Pinny begged his rebbi, Rabbi Moshe Goldman, to come cheer him on

Living Higher

This past Sunday, Pinny Scheinberg, a seventh-grader in Toronto’s Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah, was preparing for a big evening. After a whole season of after-school hockey games, his team had made it to the “Kiddush Cup Finals” — the champion of which, as the name suggests, wins a kiddush cup. Pinny begged his rebbi, Rabbi Moshe Goldman, to come cheer him on at this seminal occasion.

Rabbi Goldman smiled but demurred. He loved his talmid, but attending hockey games was not something he was accustomed to. Pinny understood. Equipment bag in hand, he headed to the Rosemount rink — some 40 minutes away — to make it by the 7:40 game time.

Around 8:30, Pinny’s father, Mr. Shaya Scheinberg, received a call from Rabbi Goldman.

“How’s the game going?” he asked.

“Not great,” Mr. Scheinberg replied honestly. “Pinny’s team is losing five to one.”

The call ended. A grim 40 minutes passed with Pinny’s team still down. Suddenly, Pinny heard tapping on the glass behind his team’s bench. He turned around.

“Rabbi Goldman!” he cried. His rebbi smiled in response.

Now, there was no miraculous turnaround — Pinny’s team still lost.

But when he left the rink, and Rebbi placed his arm around his shoulder, Pinny knew the real trophy was the one who stood — and forever will stand — directly beside him.

Bound by Blessing

Each year, Chai Lifeline takes a group of teens struggling with various illnesses and disabilities to Eretz Yisrael for their Wish at the Wall program.

“For many of these teens, a trip to Israel would otherwise be impossible,” explains Rabbi Simcha Scholar, CEO of Chai Lifeline. “Wish at the Wall makes this dream a reality, showing them that despite their medical challenges, they are capable of incredible things.”

This year, the group set out to enjoy, experience, and connect, visiting the Kosel, Kever Rochel, Masada, and Yam Hamelach, as well as many other landmarks.

But this year’s itinerary made another stop that previous years’ groups didn’t. Joined by Rabbi Shay Schachter of Camp Simcha (Chai Lifeline’s camp for children with serious illness), rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere and prominent advocate for hostage families, the group paid visits to former hostages, family members of hostages, and wounded IDF soldiers being treated in Tel Hashomer Hospital.

The conversations between the Chai Lifeline teens and the injured IDF soldiers were deep. Both groups were made up of warriors, fighting and never relenting, overcoming towering opposition. The meeting highlighted sharp contrasts as well. The IDF soldiers are new to injury, grappling with disabilities they’ve only acquired as adults. The visiting adolescents, on the other hand, have contended with their challenges for years, some from birth.

Together, they conversed in a language only they understood.

When an IDF soldier named Tom learned that one of the Chai Lifeline visitors was a Kohein, he made a poignant request. “Can you give me a brachah?” he asked.

The young Kohein, Tzvi Mark, extended his hands and placed them on Tom’s head. “Yevarechecha Hashem v’yishmerecha…” he said. He completed the brachah to a ringing response of “Amen!”

In a union defined by common pain and inhibition, two Jews saw only blessing.

Overheard

“The Megillah tells us that Haman’s advisors and Zeresh told him: If Mordechai is a Jew, you won’t be able to overcome him. The wording they used is, ‘Im mi’zera haYehudim’ — which literally means, ‘if he’s from the children of the Jews.’

“Why would Haman’s cronies use roundabout wording? We know that Mordechai is a Jew! Why invoke ‘children’?

“Perhaps one can suggest that since we know Mordechai taught Torah to young children, Zeresh was suggesting that if Mordechai, who was the head of the Sanhedrin, is teaching Torah to Jewish children, then there is no stopping them, because young children learning Torah ensures Jewish continuity. There is Torah in the desert because we have young kids learning Torah!”

—Rabbi Mendy Levine, principal of Yeshiva Day School of Las Vegas, speaking at the school’s dinner the day after Shushan Purim.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1054)