by Bracha Goetz
It’s not possible to count the ripples spreading out from
all the neshamas
he inspired
Photo credit: Flik47 / Shutterstock.com
wandering Larry becomes Rabbi
Aryeh Goetz.
It is 1978, and after completing
my first year of medical school, I am
volunteering in the oncology ward
at Hadassah Hospital, visiting with
patients who are dying, while my
secret mission is to learn the purpose
of living. During my first few days in
Israel, I go to the Kotel, and Reb Meir
Schuster finds me there. His purity
and his sincerity come right into my
heart. I begin to study with Rebbetzin
Dina Weinberg, and at the women’s
division of Ohr Someyach, as the
process of understanding the purpose
of living begins for me as well.
It is 1979, and every torch is lit on
the Menorah beside the Kotel, as it
is the eighth night of Chanukah. My
soon-to-be husband is sitting near
me on a bench in the Kotel plaza.
He tells me that on the eighth day of
Chanukah, the spiritual potential for
dedication is at its greatest. He wants
to know if on this night full of the
power of dedication, I will agree to be
his partner in life, so we can continue
our separate journeys together.
Reb Meir is there, too, on the night
when my husband asks me to marry
him. We both see him at the same
moment. H