Dear Shaare Family,
Rabbi’s Recommendation
I’m sure many of you are familiar with the story of Aaron Feuerstein, the “Mentsch of Malden Mills.” On December 11, 1995, a catastrophic fire completely destroyed Malden Mills, the textile business that had been in the Feuerstein family for three generations, of which Aaron was the CEO. With the migration of businesses to Mexico and oversees, Malden Mills was a holdout, remaining in the United States and serving as the economic cornerstone to an otherwise depressed region. Immediately after the fire, Aaron Feuerstein announced to his employees that he would continue paying their salary, medical insurance and Christmas bonuses. It was this move that earned him universal plaudits; he met with Presidents and was featured on 60 Minutes, where he spoke about the biblical obligation to pay workers. It was a well-known story of a remarkable Kiddush Hashem- but the story did not end there. While he was able to resurrect the company, and even secure several lucrative contracts, Aaron Feuerstein overspent in the process of rebuilding and eventually, the company filed for bankruptcy. Even after becoming solvent, they ended up doing so again. The restructuring process that allowed the company to remain solvent also stripped him and his family members of their titles and role in the company, and his bid to buy the company back was rejected. The ensuing period was exceptionally difficult for Aaron’s extended family personally, professionally and financially. But even that is not the end of the story.
Aaron Feuerstein died on November 4 at the age of 95, under completely different circumstances than the ones under which he lived for most of his life. This week, his granddaughter, Marika Feuerstein, appeared on the 18Forty podcast with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Bashevkin and spoke about what it means to be part of a family that was defined by their wealth, and lost everything- and attempted to rebuild- not the family business, but the family itself. I highly recommend that you listen to the interview, here (and to any other episode of this outstanding podcast).
Hakarat HaTov Corner
Last year on Parshat Beshalach, I shared with you the story of how Jessica and I met. Our sages describe the process of matchmaking as being “as difficult as the splitting of the sea,” a statement I analyzed during that written sermon and exhorted all of us to become more involved in matchmaking. It certainly bears repeating, and our story is always fun to retell, especially as we will, with God’s help, be celebrating our secular Bat Mitzvah Anniversary on Monday. I am, of course, grateful to Hashem for putting Jessica and me together- she, and the family we have B”H built- were certainly worth the wait!
It also appropriate to speak about matchmaking, as I am grateful to Hashem that my youngest brother Elia got engaged this week to Dr. Naomi Schwartz, originally from Passaic, New Jersey. For many people, COVID impacted their dating lives considerably, making it more difficult to establish a personal relationship when so much of dating became virtual. For others, the virtual nature of dating alleviated some initial pressure and allowed them to feel more comfortable in their interactions before meeting in person. In Elia and Naomi’s case, COVID certainly affected their dating lives, because you could say COVID was their matchmaker.
Elia and Naomi are neighbors, living two doors away from one another in the Residents’ and Fellows’ housing for Montefiore Children’s Hospital in the Bronx, where he is a PICU fellow and she is a Pediatrics resident. During the initial days of COVID, they eschewed the usual opportunities to visit with their families and friends out of fear of spreading or contracting the virus, in consonance with the prevalent wisdom at the time. It was safe to have contact with fellow residents who were exposed to the virus to the same degree, so Elia and Naomi, who were friendly with one another, made a Purim Seudah together. As the pandemic continued unabated, they shared Pesach Sedarim and meals together, and then Shavuot meals as well. Eventually, they began dating, but broke up…and resumed a few months later. The rest, as they say, is history. Having spent almost a full cycle of Chaggim together before even beginning to date, they almost had a reverse marriage! We haven’t yet met Naomi in person- she was scheduled to visit us at the beginning of December, but Shevy tested positive for COVID on the day they were scheduled to arrive. We look forward to meeting her soon (hopefully sometime before their wedding, called for mid-June BE”H).
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
