It's been the most difficult week and a half since Rabbi Dubrawsky left our physical world. There are no words to describe how incredible of a person he was. He emanated bright light, the light very few people in this world have. (Rabbi Schneerson is another person that comes to mind when I speak of the light). I do not speak Hebrew and don't know Hebrew terms and references, and never the less a term "True Tzadik" is what he was. For over 20 years that I was lucky enough to be close to Rabbi Dubrawsky, Dina Dubrawsky and their children.
He is humble, he is intriguing, he is an intellect like none other and a very righteous person.
Those that have met him will agree how important he made every individual feel. His eyes projected wisdom, his personality and his approach to people and his teachings is what separated him from everyone else.
It is the saddest moment of my adult life which I am having very difficult time coping with. My heart goes out to Dina and their wonderful children for their unspeakable loss and the void we feel we were left with down here on earth.
I have been reading postings left by hundreds of people that knew Rabbi and it brings tears to my eyes. Some are tears of sadness realizing I will never be able to shake Rabbi's hand like I've done hundreds of times before, I will never be able to hug him and have him hug me back, these tears of sadness extend to the heartbreaking loss for Rabbi Dubrawsky's family, but some of these are tears of joy for having 20 years of his presence and of his light that lifted people up no matter how tough the times were.
One of the postings related something I fully agree with and would like to add to - the only explanation (in my mind) to 'why Now and why Him?' is the following: He was too holy for our physical world. And he might've been asked to do something greater, something only HE can do.
Last night I say on the couch and wept and I couldn't stop for a long time. This was the first time in my life I felt so strongly that I needed to release this sadness. I tried weeping quietly thinking I might wake up my kids as they've never seen me like this. And how could I explain to a young child how much someone means to you especially if they mean soooooooo much? You can't do it in words. I can't even find the appropriate words to describe what Rabbi Dubrawsky meant for me. How much he has taught me, my family and thousands of others!
I pray for Dina and the children to get through this. Hopefully my prayers will be heard as at this point I don't even know how I will be able to cope with this great loss of a holy human being.
Yesterday morning the sun came out in Richmond, and I sat down with my wife to talk before heading off to work. I sat with tears in my eyes as we started talking about Dina and Rabbi Dubrawsky and what their family meant to us. All of a sudden we realized that there is a bird that sat on the outside bottom of the window where it's impossible to sit as there is no ledge (I have never seen that before, and it's the house I grew up in). With a look of a surprise on our faces we stood up and moved closer to see it as it saw us and flew away. Both of us noticed how tiny it was as if it was a baby bird.
There are no coincidences in life and each one of us can interpret this situation differently, but I know how I interpreted it. Today, as I am sitting in the car outside of my work, talking to someone who knew Rabbi Dubrawsky like no one else, a little bird flies up and sits right in front of my car and the interesting things is that the only birds you'd come across near my work are crows. And then I was emailed a picture from New York of a bird on the window ledge that is sitting on her eggs waiting for them to hatch... but that's another story.....
We are all humans and we all feel different things differently. We can experience the same situation in many different ways and learn different lessons from it. I know that the past 8 of 9 days Rabbi Dubrawsky was near me. I felt his presence like never before. He would answer my questions, he would help me make decisions, he'd continue to guide me just like he did for the last 20 years, except now he does it the moment I think of him and I don't need to go and see him, and I don't need to be shy about asking him questions (even though he always made people feel incredibly comfortable asking him questions and answering his questions).
Dina, you and each one of your incredible children are loved by many many many many people. No words can make you feel better at this time and that is why my thoughts and prayers are on my way to you right now and they will make you stronger and help you get through this. You are an incredible woman and a wonderful example of what families should strive towards because you and your husband's teachings and love build a community of people that share passion for spirituality, for traditions and for love for one another. And I would like to thank you, your family and Rabbi Dubrawsky for that.
D. S.
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