An Unexpected Treasure

As I usually do nearly every day, I go to Yeranen Yaakov and savor the Torah insights and Geula tidbits, links, and expositions. Today there was an unexpected treasure waiting for me.

One Link: A beautiful, thoughtful and insightful pouring from the heart by Rabbi Lipschitz, editor of the American edition of the Yated newspaper. Every word pulled me further into the world that was Rav Sholom Elyashiv A"H. I highly recommend that everyone read this fine tribute to an amazing neshoma that was rarely known by anyone outside those closest to him.

"And now, the chosson who had no friends, the bochur who had no chavrusah, the yungerman everyone in the kollel thought could only read Mishnayos, the weak father whose young children were afraid was living his last day, the gaon who shunned the limelight, the masmid who locked himself in a small shul, the man who sought nothing for himself and shunned attention, the godol hador shekol bais Yisroel nishan olov, has left us."

The tears came easily, the tightness in the chest, holding back an outpouring of grief was contained, to be released on this coming Tisha B'Av. Each year at this time I begin feeling anxiety, intermittent lumps in my throat as this awesome day nears. My eyes see people and children, trees, birds and life moving forward, but in my mind's eye appear flashes of the disaster that we experienced as a people and nation so long ago. It's the same every year. I cannot evade it.

Now, however, there is something added to this year's enveloping sadness. For over one hundred years we had living among us such a real person and unique neshoma. Why do we have to wait until such a neshoma leaves our world to learn so much about him?

I guess we have to wait a little longer for Moshiach to affect all of us in our world in real time.

Please HaShem bring the Geulah in all it's splendor.