InnerCircle iNProximity iNQuotes

An incredible recovery on the heels

of moving close to a tzaddik

Hachnassas orchim and kiruv
with a twenty-first-century spin
For months, the name Menachem Mendel Chaim ben Chanah has been
on the lips of Montreal Jewry, as they include a wonderful young man in their
Mr. President … countries
tefillos. Mendy, a son of the beloved Harvey Goldstein (the man behind the very
reliable distribution of Mishpacha Magazine in Montreal), lay in a coma as a dispute … but there will probably
serious infection ravaged his body. After months in the intensive care unit with
little change, doctors were pessimistic.
Several weeks ago, a very
never be a dispute that a person
distinguished patient was admitted to
the very same hospital: Rav Meshulam should not be held unnecessarily
iNVitation Feish ben Tzirel, the Tosher Rebbe, who
is himself in need of tefillos.
in jail even for a second
Mendy’s father suggested moving
Mendy to ICU 2, near the Rebbe. Results
were apparent almost immediately. The
many distinguished visitors who came

Photo: Otzar Stock

to visit the Rebbe also made a point of
stopping by Mendy, many of them bearing items or articles of clothing that had
belonged to tzaddikim of generations past.
And now, Mendy is, baruch Hashem, awake — eating, talking, and smiling.
Doctors admit the recovery was unanticipated, and have told Mrs. Goldstein,
“It’s clear that you have connections in Heaven.”
As a rav close to the family comments: “It’s good to be reminded that the
words of the Gemara, ‘Teikaf l’talmid chacham brachah’ — great men bring
blessing with them — are a reality.”
— From a letter signed by 109 out of 120 Israel
Knesset members, calling on President Obama to
commute Jonathan Pollard’s sentence, in part due
to new evidence proving that he was falsely accused
of many crimes for which he was imprisoned. Prime
Minister Netanyahu refused to deliver the letter to
Obama, claiming that proper procedure is to send
such letters through the US Embassy in Israel

iNColor
Our 13-year-old son, with Down syndrome and double
cochlear implants, on the day of his bar mitzvah.
If this would be the only picture I'd ever take, dayeinu

I
t’s not so different from gabbaim of old, scanning the back of the beis medrash on Friday nights and ensuring that every guest
has somewhere to eat.
The people behind the website SeeYouOnShabbos.com are essentially those gabbaim, reaching out to the modern-day
version of Yidden in the back of shul, many of whom are unaffiliated and unaware of what Shabbos is. But unlike the gabbaim
of old, who had to place individuals, the website has found hosts for more than twelve thousand guests.
The host list, which is open to anyone, boasts an impressive cross section of Jewish families, from prominent rabbanim and
activists to the entire spectrum of Yidden. No experience is necessary, just a will to reach out to a fellow Yid, a welcoming smile,
and an extra portion of cholent. In only ten months, the website has spread to more than fifty countries and 1,200 cities. Travelers,
vacationers, people staying with relatives in the hospital, and some who would just like to meet more Yidden and expand their
Jewish horizons, have joined.
Rabbi Benzion Klatzko, founder of the program, is gratified by the site’s extraordinary growth.
“There are people sitting at home with no place to go Friday night: singles and single parents, recent baalei teshuvah, and others
who want to discover the beauty of Shabbos for the very first time. And they live in our own backyards!” he says. “How can we,
rachmanim bnei rachmanim, not reach out and make ourselves and the kedushah of our Shabbos homes available to them?”

to contribute tips and pics contact innercircle@mishpacha.com

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