Family and friends share their memories

Our Arie passed away on a Shabbat which was also a festival - tradition has it that righteous persona have that Zchut, that honor ... and the last chapter of his life on Earth coincided with the reading this weekend of the last chapter of our Torah and the passing of the foremost leader and prophet of our nation: Moshe Rabeynu.

This reading begins with the last blessings bestowed upon the Israelites by Moses and in this context, the Torah refers to Moshe as "Ish Ha-Elokim" the Man of God - an accolade never before conferred to Moshe in the Torah. The Midrash tells us that from midway down, Moshe was an Ish - a man, and from mid-way up - "Ish Ha-Elokim" to mean that he was both an Ish and Elokim - an angelic being.

In what way? Our Biblical commentators explain that Moshe achieved the spiritual stature of an angel but without the accompanying pitfalls of an angel.

Our tradition has it that angels performed the divine will with robotic perfection and consistency - they would not tolerate imperfection in any way, shape or form. When God consulted them regarding his intent to give the Torah to B'Nai Israel, they vehemently - and with disdain - objected and insisted that the pure, sacred Torah belonged to the pristine realm of the heavens, and should not be allowed to descend into the human world of greed, jealousy and lust.

Overriding the objection of the angels, God nonetheless gave the Torah to the Israelites - planted its values, teachings and commandments precisely into a world of imperfection.

Moses absolute devotion to God was unequalled and thus rose to the level of an angel. However, unlike the dry, strict, unforgiving, and insensitive nature attributed to angels, Moshe's stature did not lead him to feel disdain towards the less perfect members of the nation, towards those who were still human. He was always there for his people, in good and in trying times!

Imperfection enriches our lives, because it brings out the values, the ideals of generosity, compassion, respect, and honesty of purpose in a person. Without the flexibility inherent in imperfection, we could not learn and grow - we would effectively stagnate under the stiff, unchallenged umbrella of perfection and we could never reach our maximum potential! Indeed, if we come to think of it, we worship a God of imperfection!

Our Arie exemplified the ideal of living as an angel amongst human beings, of perfecting oneself by giving to others, and identifying with the needs of others. He leaves a rich legacy to his family, to his friends, and to all those who had the privilege to know him. Yehi Zichro Baruch! May his memory be a blessing to all of us!

To relatives, we express our sincere condolences! May his legacy be a living one, a true example to all of us, amen!
... and remember: Death may end a physical presence ... but death will never end a relationship!

Tehi Nishmato Tzrura Bitzror Hachayim - May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.

El Maleh Rachamim - God full of mercy

STEVEN RINGELSTEIN (SON) - EULOGY FROM MEMORIAL SERVICE

Imagine it is March, 20 °C, and you are enjoying a vacation at your son's for a month in sunny Arizona. You are training in the gym 3 times a week, swimming 3 times a week, taking dancing lessons twice a week, walking an hour a day and feel the best you have ever felt. Then one day you go to get checked for iron deficiency and the doctor performs a colonoscopy. Your colon is fine, so the doctor inserts the camera into your stomach and discovers a bleeding cancer tumor. You came for a checkup and you leave the doctor's office with a diagnosis of stage IV stomach cancer. The doctor's recommendation is to undergo 9 weeks of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove your stomach, and then 9 more weeks of chemotherapy. What would you do?

My dad chose 9 weeks of chemotherapy and was determined to be cancer free without surgery. So what happened?

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