Something about him made us feel at peace, even in our turbulent home

HE

entered our lives slowly, as careful and thought-out as his gait.

“Hello,” he pronounced with a smile. “I am Rabbi Emanuel, and I am here to check your mezuzahs.”

My six-year-old was typically shy with strangers, but she took to him right away. Before you could say “playdate,” they were the best of friends.

He appointed her his apprentice, and there was no prouder assistant in the world. Mindel knew where all the mezuzahs were, and she held her bag aloft, seriously and steadily, as Rabbi Emanuel dropped in one mezuzah after another to take back to the lab for inspection.

After all the mezuzahs were safely nestled in their temporary home, Rabbi Emanuel announced a loud, “Okay!” Mindel’s face fell swiftly. Rabbi Emanuel, attuned to her disappointment, recovered without blinking and went on. “Now, it’s time to hear what you’ve learned in school!”

Clouds have never parted so quickly. Mindel ran to get her school things, and I exhaled and wordlessly thanked Rabbi Emanuel.

He gave a quick half-smile as he nodded back.

I recalled setting up this appointment by phone. He’d asked if I wanted my husband’s tefillin to be checked. He heard the deep regret with which I said, “No… but thank you.”