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Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

We wish long life to Avi on the sudden loss of his father this week. Wishing you and all your Family to be comforted by Hashem, and know only simchos in the future.

Mazal Tov to Baty on your birthday now tonight. Wishing you a year of many great happenings and achievements in joy and good health.

The main event this week was Yud Shvat.

Yud Shvat is the yohrtzeit of the Frierdike Rebbe who passed on in 1950, and exactly one year letter, also on Yud Shvat, the Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson) took over the leadership of the Lubavitch movement.

As such it is one on the main days in the Chassidic calendar.

On Yud Shvat this year, was also the levayeh in Yerushalayim, of Avi's father Reb Yisrael Meir ah.

He was niftar a day or two before, and Avi and the Family flew him to be buried in Yerushalayim.

It has therefore been a difficult and heart rending week for all of us, and we wish all of the Vogel Family - Hamakom yenachem eschem besoch shear avalei Tzion biYerushalayim.

Two points from the life of Reb Yisrael Meir ah stand out for me.

I remember at Avi's engagement to Penina in New York. We already knew that Avi's father was extremely unwell, and that he was coming in to meet us.

We arranged to meet at a restaurant in Crown Heights for lunch, and I remember sitting in the restaurant looking out for him to arrive, expecting to see an elderly sick man.

Then this young looking, vibrant and happy man entered with some family, and I carried on looking out.

But then the next thing was, to my amazement, that he was hugging all the Vogel Family, and I was shocked to find out that this was actually Rabbi Vogel ah.

And his level of energy and joyous dancing at the wedding impressed me even more.

Despite all the gloomy predictions of the doctors, and the extreme pain and suffering that he endured, he fought on, through even further medical complications, for another 10 years

Reb Yisrael Meir ah was also extremely dedicated to a Torah life and he was a teacher who lived with moderate means.

And from this focused and humble life emerged a large Family with so many varied natures and talents, establishing itself in so many areas, and with such strength BH.

I can certainly take encouragement from this spirit!

May he 'Speak for our defence' in Shamayim

In this week's Sedra Beshalach we learn about the SONG that Moshe and Bnei Yisrael sang after the crossing of the sea.

Torah uses the expression 'Az yashir' -Then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael will sing.' Surely it should have said that they sang, in the past tense?! Why does it use future tense?

And part of Rashi's answer from the Medrash, is that Torah is alluding to the fact that there will be tchiyas hameisim - revival of the dead (with the coming of Mashiach)

Ie In the future Moshe and the Children of Israel will sing!

The whole lives of the Frierdke Rebbe and the Rebbe were given over to easing of the pain of Klal Yisrael in the exile, and to bring Mashiach.

May it be soon in our day when we will all be together again, in SONG, with our departed loved ones.

Gut Shabbos to all