The lesson the Rosh Yeshivah taught us when coping with his tremendous loss was perhaps the greatest lesson of all
ASwe read in the recent parshiyos, even our Avos Hakedoshim struggled with the loss of a loved one. Avraham mourned for his beloved wife Sarah, and Yaakov could not be comforted upon the loss of Yosef, his favorite son.
Losing a spouse is particularly painful, especially after being married for more than three quarters of a century, as the rosh yeshivah Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg ztz”l and his Rebbetzin Basya were. The relationship between them was legendary, and served as a quintessential example of true shalom bayis.
We all heard the stories of how the Rosh Yeshivah would return home on Motzaei Yom Kippur, after spending a whole day in yeshivah, and take a piece of cake wrapped in a napkin out of his pocket as he said to the Rebbetzin, “Look what I brought you.”
I remember one particular incident when I came to pick up the Rosh Yeshivah to take him to a parlor meeting for the yeshivah, where he would be speaking. I arrived a bit late and we had quite a distance to travel, but the Rosh Yeshivah insisted that we not leave yet, because the Rebbetzin was expected to arrive soon, and, he said, “She will be so happy to see you, let’s wait so she can feel good before we leave.” The 20-minute wait was worth it: The pleased look on the Rebbetzin’s face when she arrived was matched only by the pure joy on the Rosh Yeshivah’s face as he saw how happy his wife was.
Create a free account to keep reading.
