A message from Hirshy Minkowicz:
Tuesday night, March 11, (Yud Adar) at 10 minutes before 8:00 pm, my wife Rashi sat at the head of the beautifully set dining room table waiting for the women to arrive for her weekly class in our home called ‘Torah and Tea.’
Ten minutes later, just before the first person arrived, she went to her room to rest due to a bad headache, and my family’s life changed forever.
It changed in the most painful and sad way. Things will never ever be the same and I have no illusions about that.
Yet I am writing to you all today to tell you another, more positive, way that things changed and will never be the same.
It was a necessary yet difficult decision to bring the family to New York for the entire Shiva. We have a very loving, committed and loyal community back home, but I knew we needed to be with our family and friends ‘back home’.
Then came the storm, the storm of sadness and grief yet mixed with the storm of support, sympathy and care. People from all over the world reaching out to us to offer their help. Members of Anash, Lubavitchers from all over expressing their support as if it was their own sister that had passed.
Am Yisrael is one people and that is clear. By us we say ‘Chasidim Ein Mishpacha’ (Chasidim are one family). To me that used to be a slogan, today it is a real life fact.
To every Lubavitcher (and others) that reached out to my family either directly or indirectly I say thank you.
To the people in Crown Heights I say what many of you have said to me this past week: “There are no words” You are the most amazing community of people that I know. Living in the Rebbe’s community really rubbed off on all of you in a very powerful way.
My wife o.b.m. and I both come from large (some would say ‘very’ large) families. My kids have over 100 combined aunts, uncles, and first cousins Bli Ayin Horah.
What I didn’t expect was that on Tuesday night when Rashi left the head of the table to go to rest, she would be supplemented by thousands of instant new family members.
Good Shabbos
Hirshy Minkowicz
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Editors note: To read more about Rashi or to support her family visit www.chabadnf.org/rashi
Words can’t express the tragic passing of your wife. I pray that your “instant new family members” will stay with, listen to, and comfort you and your family as you deal with immense Nisayon. Know that your tragedy is shared. We are 1 people with 1 heart. Hamokom Yenachem Eschem B’Soch Shaar Aveilei Tzion V’Yerushalayim.
we also started to do a shiur of Torah and Tea, leiluy nishmas velizchus hashluchim hakdosihim
Hashem gifted us all with a very special neshama – Rashi M.
In her schuss, may her life bear fruit for Am Yisroel AND bring MOSHIACH NOW. We will all be better and kinder in honoring her memory through gimilus chassadim. Live in Crown Heights.
We all mourn with you and your family. And we all have made hachlatas to carry on Rashi’s work. May Hashem protect you and klal Yisroel, and may the curtain of golus part.
B’sd I am saddened by the way Hashem sends us messages sometimes. Can’t He just remind us in a kind way that He wants us to show more ahavas yisroel? Do we have to lose someone as special as Rashi? I never knew her, thousands of us never knew her, but now we do …but please Hashem, please do not leave children motherless, husbands wifeless and communities leaderless. Please Hashem we want to show you we ‘love one another’. We truly do …so send Mashiach now …enough of sadness, let us be b’simcha now. We want Mashiach NOW. Take care… Read more »
Dear Rabbi Hershey, This letter is so inspiring and touching. I can’t believe you sat and wrote this letter when you are going through such a hard time! I never met you or your Special wife, but I feel like I know her well!!! I can’t stop thinking about your sweet sweet family and how you all feel! I can’t stop reading all the amazing, uplifting, and wonderful Mitzvahs people are taking to do in the zechus of your precious wife!!!!!! Iyh I took a hachlata for my b-day to have extra concentration and think about all the good things… Read more »
Although I must confess I never heard of this family and live away I found out so much about this woman as a shlucha, mom ,wife etc I began to read about her and suddenly felt a sense of closeness and a desire to do something in her name.Idk why exactly but she touched me and i feel compelled to learn more in her honor.It may be strange but her soul moved me in this direction.
Rabbi Hirshy sheyichyeh, that you were able to muster the inner strength to think this letter is amazing. That you had the courage and presence of mind to post it is something few people would be able to do. You are a true chossid, putting others before yourself in a way that demonstrates what you so pointedly and poignantly recognize- we are truly one mishpachah. Vee’hee ratzon that the achdus Rashi has awakened in all of us be the makah ba’patish that brings Moshiach, this very day.
where did you find rashi’s talk on modeh ani? I’d love to hear some of her shiurim.
dearest morah lieberman and family,
know that for every shiva call or expressed form of condolence there are thousands of your former students profoundly impacted by your loss. As we grieve and are saddened for you, we also do some soul searching and reawaken precious memories and lessons learned from you,
Thank you for this beautiful letter. Iy’H we’ll be doing a “Torah & Tea” this Rosh Chodesh Nissan, l’iluy nishmas the very special Rashi z’l.
my dearest friend hershi just a few kind words to you and your family
hashem should give you the strenghth to go on and do the rebbes work
hoping all of your hard work will bring moshiach speedily in our time
have a good shabbos and a kosher frailechen paisach
simchas
That is some letter. Thank YOU for inspiring us! i always admired what you stood for but you are really epitomizing “Kosis Lamoar”. May you and your family be zoche to be reunited with Rashi very, very soon!!!
I would like to say i ditto what #13 has written. You’re a man of great strength, rabbi minkowitz . All is true what you say, chassidim zeinen ein mishpocho and in the Merit of all the ahavas yisrael, and great outpour of strengtening our learning in chassidus i am certain moshiach has no reason to be delayed!! May we know of no more pain and tears of suffering… May we be reunited with all our loved ones whom we miss so much with the coming of moshiach. I wish you and your family much strength and only happiness in… Read more »
Dear Rabbi Hirshy,
I am one the thousands that cried along with your family this week, and reading this I am crying again. Its so sad, so heartbreaking, but your dignity and strength, is beyond description. That you are thinking of others during your time of greatest pain is a reflection of your own greatness. May Hashem give you strength, comfort, nachas and all the brochos that you need and deserve.
May we witness Moshiach and techiyas hameisim, now!!
What an inpspirational letter! What an amazing couple! In your family’s zchus Moshiach is a lot closer! Hashem we are ready! As ready as ever ! Moshiach now! Good Shabbos R Hirshy and all klal Yisroel!
May Hashem bentch you with all the Brochos you deserve in abundance!!!
Moshiach Now!!!
Wow thank you for sharing ! You are an inspiration ! May we all be reunighted with our loved ones with moshaich now !
I don’t personally know you or your Eishes Chayil or any of your extended family, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that I cried for a week straight. All the good things have been said, and will continue to be reiterated over and over again, so I don’t feel that I have anything to really say to you other than that which has already been expressed. I guess it’s really a Neshama game; we all come from the same source. Yet there are times when a loss is infinitely more poignant, more powerful. I wonder; why was I so… Read more »
What a beautiful letter. I will be calling my torah class “torah & Tea in Rashi’s zechus!
a true blessing that out of so much sadness can com a positive impact, yasher koach rabbi!
Hashem should continue to give you the incredible strength to continue! may you and all of us be reunited with Rashi speedily
we are begining a torah and tea in milan italy iyh This Tuesday. topic. living with positivity. we will be sharing Rashis talk on Mode Ani. remembering the small things in life are rather big.
May moshiach come instantly! and reunite us with this wonderful woman who lit so many new candles in this world!
WE are ready!
We love you. Reb Abba Pliskin said that after the shiva ends than H’shem is with you for the rest of the year. WE are with you.
IN RASHI’S ZECHUS MOSHIACH RIGHT NOW, AS THE NEWS GOES AN OTHER SHLUCHA IN AUSTRALIA,
RIVKA BARBER, AD MATAI, AD MATAI, AD MATAI,
AND TO YOU RABBI SHOULD HASHEM GIVE YOU ALL THE STRENGTH AND NACHAS TO YOUR PRECIOUS KINDERLACH ! A GUTEN SHABOS
Rabbi Hershy I am sure you are aware by now but Rashi’s inspiration is living on across the globe in a very real way. We have had a phone farbrengen yesterday where thousands of new Torah Classes for woman have been started “Torah and Tea” in her zechus. We look forward to Rashi uniting with all her “extended family” and share with us her next Torah on Tea for us all!!! we are all thinking of you and the family at this time, have a good Shabbos and Hashem should give you the strength with your precious kinderlach to hold… Read more »
I am amazed that you are able to write this letter right after the full week of shiva. You are a courageous and inspiring man, Shliach, family member, son and son-in-law. I know you will have your ups and downs with emotions and our heart aches along with yours and your children and your entire families, in laws and parents. There are no words (though you did find some) and I take great solace in hearing about the beauty and inspiration shared.
Wow!!
What a wonderful person you really are. When I read the news, even though I don’t know you or your darling Rashi, OBM, I cried so much and I read it over and over again, showing my children, and wondering what Hashem was thinking. How brave and what a true Chossid you and your children really are. You have taken time to write to the community in what must be such a difficult time for you all. Your children have such lovely faces and I’m so sorry. I want to scream for you. Gd bless you and your lovely family.… Read more »
Hirshy- you are my younger brother (in age) but way ahead of me in your strength and wisdom. May the Aibershter Takeh Bentch Am Yisroel- His family with the Geulah. This Galus is dark, difficult and quite stormy.
Gut Shabbos to all our extended family.
You and your Rebbetzin are truly inspirational.
May God continue to grant you the strength to go on with what you and Rashi did so well. Moshiach NOW