07 May SOMETIMES IT’S JUST A HOT CUP OF COFFEE

Parshas Kedoshim. “Kedoshim te’hiyu,
You shall be holy…” (Vayikra 19:2) To
live a life of sanctity. The mission
statement of our nation. A message so
important, so vital, that HaShem tells
Moshe to gather “Kol adas B’nei Yisroel,
the entire nation”. A message so integral
to us that Rashi relates a Midrash,
“Sheh’rov gufei Torah te’luyin bah, That
the majority of the essential of the Torah
depends on it.”
We may think that kedoshim, living an
elevated life is reserved for the lofty
amongst us, those with holy souls. But
the pasuk tells us otherwise. Kol adas. All
of Yisroel. Men and women. Young and
old. Strong and weak. Scholarly and
simple. Rich and poor. Each one of us has
not only an obligation, but the wherewithal
to be a kodosh. Each one of us, in our
way, can make the world a better place.
How is it possible, one may ask. HaShem
created us with a neshama, as we say
every day in davening, “Elokai, neshama
sheh’nosatah be, tehorah he, HaShem,

the soul You gave me is pure…” With a
pure soul, one can accomplish so much.
How blessed we are that HaShem
implants within us the necessary tools to
be a kodosh.
Kol adas – everyone. Even the children.
A while ago, a true life story was
submitted to Mishpacha magazine by
Esther Malka Goldschmidt. Esther Malka
was working as a receptionist in a
Lakewood office. A very ordinary job,
bordering on boring. Oftentimes, she
would be looking for “something” to
happen. And then, one day it did. A
middle-aged, obviously non-Jewish
couple, came in to have a meeting with
her boss. The wait was long and the
woman approached Esther Malka’s desk
to make conversation.
“Do you live around here?” the woman
asked. “I used to live on Vine Street.”
Esther Malka knew Vine Street well. It
was the block of the school she attended,
Bais Kaila.
The woman proceeded to tell of how she
would sit on her porch, and watch the

girls going to school in their pleated
skirts and light blue shirts. She
recalled one girl in particular. A girl
who always waved and smiled to
her. A girl who even stopped to
wish her a good day and chat with
her. The girl’s name was Kaila.
“Kaila from the Kaila school”, she
said.
It was now time for the couple to go
in, but not before the woman added,
“Kaila was so nice, that when I had
a little girl, I named her Kaila.”
A wave. A smile. A good word.
Little things that we can all do.
Little things that make a big
difference. A Kiddush HaShem.
We may not realize it, but a Kiddush
HaShem is not just for others. It is also
for ourselves. Every good act we do,
every mitzva we keep, has an impact on
our neshama. It becomes part of our very
being. We become better people as a
result. We become kinder and more
considerate. We learn compassion, love
and understanding. We acquire the virtues
of patience and tolerance. One who
lives his life striving to be a kodosh,

comes out a winner, a hero. It is self-
improvement at the highest level.

Kedoshim te’hiyu. I think of my father
zt”l, who filled his life with quiet acts
of chesed. Many of them unknown to
our family, only to be found out during
the shiva.
At one point, a woman walked in
wearing a nurse’s uniform. My sister
and I looked at each other, we didn’t
recognize her as one of my father’s
nurses from the hospital. We looked at
our mother. She didn’t seem to know
her either.
“Let me introduce myself”, our mystery
visitor began. “I am a baby nurse who
works for many families in the
community. I get recommendations by
word of mouth. I overheard the woman
I am currently working by tell her
husband that the Rabbi passed. As soon
as I heard that it was Rabbi Jungreis, I
asked if I could take some time off to
make a condolence call. I just wanted
to share a personal story with the
family.”
Intrigued, we were all ears. The baby
nurse continued. “Very often, I am
taking care of a baby at a bris. After the

ceremony, I would go into a private room
to care for the baby, while the family
would be greeting their guests. At times,
it seemed like an afterthought when
someone brought me a cup of coffee or a
plate of food. By then, everything was
cold. But not so when the bris was in
Rabbi Jungreis’ shul, Ohr Torah. Soon
after the bris, the Rabbi would bring me a
steaming hot cup of coffee and a plate
laden with goodies. The Rabbi would tell
me ‘You are such a special lady — you
have a holy job, you are taking care of a
Jewish baby, a Jewish soul.’ It wasn’t just
the plate of food. It was the kind,
encouraging words, the good wishes, the
smile of appreciation, the words of
gratitude.”
We are now in the midst of Sefira,
counting from Pesach to Shavuos, in
anticipation of receiving the Torah. It is
during this time period that we also
mourn the loss of so many of Rabbi
Akiva’s students, due to a devastating
plague. A plague caused by their lacking
respect and love for one another. The
plague came to an end on Lag B’Omer,
the thirty-third day of counting the Omer.
Maharal comments that until Lag B’Omer
there are thirty-two days, the gematria of
lev, heart. The lesson of Sefira. To love
one another. To have heart. To respect
each other, as in the word kavod, honor,
which also has a gematria of thirty-two.
In this week’s parsha, we are commanded
“v’ahavta le’rea’acha kamocha, You shall
love your fellow as yourself.” (Vayikra
19:18). To be a kodosh.
Sometimes, all it takes is a hot drink and
a kind word.