The Short Vort
Good Morning!
Today is Monday the 19
th
of Tamuz 5778 and July 2
nd,
2018
Yisrael Amichai ben Yosef and Sarah Z”L
The crowd overflowed the Jewish Memorial Chapel.
There were probably more people who were standing than those who were seated.
The overflow crowd filled the isles of the Chapel and spilled into the lobby and out into the parking lot.
They all came to pay their last respects to Yisrael Amichai Avrahami who passed away last night after struggling with the dreaded disease.
Amichai left behind a wife- Dina and seven precious children.
He left behind three siblings and his parents.
He also left behind perhaps the most significant legacy that a person can leave this world with; namely, a Shem Tov- a good and noble reputation.
Amichai was in Hatzolah; however, you would never know about it if you spoke to him.
He was never one to brag or to show off about the Chessed he performed.
He went about his day quietly and honestly, always preferring to stay out of the spotlight.
He was a devoted father and husband. He loved his children deeply, and the only pain he felt was the realization of leaving his children without a father.
He accepted the will of Hashem without complaints and without any protest.
He lived and breathed Bitachon and Emunah- trust and belief in Hashem.
He never questioned, and he never objected. Instead, he simultaneously fought the disease powerfully, while recognizing the outcome may not be the one he would have chosen.
His honoring of his parents was legendary.
The Avrahamis have a construction business, they are known for their honesty and integrity.
Any time I needed work done on my home, I would always call upon them.
Both my wife and I were amazed how anytime a question arose, the sons, Shmuel and Amichai would always state, “We have to ask our father first.” Their expression of honor and respect for their parents was something hardly seen anymore.
Amichai and his brother Shmuel were utterly subservient to their father’s wishes.
I recall just a week ago when his brother Shmuel was celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of his son.
As I walked into the ballroom to say Mazel Tov, Shmuel asked if I would like to say Good Shabbos and Mazel Tov to Amichai.
When I approached Amichai who was behind a Mechitza and was being lovingly cared for by his mother, I wished him Mazel Tov on the Bar Mitzvah of his nephew.
He was very weak and in obvious discomfort at the time, nevertheless, he lifted his hand to shake mine and said, “You also get a Mazel Tov as well. You married off your son, Mazel Tov!”
In the midst of his family's Simcha, and in the middle of his own suffering, Amichai was not thinking about himself, he was thinking about others, about me.
Yisrael Amichai ben Yosef and Sarah will be missed by many.
He walked gently and quietly, yet, he left us with huge shoes to fill.
May his family have a Nechama and may all of us learn from his Middos Tovos- his wonderful and sterling character to improve ourselves and make ourselves better people.
Amichai left this world a better place than it was before he came into it. It behooves all of us to do the same with our lives.
May the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim.
“If Not Now, Then When?”- Hillel
Ron Yitzchok Eisenman, Rabbi, Congregation Ahavas Israel, Passaic, NJ
