturing environment. Raizy passed on the first day of Rosh Hashana, so we couldn’t think of a better way to memorialize her than by raising money to help send youth to the Madraigos Rosh Hashana Retreat. The retreat brings together youth and adults alike, from various backgrounds and life circumstances, providing them with a spiritually uplifting experience in a hotel/ resort setting with amenities that extend well beyond the delicious food, luxury accommodations, inspirational classes, meaningful prayer services and life-saving camaraderie. For only $360, you can sponsor a person for a single Rosh Hashana, but more importantly, a lifetime of health. Madraigos is a 501c-3 not-forprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible. Checks can be written to Madraigos, credit cards are accepted. Please contact Rivka Lock, 516-371-3250 for all payment options. Checks can be sent to: Madraigos (In memory of Raizy Rosenblatt Felsman), 936 Broadway, Woodmere, NY 11516.
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