IN MEMORY OF THE LATE RABBI MOSHE SHER ZTL
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I went to the funeral of Rabbi Moshe Sher before Rosh Ha
Shana, during the burial his grave was circled by large birds flying extremely high
above the burial plot. He was a Mohel he did over 6000 milas in his life time. The Rabbi said while we are alive we do what we can but the crown of
life is death as this is the time when Hashem calls for our return to bask in
the light we have created in this human existence, i just needed to share one of the stories he tells which convinced him of this fact below:
My help is from Hashem. An extract from Rabbi Moshe Sher's
book
We were all very excited about our December holiday home in
the Wilderness overlooking the sea. Before we left, my mother of blessed
memory, kept on reminding me to be careful with my son Ezra in the sea. Ezra
was about nine years old and although we had given him many swimming lessons,
he still could not swim. I told my mother that we would take every care in the
sea. The fist time we went to swim on one of the Wilderness beaches, we
realised that the swimming was very dangerous because there were strong
currents even in the shallow water which made swimming uncomfortable. We
enquired if there was a safer beach nearby and we were told the swimming at
Vicoria Bay was safe and pleasant. There was a scenic drive from
the main road down to Victoria Bay which was surrounded on both sides by high
rising mountains which protected the bay from currents. Our children enjoyed
their visits to Victoria Bay where the swimming was safe. One afternoon,
returning from a visit to the Cango Caves, we stopped at Victoria Bay to
swim and cool off from the hot day. It was already late in the afternoon and
the life savers had left. The beach was deserted and so we had the Bay to
ourselves. Our son Avi was 19 years old at the time and his younger
brother Ron was 16. Avi and Ron dashed into the sea. They were quite good
swimmers and were able to hold their own. I came down to the edge of the water
with Ezra who enjoyed playing in the small waves. After a while, I decided to
join Avi and Ron who were swimming further out. I made a terrible mistake when
I said to Ezra, "You carry on playing in the shallow water while I swim
with your brothers. " it was totally irresponsible to leave Ezra on his
own, but I did not realise it at the time. As I approached Avi and
Ron, I turned around to see if Ezra was safe on his own. It was only a
minute later and I could not believe that the child had disappeared! I looked
to the left of the Bay and there was no one to be seen. I then looked to
the right and I got the fright of my life! There was Ezra, floating out to sea
on the high waves. When he took swimming lessons, his teacher
taught him that if he ever got into trouble in the water he should raise his
hand in the hope that someone would see him. I saw a raised hand and I
understood that the child was being swept out to sea. I did my best to
run, swim and jump as fast as I could to intercept the child. As I came very
close to Ezra, he held out his hand to me and I put out my hand to him.
Unfortunately he passed me and continued to drift out to sea. Avi also
tried to intercept him but once again the high waves pushed the child even
further out to sea. I will never forget Avi's courage as he started
swimming out to sea to try and catch his younger brother. Hereby, he was
endangering his own life and it was quite obvious that his attitude was the
same as the attitude of Sampson in the bible. Before Sampson
pulled down the pillars of the Philistine temple he said, "Tamut nafshi im
Plishtim" - If I have to die I will take the Philistines with me."
This is precisely what Avi's actions declared, "if my brother has to
go, I will do my best to save him even if it means that I have to go with
him!" His courage and determination to save his brother were unbelievable!
Avi succeeded in reaching Ezra and put him on his back.
Ezra held Avi around his neck with such desperation that he almost
chocked Avi. Both of them disappeared under the water and a short while later
they resurfaced. Avi swallowed so much water that the water was just
pouring out of his mouth. At that point the currents pulled me under the
water and I knew that there was no way that I could ever come up. I was fully
aware that I was about to die by drowning. How long can an exhausted
person hold his breath under water? I thought, "What a terrible death to
die by drowning. Just imagine the trauma, pain and
suffering..." The moment had arrived for me to die and I was most
surprised that there was no pain and suffering. A miraculous
transformation took place and I just slipped into the Next World. This
was the most sacred moment of my life, because Hashem gave me a glimpse of the
life of the World to Come. The atmosphere was so spiritually uplifting and
there was a wonderful brightness all around. It was a special privilege to have
such a rare experience. I truly felt that I was so close to Hashems
Divine Presence. I do not know how long I was there but all of a sudden,
in a flash, everthing changed and I was walking out of the sea with
the water below my knees.
As I mentioned above, Avi and Ezra were swept considerably
further out to sea than myself. However, they were walking out of
the water in front of me. I could not understand how they got out of such an
impossible situation. As I walked out of the sea, I could still
feel a very special atmosphere around me which I can only describe as part of
Hashem's Divine Presence. This special atmosphere subsided as I walked
onto the beach and once again I felt a normal atmosphere around me.
We returned to the house where we were staying I
looked at the calander and noted that the day was 6 Kislev. The numerical
value of 6 is 'Vav' which means hook. This is exactly how we felt we had been
hooked out of the sea. I seated the children around the table. I asked
Ezra, "How did you get swept out to sea?
He replied, "I also wanted to get a little more wet and
therefore I took a few steps forward. Suddenly, a wave lifted me up and I
began to drift out to sea."
"How did you keep afloat above the high waves if you
cannot swim?" I continued.
He answered, "I felt as if there was a tube
around my waist which prevented me from sinking! "
Ezra had no such tube and it was only the hand of Hashem
that had kept him afloat.
I asked Avi how he got back to the beach, considering that
he had been swept so far out to sea. He replied, Aba, I did not know you were
so strong. I will never forget how you came and put your hand behind me and
then, with Ezra on my back, you pushed both of us to the edge of the
sea!"
I explained to Avi that his suggestion was impossible
because I myself was drowning at the same time. Once again the miracle
was that Hashem's Mighty Hand had rested upon the children and saved them.
I then asked Ron what he had seen and he replied, "Aba,
you disappeared under the water and then Avi and Ezra also disappeared. I
became so afraid that I started running out of the water and then all of a
sudden I saw the three of you walking out and I could not understand how you
got there "
This was our own personal 'Kri-at Yam-Suf- Splitting of the
Sea.'
There is no logical explaination as to how we were saved.
The only explaination is that we were privileged to experience an open
miracle which reminds us that Kevodo Malei Olam- Hashem's Divine Presence
fills every tiny corner of the world and that Hashem is constantly aware of all
our thoughts and actions.
That experience taught me that the moment of death is the
crown of life because death is the call of the King and what greater honour
could be bestowed upon any human being? As long as we have life, we must
utilise every moment to the maximum, but when we are called by our Creator, we
must be ready to go with happiness and gratitude for all the blessings that
were bestowed upon us in this world.
A few years later, I happened to spend a Shabbos at
the Kensington Shul in Johannesburg where I grew up as a child. My Rabbi
was the late Rabbi Baruch Rabinowitz who instilled in me a deep love of Torah
and Juadaism. I happened to notice a plaque on the wall in the foyer
which was a tribute to his 25years of devoted service to the congregation.
I read on and was suddenly deeply moved when I saw that the plaque
indicated that he passed away on 6 Kislev, precisely the same day as our
experience in the sea! It occurred to me that perhaps in Gan Eden, each
soul is given an additional strength on the day of its Yahrzeit. There
was a very strong feeling within me that my Rebbe said to Hashem, " My
children are drowning in the sea on the day of my Yahrzeit- please save
them!"
This idea highlights the saying of the Rabbis in Pirkei Avot
- Asei Lecha Rav. Each person must have his own Rabbi who will guide and
protect him both in this world and in the World to Come.
