Yosef Yitzchak Gershon learnedit’s never too late to shake off the past
IFyou saw me today, in traditional chassidic garb on Shabbos, or on the tennis courts teaching or playing in tournaments during the week, you’d never guess that I was once on the most-wanted list of Broward County criminals in Florida and spent months in prison.
The pasuk in Hallel, “He raises the poor from the dust, and the needy from the garbage heap,” resonates with me deeply. Hashem pulled me from the muck of substance abuse and criminal behavior and raised me to where I am now, living life as a frum Yid, happily married and blessed with children.
For a long time, I wanted desperately to simply run as far as possible from the sordid parts of my past. Yet I learned the hard way that our shadows follow us no matter where we go, and the only way to go forward is to face our mistakes head-on. I’ve learned to draw strength from knowing that Hashem’s love is boundless, even for those who have strayed very far. But let’s start at the beginning.
My parents’ marriage was destined for challenges from the start: She was American, he was Israeli, and their perspectives on many things diverged. Still, despite their different backgrounds and lack of Torah education in their early years, they both did their best to raise us.
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