When the disease continued to progress, Rav Segal pronounced: “Your avodah now is to be mekabel b’ahavah.” His words became the Wagschal credo

T wenty-eight years ago Mrs. Chavi Wagschal had her first attack of MS on the walk home from her eldest son’s bar mitzvah. From the early days of her illness until her passing last month Mrs. Wagschal courageously reached out to the community infusing others with her hard-won spiritual strength

When the clock struck six in the Wagschal home in Manchester the telephone greeting changed from “good afternoon ” to “good evening.” For years Chavi Wagschal was the queen of an exemplary well-run home. “We were eight children born in thirteen years ” says her oldest daughter Malky Roth “and my mother ran everything like clockwork.” Family dinner was at 6:30 every evening with soup salad and dessert and each child had his own timely bedtime.

It was a house of dignity discipline and high expectations — accompanied by “oceans of love ” as the Wagschal daughters say. Mrs. Wagschal was very involved in her children’s lives and affectionate adding her own personal brachah to her children after her husband bentshed them Friday night.

“My mother used the most dignified and ladylike of language. For example she never called the housekeeper a goyta. She addressed everyone with utmost respect ” says Malky.

This blend of discipline and love drew many guests: children whose mothers were after birth Shabbos guests seminary girls a little girl with epilepsy whose parents had to go away. Every unfortunate soul was welcome in the Wagschal home many extending their visit well beyond their intended stay.

The chesed coordinator for Manchester Seminary recalls: “I was once trying to place a girl with a hearing impairment. It seemed that no one wanted her help. Then I tried Chavi Wagschal and she replied in the affirmative. ‘There is just one issue; this girl is deaf ’ I told her.

“ ‘All the more reason to send her to me ’ Mrs. Wagschal replied. ‘I’ll look after her.’ And she did.”

The most important thing in the home was Torah: Rabbi Wagschal was an esteemed member of Manchester’s Kollel Harabbanim and later a rebbi and Chavi kept her husband’s learning time absolutely sacred. He regularly learned with his sons at home and every siyum was celebrated as a special occasion. “We loved those siyumim! There was a full fleishig meal, divrei Torah, a lot of singing,” recalls Chumi Meiselman, the Wagschals’ second daughter.