What a holy Jew I was privileged to know— and continue to feel connected to in Olam Haneshamos. Yehi zichro baruch
In Iyar, I was approached by Reb Dovid Steingroot, a member of my kollel for working bnei Torah. He said to me, almost matter-of-factly, “Rebbi, I don’t know how I’m going to tell you this.”
Although I braced myself for difficult news, I was wholly unprepared for what followed.
“I don’t know if I will still be here in a few weeks. I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and the prognosis is not good. Other than my wife and sister, I have not yet told anyone but you.”
The news stung. Reb Dovid was the embodiment of my vision for the kollel — a baal habayis and talmid chacham who learned b’iyun, with a sweet tooth for the finer things in lomdus and machshavah. On a personal level, he was also a dear friend.
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