Milestones
The month of October was by far the busiest time period in our lives this year. Similar to the falling leaves at this time of year, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah and our JFX Mitzvah challenge each added vibrant color and excitement to our lives.
But there were two more, non-seasonal events that truly enriched our holiday season as well. Each event involved getting into a car and driving 1000+ miles round-trip to New York to celebrate with family members gathered from near and far.
The first event was a party celebrating the 90th birthday of Ruchi‘s grandmother, “Bobby Heimowitz.”
A Holocaust survivor and a woman of few words, Bobby (which means grandmother in Yiddish) was surrounded by over 100 descendants who came to wish her Mazel Tov. We experienced mixed feelings at this event. Sadly, Bobby is no longer fully cognizant of her surroundings.
Nevertheless, it was a celebration of her beautiful legacy. As a brave and strong young teenager, she picked herself up from the ashes of Auschwitz, dusted herself off and moved to this country to rebuild a new life. She never spoke of the horrors of the Holocaust. She was extremely forward-focused. Bobby continues to teach us all how to maintain faith even in the darkest of times, and remains a role model and a matriarch for her entire, extended family.
Less than one week later, we were back in the saddle again. This time it was to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. The night that Ruchi and I got married, my parents celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary.
We blinked, and suddenly Ruchi and I were celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary, and my parents, their milestone 50th. Together with my seven siblings and our spouses, we gathered for a special, surprise anniversary dinner. Each of us presented my parents with a small memento, and we toasted them with a song that captured memories from the past half-century.
In a way these milestones are endcaps for our lives. A woman toward the end of her life's journey, who had 3 family members at her wedding, now surrounded by dozens of descendants. My parents, after 50 years of marriage, celebrated by all their children and their spouses, finished raising their families, and enjoying the nachas of grandchildren of all ages.
And finally, our own 26th anniversary, with our busy household, looking toward our parents and grandparents for guidance and mentorship, with a prayer on our lips that we, too, merit those celebrations in good time.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Koval
