We didn’t appreciate the essentialness of Reb Shalom until he was no longer there
On Shabbos morning, we arrive in shul. Some of us early, and some later. We look up from our siddurim to see who’s going up for Shacharis. Later in the davening, we look up again to see who’s davening Mussaf. As men are called up for aliyos, heads turn to see who is getting shlishi and who is getting shishi. And of course, by Maftir, everyone wants to know, “Who got Maftir today?”
When fathers come home, their wives ask, “Who davened Mussaf today? Which niggun did he use for Kedushah?
I still recall how, over 20 years ago, a congregant left the shul. When I called to ask him why he’d left, he replied indignantly, “Why did you give Moishe shlishi this week and me revii when you knew my yahrtzeit was Monday and his was Tuesday?”
Woe to the rabbi who fails to remember a congregant’s yahrtzeit.
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