Dear Friends and Family;
This Thursday, February fifth will mark the 31st wedding anniversary of our parents. As you all are aware this year's anniversary will be quite different from past years as our beloved father of blessed memory is no longer in this world. So we ask how can such an occasion be celebrated, or should we celebrate at all?
Not only is the bond of marriage eternal, it transcends time and space itself. So not only is it our parents anniversary in this world, but it is being celebrated in the heavens by our father's soul as well. So now the question is begged how can we celebrate and connect with the next world?
Chassidic teachings reveal that a marriage is a union of two souls, on a mission to bring more Godliness, holiness, and goodness into the world. This can be accomplished several ways; one is by creating others that can also bring Godliness into the world (i.e. children, grandchildren, and so on), another is by the mitzvahs the couple preformed together and as individuals, and thirdly is by inspiring others to elevate this world by brining more Holiness into it.
So together as loved ones of our Dad and Mom we can all celebrate together in a very special and unique way, including Dad, by embarking on an extra mitzvah on Thursday in honor of their anniversary, as well as an elevation of the soul of our dearly missed father. The act of a mitzvah allows for us to join together the two worlds with G-d himself. The mitzvah you choose can be something small or something large. It can be putting on teffilin on Thursday morning, or committing to light Shabbos candles on Friday night, giving extra tzdeka (charity), calling loved ones just to say I love you, or countless others. While you are performing the mitzvah please have in mind our parent's names. And for those who are able please post you extra mitzvah at www.marcthemountainman.com/ , our family blog so Mindy can see all of the mitzvahs/gifts done in their honor. Thank you all for you love and support, and may we only know of happy times, Scott & Devorah ElkanMichelle and Ben Needle Please foward this to anyone else who you can think of.
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10 comments:
I started my MARC/MINDY mitzvah a day early. I just started my MEALS on WHEELS route today at the Zaban Center and I told the man this was in honor of Marc Elkan and his family.
Wendy Kapiloff
I plan, bli neder, to learn mishnayos and try not to say anything disparaging about another person between 6pm - 9 pm today in honor of the anniversiary of Marc and Mindy
I started the day off with a multi-mitzvah morning. I went to minyan, had an aliyah, held and carried the torah, and gave tzedakah!
I will be reading and studing jewish history this evening. I chose this mitzvah because Marc was always reading library books and going to study classes to increase his knowledge. I am trying to follow his example.
hank needle
I have been a more courteous driver on the roads today, stopping and letting people go ahead or turn and keeping a cool head (:
I have told my family and dearest friends that I love them,sincerely.
Tehillim will be said in remembrance of Marc tonight.
I plan to go give blood.
Miss you Marc. Love you Mindy. Terry
When I had a "break" in my school day today I went into a Hebrew classroom during their Tefillah and prayed with them.
My thoughts and love are with you Mindy and your family-- forever...
Peggy
Gary,Marisa and Helen gave tzedakah
to the Tomorrow Children's Fund.
I wanted to thank everyone for helping me get thru this day. Knowing that everyone was doing something special in Marc's memory and in honor of the years that we share together helped to get thru this difficult day. I love you all and cannot thanks you all enough for the love and support you have shown to all of us.
I went to shul this morning with Ben and Karen and Mark and Stephanie were there which was wonderful to have them there with me. Again all my love and thanks to everyone
Mindy
We packed a box and Alexis drew pictures to send to our adopted solider over in Iraq. We know that dad would have loved to have been a part of this mitzvah and helping someone who is fighting for our country make it through the days a little easier.
Michelle, Alexis, and Max
As per Scott's message below, the Mitzvah I have chosen, is to tell the story of how the events of last August, sadly, but now gladly, have brought us back together. I wrote this to my brother Steve, who is retired, and with his wife Mary Ann, are on a long road trip from LI to FL. There they will visit their daughter, her new husband, and see old friends and some of our relatives. This is an annual tradition for them.
The reason why this, to me is a Mitzvah, is because something good came from something sad. The story itself, as
well as the background, in this particular story behind how Scott and Devorah met, is so heart-warming, that in the end, it hopefully makes one realize how life comes full circle.
One final thought about this is, knowing my brother, he will share this story of how Scott and Devorah met, and the circumstances that led to my knowledge of this, not just with his wife and perhaps some they see on this trip, but also upon their return.
Again, my thoughts are with you and your family.
Warm regards,
Sande
________________________________________
From: Sandehaar
To: Steve Haar
Sent: 2/5/2009 7:45:25 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Fwd: Elkan Anniversary - You have to read this!
Steve,
This message was sent by my x-college roommate's son Scott.
I believe I told you back in August, how my friend/x-roommate, Marc (beard & bushy a'fro) had suddenly passed away in mid-Aug. He left behind our other good friend, Mindy, their son Scott (now in Morristown area studying to be a rabbi), and daughter Michelle.
Both children had married early, as did their parents, who married Feb. 5, 1978. Marc like myself still had to finish up that semester, as we graduated in May. Mindy, the smartest of us all, graduated a semester earlier.
There was a snowstorm following the wedding. Ironically, I was snowbound on LI, when trying to go back to Oswego; think about it.
By the way even though we are all the same age, those fast-marrying types wasted no time procreating. In total, Marc and Mindy had the joy of having three grandchildren.
I visited Mindy back in early Sept.(Atlanta) after learning about Marc's passing a few weeks earlier. At that time, I got to see Mindy along with daughter Michelle (both, after about 15+years), met her husband Ben, and their two adorable children, Alexis (Lexi) and Max. I got to hold Max as Mindy diapered Lexi. Memories; I cannot recall the last time I had held a 3-month old infant.
Between Christmas & New Years, Mindy came up with Michelle, Ben, and the kids to visit Scott and his wife Devorah, and their daughter Hadassah, in their new apartment. I had not seen Scott & family when in Atlanta, so it was our first time I had seen Scott in that same 15+ year period.
Never would I have recognized Scott if I'd seen him elsewhere, although, with the beard, glasses and bushy hair, I did see a strong resemblance to his dad, (Marc). Scott and Devorah are members of the Chabad community, which has a significant presence in the Morristown area.
Back in Atlanta, I was told how Scott met Devorah. First, it is necessary to provide a little background. When Scott was 16, he went to Israel for the first time as part of a USY Israel program. He fell in love with Israel as so many others have.
Eventually, he became quite involved in the Mayanot Birthright organization by way of traveling back to Israel as a chaperone, as well as providing those visiting the US (in reverse) from Israel, with tours in conjunction with chaperone/tour guides sent from Israel.
On one particular trip, on the day he was to travel with the Israeli tour guide that was assigned to his group, it turned out that there was a last minute switch and a different guide came on the bus.
As the story was told to me, when this Israeli tour guide returned home, she professed to her parents that she had met the man she was going to marry; his name was Scott and you already know the rest of the story.
I get the chills every time I think about that story.
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