Grief and Gratitude

R
abbi Moshe Goldberg stood up at the levayah of his son last week, grief etched into his face, so overcome by exhaustion and heartache he could barely stand.

Refoel had been born with his internal organs on the outside of his body. His parents were told he wouldn’t live a single day. Yet he went on to learn Torah and daven and play with friends and soak in the warmth of family, nine years and two months of laughter and love.

Just a few days earlier, the Goldbergs’ most fervent dream had seemed within reach when they’d been summoned to Washington: Doctors were ready to do a transplant on little Refoel.

It hadn’t been simple, and the pre-procedure video of the angelic child asking for people to daven along instantly turned him into Klal Yisrael’s little brother, Refoel ben Fraidel Miriam capturing the hearts of a nation.