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| Tuesday, September 22, 2009 |
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Dear Friends, Yoni here again. Baruch Hashem, Simcha Esther is still with us. I am very grateful that she got another Rosh Hashana in and the mitzvah of hearing the voice of the shofar. (Thank you to Yona H. who walked in from Teaneck to blow in the hospital!) From a combination of the progress of the cancer and the very heavy pain meds, she is fully awake now only very infrequently. The doctors are focused on managing pain. I can not share all the details with you, let me just say that I pray all of you and your families will be spared such ordeals. We will probably be leaving the hospital tomorrow and moving to a nearby "spa" (a name Ella came up with for hospice last week at Simcha Esther's request, when she was more able to converse.) Simcha Esther's Mom, Dad and brothers are here and someone is with her at all times. Simcha Esther and I and our family are very appreciative of all your continued care, love and prayers for her. I know that the prayers and the mitzvos that all of you and thousands of others have performed over the last year and a half have helped her to come this far. There are so many people to thank... A huge thank you to my Mom who sent the most awesome package of Yom Tov food from Carroll County MD, (for those of you who don't know, my father, Shlita, is the Finksburger Rebbe), all packed in dry ice!. Mom, your chicken soup, flank steak, stuffed chicken, challas, cookies, carrot cake, honey cake, kugels and kasha varnishkes were fabulous! (Almost all gone!) (The other treats are in the freezer until we recover enough from the yom tov feasts to eat them...) Wow! A huge thank you to Malka L. who is an angel for all her hard work with the kids. And to Basya W. for her help on Monday nights, Leah S. for Tuesdays and the staunch Tziporah G. for Wednesdays. And to Libby L. for hosting the kids on erev Yom Tov. Special thank yous to Rabbi Rindenow who is continuously available for us, even when cross-country in San Francisco and who shows up mysteriously in the middle of the night to deliver chizuk (encouragement) and support. Thank you to Rabbi Alter of Migdal Torah (Chicago) for his pre Yom Tov chizuk and Rabbi Singer and everyone at PTI for their constant tefilos, mi-shebeirachs and tehillim. Thank yous to everyone who has visited her (or tried to!), Ella, Tsvika, Atara, Alisa, Tzvi, Chaya Ita & Yitz, Rabbi Rindenow, Clare and my kids Moros! (thank you for the pictures of the kids in their new classrooms!), thank you to the awesome team who created Rosh Hashana meals for Iris and Simcha Esther (Raizy, Racquel, Leah and Yocheved and others), and to Leah and Yocheved for hosting the rest of us on Rosh Hashana for amazing and fun meals... wow!. also to Mrs. Stept, Mrs. Rozanski, Shoshana Goldhar and the Greenman girls who helped my kids have a great yom tov and also allowed me to spend some time in shul. (Thank you to Chaim Wolf and the kehila of Shaarei Tefila for allowing me the awesome mitzvah of being Ba'al Tokea (blowing the shofar) on Rosh Hashana. Thank you to Yitz G. and Avraham G. for their chizuk and good humor in the face of great challenge and to Eric B. for (trying) coming to see me twice during yom tov! As always, thank you to our doctors, especially Rosie J. and Chaim G. and the excellent team at HUMC for grace under fire. Thank you to Rabbi Besser for the chizuk, to Marcia L. for dedicating the daily halacha learning, to BZ and Hadassah for their dedication and support. Yom Kippur approaches (Sunday night 9/27), another day of judgement, the day for completing the restoring of relationships, the day of "At-One-Ment". I ask on Simcha Esther's behalf that everyone grant her forgiveness, if needed, that all of us may approach this next holy milestone free of anger and resentment, with a space in our hearts for love and oneness. And I ask all of you for slicha and mechila (pardon and forgiveness) for me for the wrongs I have committed against you directly or indirectly, by inclusion or exclusion, with heat or with cold. All of you who have supported us through physical and spiritual acts of chesed (lovingkindness) have our deepest gratitude and our blessing to be Sealed in the Book of Life for a year of joy, uplift and inspiration. Gmar Chasima Tova, Yoni PS - I hope you will all come on October 22nd to the film premiere. This is an important way to honor Simcha Esther, her life and impact. Again, I ask you, her community, to please promote this event and invite your friends, by voice, email, facebook, myspace, carrier pigeon, skywriting, etc, whatever your medium and to the best of your ability to join us and celebrate her life together with us. Please click here for info and link to SymphonySpace for tickets: Film Premier Info |
| Tuesday, September 15, 2009 |
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Dear Friends, Yoni here again. In the meantime her family is here: her mother has been by her side the entire time (almost 4 weeks now) since she left home. Her two brothers are here and her father and stepmom came up from North Carolina. Friends have been coming to see her and I've been bringing the kids for visits most days. Simcha Esther hasn't been able to focus or had the strength really to write either email or blog posts but I know she is thinking of all of you and receiving your thoughts, wishes, prayers and love. The film premier is only 5 weeks away, and I ask everyone to please promote the event, send this to your friends, email lists, facebook, etc., Please buy tickets and invite everyone you know to come. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you there. The two days of Rosh Hashana begin Friday night, the most awe filled days of the year when the entire world passes in Judgement before the King of All. The Books are opened. Every aspect of Creation is meticulously reviewed by the Melech Chafetz bChaim (the King who desires Life). May Simcha Esther and all of you merit to be sealed for a new year of life, abundant joy and spiritual ascent. Blessings, Yoni |
| Tuesday, September 8, 2009 |
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Dear Friends, Yoni here reporting for Simcha Esther. She has been shuttled between hospital (Hackensack) and rehab center (in Wayne,NJ) for the past two weeks, without internet access in either location. She regrets that she has been out of touch and hopes to send a long update message soon. She is on very heavy pain meds - and it is not easy for her to concentrate or stay awake right now. Your prayers are deeply appreciated. Note she still has no internet - and probably will not until she comes home or is moved elsewhere. I want to thank everyone who has been helping us with so much compassion. There are really so many angels that I can't mention everyone or thank you enough. But I am deeply grateful to all, especially Rebbetzin Weissman and the staff at YKP, Rabbi Horowitz and Rabbi Lazar at YDN, Rebbetzin Leah G., Malka L. and Ella K. for huge and ongoing chasadim, Rebbetzin Yocheved G. for hosting and for behind the scenes support, Tzvi F. for his constant support and his tefilos from the mkomos hakedoshim on his recent trip to the Holy Land, all my students at JICNY for their brachos, tefilos and taking on learning and mitzvos, Rachel R. for daily support and chizuk, Rachael G. for shopping and for her good cheer! Ralph and Ronna H. for huge hachnasos orchim for us over the last week, Leigh M. and Raizy G. for playdates and sleepovers and provender, the Bodenheims and Singers (and helpers) for great Shabbos food, Tzipora G. for befriending and teaching my girls, Basya W. for Monday night help and for being a great role model, Chaya Ita L. for coordinating meals, all the chefs, Bella L. for school shopping and arranging carpools, Alison S. for her logistical genius, Tzivi W. for constant support, Oriel's kindergarten moros for their messages of welcome and support, and many more angels. Thank you. Here is what Simcha Esther dictated to me for today's update: Dear everybody, I've been on a crazy rollercoaster: from being taken to hackensack hospital for severe pain management and then to a rehab center in wayne and then back to hackensack for blood tranfusions and then back to the rehab. Now I'm settled back at the rehab and it looks like my final stop on this dark and crazy journey as people tell me I may be coming home soon. I hope to send you a long update message shortly. Love, Simcha Esther |
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