Noach ben Chaim was a righteous man in his generation.
We met some thirty years ago when Noach came to us for the first Shabbos of his life. His name was “Ned” then. We introduced him to tefillah, tzitzis and tefillin, and he -- a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America -- introduced us to delicious pastries, which he made in our kitchen l’kovod the Yom Tov of Shavuos.
We bonded, and Noah bonded with Torah. He climbed the ladder rung by rung. Soon he was learning full time in Yerushalayim. There, he met a young lady and they were married. Noah became “Reb Noach,” learning all day and now with a long beard. The young couple was blessed with two beautiful Yiddishe maidalach and happiness reigned.
But the wheel turned. Hashem has His plan. Somehow, the plan for Noach turned away from simcha, and the young family was plunged into tragedy. I do not know all that happened during these years and I do not desire to know. All I know is that many years of suffering and sickness ensued, years shrouded in darkness, but, through it all, Noach held firmly to his intense connection with the Master of the World.
And now, we go forward, skipping over these dark years. Several years ago, we again connected with Noach. He had returned to his parents’ home in Florida (where they had retired) so that Noach could receive medical treatment, because he was now suffering from a terrible illness. I found healing for him from the well-known tzedakahorganization called Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society, whose head is my dear friend, Rabbi Chaim Rapfogel. RCCS initiated a course of treatment for Noach and he eventually moved northward to Far Rockaway, where his treatment continued and where many new friends clustered around him, drawn to him by his intense suffering and his great heart.
He was strong in the face of his illness. His face was always radiant with emunah and betochain. The words “Baruch Hashem” were always on his lips.
Noach ben Chaim suffered more than any other person I have known. His life resembled that of Iov, with suffering on every level. I have seldom seen a person who clung with greater tenacity and love to his Father in Shomayim. Every test was a test of love, an opportunity to grow closer to Hashem. He lived and breathed the air of Shomayim. His feet were on this planet, but his heart was with Hashem. Because of his great holiness, many friends gathered around him to help him in his sickness and his troubles. I want to mention in particular, among many, his landlady, Mrs. Elyse Possick, who was like a mother to him. She cried many tears of love.
Noach ben Chaim left this world a few days before Rosh Hashanah. He merited a choshuve levayah in Far Rockaway and a choshuve levayah and kevurah in the Holy Land. Truly now he is “ben Chaim,” because he is living in the World of Life and Truth.
Noach lived through a mabul, just as his namesake lived through a mabul as described in this week’s Parsha. He lived through a deluge of tears which would have drowned others. But he lived in a teva of righteousness and ruchnius which he built with his own hands. He was beloved by many and in turn he never ceased in his gratitude to those who were at his side. His hakaras ha tov was legendary and his heart was as big as the sky.
Now he is standing before the Kisai ha Kavod. I believe that he is remembering us, as he stands in Hashem's Presence. I am sure that he is pouring his heart out at this very moment, begging Hashem to save and protect those of us who are still in this world, utilizing his fountain of tears to beg for a yeshua for Am Yisroel.
May we all live to see the shining world which will greet us after all our troubles.
“Let the year and its blessings begin.”
GLOSSARY
Baruch Hashem: Blessed is G-d
Betochain: living life with the knowledge that G-d is with you
Choshuve levaya: a funeral befitting a dignitary
Emunah: trust in G-d
Hakaras ha tov: gratitude
Kevurah: burial
Kisai ha kavod: G-d’s throne
L’kovod: in honor of …
Mabul: the Biblical Flood
Parsha: Torah portion
Ruchnius: spirituality
Shomayim: heaven
Tefillah: prayer
Tefillin: leather boxes containing Biblical passages worn by men during weekday prayers
Teva: ark
Tzedaka: charity
Tzitzis: strings attached to the corners of a man’s garment as mandated by the Torah
Yeshua: redemption
Yiddishe maidalach: Jewish daughters
Yom Tov: Biblical holiday
