.A Guten Chodesh!

I really try to have this newsletter written and sent by Rosh Chodesh—that’s always the goal. But I think I forgot what the week after Pesach actually feels like… 

So, b”h, here it is—with a well-earned delay!

I heard a beautiful story at a shiur this past Shabbos from my dear friend Mrs. Chavi Fox, a beloved mechaneches here in Bais Yaakov. The incident took place many years ago, when Detroit was still a fledgling kehilla—not yet the vibrant Ir Torah that it is today. The Ponevezher Rav came to Detroit to collect funds for his yeshiva in Bnei Brak, during the time that Rav Leib Bakst served as the Rav.

In conversation, Rav Bakst asked the Ponevezher Rav how he approaches the many weighty decisions placed before him—on behalf of individuals, his yeshiva, and Klal Yisrael. Rav Kahaneman answered that he reflects on how the Chazon Ish and the Gedolim of previous generations would have responded.

Then he turned the question back to Rav Bakst.

Rav Bakst answered thoughtfully that he looks ahead—to his children, his grandchildren, and even his great-grandchildren—and considers how the decisions he makes, both personally and communally, will impact them.

I heard this story after a Yom Tov of, b”h, being together with my parents, my children, and my grandchildren—and it really stayed with me.

I am who I am because of the people I come from. 

Generations of people. 

And they all made decisions—so many decisions.

Who to marry, how to educate their children, where to live, when to flee, what values to prioritize, what kind of work to pursue, what they stood for, who they surrounded themselves with, what they chose to invest in… 

I am, in many ways, a “tapestry” of all of those choices.

And I often find myself looking at pictures of my ancestors—I have many displayed on my fireplace—and hoping that they would feel proud of me and the choices I’ve made.

 And then I look forward; to our children and grandchildren, and hope that the decisions we make today will position them to make good choices of their own.

I once heard Rabbi Berel Wein quote a Rebbe who said:
“If your grandparents and your grandchildren are both proud of you and your accomplishments, then you can claim success in life.”

So after this beautiful Pesach, these are my “leftovers”—my takeaway.
A renewed commitment to try to make decisions in my life that those who came before me—and those who will come after me—can both be proud of.

Wishing you a wonderful month!