“I’m seriously embarrassed about this,” she stammered, “but I have to say it anyway"

Shani Leiman with Zivia Reischer

Sender came to see me at the most hectic time of year, two weeks before Pesach. He’d returned from Eretz Yisrael to spend Yom Tov with his family.
“I went out with a few girls in Israel,” he told me, “and I dated a little before I went, too. I feel like something is going wrong, though. I can’t figure out what it is.”
I was impressed with Sender. He was personable and very refined, considerate, and patient, with joie de vivre. He’d grown up out of town and appreciated all kinds of people, and maintained his friendships with his friends from high school despite the fact that their paths had diverged. Sender was focused on his learning and wanted to remain in his yeshivah for as long as possible, eventually hoping to go into chinuch. It all sounded good to me.
There was just one thing: He wasn’t the most put-together guy. He was neat and clean, but his clothes were outdated and weren’t always well fitted, and in general he dressed very simply and plainly. I knew he’d need a girl whose priorities were more spiritual and who didn’t put much emphasis on image or materialism. Maybe a girl from a smaller community, with a strong idealism. I thought that combination would be ideal for Sender.
After some thought, I decided to suggest Hadassah to Sender. She was smart and practical, with a sunny personality. She was very insightful, with the ability to slice through a discussion with a one-liner that spoke volumes about her moral compass. She was looking for a long-term learner and was enthusiastic about a future in chinuch.
This is great, I thought. They had the same drive and direction in life, and their personalities complemented each other beautifully. I was pumped.