Rebbetzin Ruti Zayig was a powerhouse. With grace, strength, and a smile on her face she raised 8 children and ran her home. As many of us are blessed to know, running a large family is enough to keep a person occupied for a lifetime. Rebbetzin Zayig’s job, however, became immeasurably more difficult when she was diagnosed with ALS. Slowly, over time, her condition began to deteriorate. Her doctors and loved ones knew the truth as well as she did: There was no cure. By this year she got to the point of being considered 100% disabled. She was wheelchair bound, barely able to raise her arms. Her children and husband took on the full time job of taking her to her appointments, administering her medications, and running the home in her absence. They lived off of her disability checks.

The Ramot community were shocked on Sunday by the sudden passing of 52-year-old Rosh Kollel of Yeshivas Maalos Dovid, Rav Yaakov Elcharar. Elcharar was healthy, and had just finished dismantling his sukkah, when he collapsed from a heart attack.    Rav Elcharar lived an inspiring life: From his upbringing in Morocco, to his journey to Jerusalem to immerse himself in Torah studies. Perhaps the most touching part of the Elcharar family’s story was their long wait for children. After 12 years of yearning for a child, long after many had given up hope, they were blessed with a daughter. 9 years later, they had a second daughter.   Rav Elcharar loved his long-awaited daughters deeply.

Hello, my name is Elisheva. I am part of a family of 10 children, bli ayin hora, and we live in Eretz Yisrael. Our father raised us until he was niftar about a year ago. My mother, unfortunately, is currently being treated for a serious illness. Despite all of this, I must thank Hashem from the bottom of my heart for finding me my chosson, a wonderful ben Torah, who I will be married to in about 3 weeks. But I am embarrassed to confess that I have not bought anything for my chasuna. It pains me to no end that I have no father to rely on for my financial needs, or to lead me down the chuppah, as other girls have. There are so many necessities that I am lacking, and I have no idea how I am going to pay for them.

My wife Shoshi has always been my hero – but I never knew how strong she was until this year. It was a regular shabbos morning, and the kids were playing in the living room, when she asked me to come speak with her in another room. “Something’s wrong,” she told me. Her stomach was swollen, huge, like she was 9 months pregnant even though she wasn’t expecting. I suggested all sorts of explanations, but she insisted that something didn’t feel right. We went to the emergency room, expecting to clarify that all was fine and go home. But the doctors looked at her and said, “Pack your bags for the hospital.” Within hours it was confirmed: Cancer. Immediately, Shoshi began treatments to save her life. She of course left her job, and I took over watching the kids full time.

Even the most seemingly content families have their private share of struggles. Some families, however, seem to get an excessive amount of suffering. The Goldbergs, of the Geulah neighborhood, were known by many to be one of those families. Father Rabbi Hillel Goldberg had recently battled cancer, a shock to his wife and eight kids. They had already struggled with raising a severely autistic son, and the Rabbi’s illness put even more pressure on the family. Then, another son was diagnosed with cancer as well. They did everything they could to stay afloat. When Rabbi Goldberg went into remission, his family breathed of relief.

Last night, Rebbetzin Reitza Brim’s 5 year old son asked her a routine question: “Mama, I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?”. When she heard that question, she ran out of the room in tears and locked herself in the bathroom to cry. She was devastated because the answer was “nothing.” It wasn’t always this way. The Brims were a close-knit family with 12 children, and a solid parnassah. They were known to go out of their way to give tzedakah. They had the merit to marry off their oldest kids. Then, tragedy struck and everything changed.  One of their sons became critically ill with a rare disease. To survive, he needed special medication and treatments which were not covered by national insurance. The medical bills were a fortune, more than the average upper middle class family could afford.

Pure. That’s the word that comes to mind when we think of Reb Aryeh Laskey. He taught young children Torah, and he showed them, by his example, how to love Hashem. It was the warmth of his lessons that set the foundation for Yiras Shamayim for his students. ​Click here to donate! Rabbi Laskey ZTL struggled with debilitating diseases—pulmonary fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis—which caused him to become uninsurable. He continued to teach until his illness made working impossible. ​ Rabbi Laskey ZTL was relentless in his effort to make sure that his children with learning disabilities received the support they needed. Even as his health deteriorated, he forged on—carrying his oxygen tank and his ever-present smile—and doing whatever he could to care for his family.

Pure. That’s the word that comes to mind when we think of Reb Aryeh Laskey. He taught young children Torah, and he showed them, by his example, how to love Hashem. It was the warmth of his lessons that set the foundation for Yiras Shamayim for his students. ​Click here to donate! Rabbi Laskey ZTL struggled with debilitating diseases—pulmonary fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis—which caused him to become uninsurable. He continued to teach until his illness made working impossible. ​ Rabbi Laskey ZTL was relentless in his effort to make sure that his children with learning disabilities received the support they needed. Even as his health deteriorated, he forged on—carrying his oxygen tank and his ever-present smile—and doing whatever he could to care for his family.

The Neve Yaakov community was struck by a tragic loss this Rosh Hashana, with the passing of 30-year-old father of 4 Moshe Bergman. Moshe was a grandson of Rav Shach, and was known for his dedication to Torah learning & prayer, as well as his sense of humor. Bergman left behind a wife and four children, aged 6, 4, 3 and 1.   When Moshe was originally diagnosed with cancer one year ago, doctors felt confident that it was not a severe case, and that with treatment he would be fine. Unfortunately, that could not have been further from the truth. Though the initial treatments were successful, months later Moshe was at a dentist’s appointment when the doctor noticed another growth.

Twelve devastated children gathered at the Sanhedria cemetery last night to mourn the passing of their father, 48-year-old Rav Menashe Schiff. Schiff lost his life to coronavirus complications.  The Schiff family has been shaken not once or twice, but three times in the last month: The Rav’s father, Rav Yosef Schiff, passed away from the same virus as well. Rav Yosef’s wife, the matriarch of a large family, was so shaken by the news of his passing that she, suffering from COVID as well, had a heart attack upon hearing the news and passed away as well. The triple death has left the Schiffs deeply shaken.  Rav Menashe’s wife is now left to raise 12 children alone, without her husband or in-laws. It is a daunting, seemingly impossible task.