By Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz
Dear friends,
I wrote this letter to Dina, after a long and difficult year. She thought that I should publish it because it is a letter/dvar Torah. Perhaps other women will draw strength from it as well.
Have a happy and sweet year!
____
Dear Dina my heart of gold,
This year has been difficult, your tears didn’t go unnoticed. I’m sure the tears I saw, were only the tip of the iceburg. How many were shared with your pillow, how many were written in to your blog and how many have you held back.
Who can understand the heart of a Jewish mother? It is like you have a sixth sense, only Jewish women have it. It is a closeness to Hashem, as if you can sense His sadness as well. Sometimes you sense His joy.
This is talked about in the last mishnah in Sanhedrin. That on Yom Kippur, the girls would go dancing in the vineyards, just like Tu B’Av. What was special about those times? They are times of forgiveness of sins, and the girls could sense Hashem’s joy, which caused them to well with joy, this caused them to go out and dance.
Now, if women can sense Hashem’s joy, it would follow that they sense His sadness as well. And so you cry even more.
I think the deepest crying is for the children. I think this is why you identify so strongly with the Haftora of the second day of Rosh Hashana. Rochel is crying for her children and there is nothing to console her. It just seems endless, with no reprieve in sight. So much work, so much selfless giving and giving, with no gain no reward.
The Haftora continues. Hashem says, you can stop crying, there is reward for your work. There is hope, the children will return to their borders. Moshiach is coming and it’s your work, your tears, your love and your joy that brought him.
Your suffering is not in vain. You will see the fruits of your hard work and you will be honored. I don’t know why Hashem chose us, but he did. We, like Rochel, won’t give up and we won’t let him down.
In this week’s parsha we read the words from Moshe to Yehoshua “chazak v’ematz”, be strong and courageous. Perhaps it is our bitachon, simcha and emunah that will bring an end to this dark galus.
I am with you,
Your Yosef Yitzchak
Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz is the founder of Chabad Jewish Center in Temecula, CA. He is married to Dina and has 7 children and is currently living in Los Angeles as he battles ALS disease. Visit his blog at yitzihurwitz.blogspot.com. To donate to his medical costs, visit hurwitzfamilyfund.com
Hashem ! Please I want to be inspired from open miracles, I do not want to have to be inspired through the suffering of tzaddikim like Yitzi Horowitz nd sholom mordechai Rubashkin.Of course they us all.Now Hashem we beg you,we implore you,inspire us through the miracle of their salvation.
The six day war created so many baalei teshuvah.,because the yad Hashem was so openly revealed!,,,,,,,,,,We want Moshiach now!,,,,,,,,,,
Dear dini, ur amazing !
Wow. No words!!!
Thats deffinitly the most “beautiful picture of the year”!!
You both are so inspiring, thank you for sharing and bringing perspective into my life!!
May hashem bless us all with the coming of moshiach NOW!!
Fellow anash LA.
Thank you for sharing. I have you in mind when I make challah. Refuah sheleima!!
i look up to you so much! ur the most specialist and strongest woman i know!! i hope hashem will finally give ur husband a refuah sheleima and all will be well!
love a camper from ytt
you guys are the best
Thank you both for being real and being real,emesdike shluchim! Refuah shlaima now!!!
Speedy recovery,חיים נצחיים,נחת מכל המשפחה
Good news and we will be zoche to receive לקח
From the Rabbi before יום כיפור.
Moshiach now.
may there be love like this between all couples. why him?, ok i wont ask, but seriously? such harmony in marriage is hard to find, so special and holy, a real inspiration to everyone! thanks for writing and we all know how hard it is to write each letter so all the more, thank you! gmar chasima tovah and Refuah Sheleima!
Praying for you!!
Your family inspire me & motivate me to face challenges bsimcha.
GMAr chasima Tova to all kallah yisroel
One thing to be such malachim-rising to the challenge like that. Its another thing when you share with the world so we can aspire to such greatness-a new level. Tzaddikim of our duhr.
Genug shoin. DeLai Golus.
Enough. Enough. Enough.
We NEED Moshiach Now.
Please, G-d.
No words
רפואה שלימה יוסף יצחק בן ברכה
May Hashem inscribe you in the book of Health and long life.
Thank you Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Hurwitz for all your Dvar Torah’s, we all love you and daven in your Zechus.
Yossi and dina. U don’t cease to amaze us. Ya know that’s y she married u, remember? For ur positive attitude and simcha. And u didn’t disappoint through the good times and the times of hidden good. You r both so lucky to have each other. We remember all the good old days Din, and u added sooooooo much to the Camp Ytt program. We love u. A GUT YOHR OF REVEALED SIMCHA AND GOODNESS.
For inspiring us to live a life of total emunah
& gratitude despite …. ! This picture of the
beautiful smiling faces of your family says
It all …… Agree with # 1 !
Gmar chasimah tovah ! May we all be
sealed for a year of geulah & simchos only !
In this year of hakhel…. May Hashem also
gather up all the pain & all the tears & transform
them into the greatest dance ever !
Thank you again for all that you give us !
Moshiach now !
Amen
Yitzy, it is so inspiring how much courage you have, to write a beautiful, thoughtful, and heartwarming letter to your wife, even when you are facing a challenge. You are an unbelievable role model for what it means to LIVE WITH EMUNA AND SEE THE GOOD IN EVERY SITUATION. WHAT AN EXAMPLE YOU ARE!! EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN FROM YOU. YOU ARE A SPECIAL PERSON. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YOU’RE A GREAT WRITER! AND SECOND OF ALL, NOT MANY PEOPLE CAN SEE THE GOOD IN EVERYTHING, LET ALONE GOOD THINGS! But when someone sees the good even if he/she is going… Read more »
This is the most special letter!!! Amen and moshich now!!!
Thank you for posting this publicly. I am in awe of this family.
You continue to inspire us.
We are crying with you, may our collective tears and efforts bring the geula NOW!!
Do I have Rabbi Horowitz’s name right: Yosef Yitzchak ben Bracha ?
so moving and uplifting …no words just tears.
This is the best ( non Rebbe) pic on COL evah.EVAH!!!!!