Comments on: Out Of The Mailbag: Shoving at the Kosel?

By: jewishpride

jewishpride — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:19:20 +0000

May you merit to see your son souring to great spiritual heights and dedicating his life to one of torah and yiras shamayim very soon untill 120 Bezrat Hashem!
Wishing you lots of neverending yidishe nachas!!
kesiva v’chasima tova to you and all of klal yisrael!

By: asinburt

asinburt — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:57:00 +0000

You are clearly a very special Yiddishe mother. Never,never give up davening. You will IY”H come to see your hailege son be a full chozer b’tshuva. The fact that he chose to be a messenger of Hashem, and watch over His people speaks volumes.
May I wish him (and, yes, I say this to all the chayalim that I pass when I see them in Eretz Hakadosha) “Hashem Yishmor”.
I wish you, your noble son and your entire family a gut and g’bentched year.

By: Truehonesty

Truehonesty — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:23:57 +0000

Dear Phoenix,

Beautiful and thought provoking!

Why not write your son’s name (ploni ben plonis) for all of us to see and daven for?

It is well known that Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz ztl ALWAYS greeted and thanked the chayalim at the Kossel and anywhere else he met them.

On the other hand, it is also well known that the highest compliment from the Beis Yisroel ztl (Gerrer Rebbe) that he would give to a prospective father-in-law about a bochur was “er shtipt git beim tisch!” (He pushes strongly at the Tisch).

It seems that there is a point in this pushing for a mitzva though obviously only within a crowd of similarly minded people and not in front of others who might misunderstand and misinterpret the religious fervor involved.

Wishing you, your son and all Klal Yisroel a kesivo vechasimo toivo.

By: phoenix

phoenix — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:02:24 +0000

dear # 17. that stanza is one I made up on the spot to answer #16. I was telling him that my son did not become irreligious because someone “pushed” him. It was definitely not in my poem. I was not blaming anyone for making my son not frum. all i am saying is that yidden should be kind to each other.

By: Doc

Doc — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:32:22 +0000

IsraeliYid, that was Phoenix\’s point in 17. That such a stanza was NOT in the original poem.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:23:38 +0000

This poem is exquisite, and moved me to tears.

Your plea is piercing.

May it echo through the chambers of our collective heart, and effect heightened consciousness of our responsibilities to each precious Neshamah in our nation.

May your son and all the children of Klal Yisrael bring Nachas to their parents and to the Rebono Shel Olam.

By: dd

dd — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:07:43 +0000

While your son may have given up certain mitzvos, by serving in the army he is being moser nefesh to protect the Jewish people.

When the time comes for din v’cheshban, it is not at all clear that he is any less “frum” than many of those who are still “on the derech”.

By: Gold

Gold — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:44:15 +0000

Phoenix, I just emailed “contact us” at the website and told them my email address to give to you. so i hope they will respond soon. i have no idea who you are, but maybe you are right and we do know each other!

By: myshadow

myshadow — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:16:28 +0000

Wow. Thank you so much for posting this article, I cried for your child and for all the other thousands of children that strayed from yiddishkeit.
#3, stop putting people down and just read the poem with an open heart and love every person whether religious or not.
May we all have a ksiva vchasima tova and hopefully this year will bring all the yeshuous that klal yisroel needs.
Yasher koach Phoenix!!! Thanx!!

By: phoenix

phoenix — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:09:51 +0000

Thank you for all your wonderful comments. i know that everyone tries as best as they can to do the right thing. I just have seen how these children who have gone off the derech or have never been religious are extra sensitive to the way we frum people behave. That is why I am imploring all of you, even if it may be difficult, to try to take that extra moment to smile at them. You never know whose heart you might be warming with your smile.