At the Kisufim center in Nitzan, a center for the spiritual empowerment of the women of Gush Katif and the south, a special panel was held in Tu Beshevat among the daughters of rabbis, among the senior rabbis of religious Zionism, who passed away this year.
The panel was held in the presence of approximately one hundred and eighty women and moderated by Rabbi Hila Wolberstein. It was attended by Rabbi Boruria Neuberger, daughter of Rabbi Eliezer Waldman ztzal, Rabbi Boria Binenfeld daughter of Rabbi Haim Druckman ztzal, Rabbi Tali Wingot daughter of Rabbi Mordechai Sternberg ztzal, and Rabbi Ziva Meir niece of Rabbi Simcha Kook ztzal.
Rabbi Neuberger told about an important message she learned in her father’s house – the need to be whole with yourself in order to act. “My father used to say: ‘Where you are complete, the children will be complete with you’, ‘When you are complete with your actions, the children will be complete with you,'” says Neuberger. “There are homes that talk about kindness, humility, modesty. And in our house they didn’t talk about these things – we just saw them. That was their saying. The parents didn’t talk about guarding the tongue, kindness or studying the Torah, but simply did it. So, for example, my father would buy a rabbi for the holidays , gifts, dresses, jewelry and gives it to everyone, including guests.”
After her Rabbi Broria Bienfeld spoke. “The rabbi experienced many personal trials, he was saved four times from death and when asked how he dealt with difficulty, he answered: ‘For me? It was not difficult for me, when you are engaged in a mission then there is nothing to be hurt by anyone, because everything is from the mission.'”
Rabbi Tali Wingot said that when the children fought or had an exchange between them, her father turned to one of the children and said: ‘You didn’t mean it, but he might mistakenly think you did.’
At the end, Rabbi Ziva Meir talked about the greatness of Rabbi Simcha Kook’s personality and influence: “His personality and image spoke and influenced. Because whoever talks about something – remains in the realm of speech – and whoever does it leaves action behind.”
Rabbi Hila Wolberstein, the initiator of the event, shared some of her feelings after the special discourse: “The common thread between them all was that there was no difference between the private and the general in terms of importance. Both were equally important. 24/7 family. 24/7 Klal Yisrael. The power of love of Israel And the power of loving the Torah gave them a sense of belonging to something great and therefore gave them the strength to face all the challenges. A life of giving, a life of mission. There is a time for everything that is important. The little child is as important as the needs of the people. The concern and investment in the public in Israel as a whole – it has great power and education for my children. The house. It was amazing to see the connecting thread – the sucker from the roots of Rabbi Kook and Rabbi Zvi Yehuda, of a life of dedication and dedication for the people of Israel. A life of humility. Love for the people of Israel is immense and love for the Land of Israel is endless.”
