Sweeter Together    

Last week, I had a phone conversation with a devastated young bochur, Shua Pariser, whose family davens in my shul. Shua is currently learning in Eretz Yisrael, and this past year he learned three sedorim a day in MTA  with Donny Morris, one of the pure souls who lost his life in Meron.

Shua told me how he had planned to spend Shabbos parshas Emor together with Donny in yeshivah… plans that were not meant to be. Shua had instead delivered two hespedim about his best friend, one at the Kosel and the other in yeshivah, extolling the niftar’s incredible middos and simchas hachayim.

I listened quietly. We started talking about what to do l’zecher nishmaso, and I shared my thoughts, summoning a pasuk from Tehillim.

“Asher yachdav namtik sod, b’bveis Elokim nehaleich b’ragesh — For together we will sweeten the mystery; in the house of Hashem we walk with emotion” (Tehillim 55:15).