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November 15, 2006
Rav Singer, ZT'L Unveiling Information
The unveiling for Karen's father, Rabbi Philip Harris Singer ZT'L will take place Friday, November 24, 2006 (Kislev 3) at 10:00 am. The cemetery is Eretz Hachaim near Beit Shemesh, Israel. Block 1 Section 8.
Karen and I are flying to Israel on Sunday November 19th.
I have been asked to say a few words at the unveiling--a great honor. Now, I wake every single night at precisely four-in-the-morning feeling overwhelmed by this responsibility. As a Torah scholar, I am ill prepared to speak and do justice to my father-in-law's memory. He was a Torah giant, and even today it's impossible to measure his loss to the family and to the Jewish people. I cannot count how frequently a halachic question comes up, I reach for the phone to call Karen's father for surely he will have the answer-- only to realize that he is no more.
I miss my father-in-law. I miss his stories--unexpected, sophisticated, and often fall-on-the floor-funny. I miss his unyielding belief in his own Torah knowledge. It was comforting to know that when he decided a legal Jewish question, even if his opinion flew in the face of the "what everyone said." His opinion would always be proven to be the correct one. I miss, oh how I miss his basso profundo oboe-like voice. It still echoes in every chamber of my heart.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at November 15, 2006 10:59 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
There you have it, Robert. The words you seek -- the honest words -- at 4 a.m.
As you've told me many times, brevity is the key. These words say a lot. Your late father-in-law's life said even more.
May his neshama have an aliyah.
Posted by: Pearl at November 15, 2006 03:40 PM
Pearl:
Amen. Thanks so much.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 15, 2006 03:52 PM
As life unfolds before us, the juxtaposition of words and events that could only fall together by divine design continues to astound. As I read Robert's vivid tribute to my father, A"H, I scrolled up to the first entry of the day. A passage about Jewish Publishers! No coincidence here. My father took great pride in his maternal lineage stemming from a prominent publishing family in Lublin Poland. His mother's maiden name was Schneidmesser, and I still recall his joy in finding Judaica with the Schneidmesser imprint.
Posted by: Karen Avrech at November 15, 2006 06:09 PM
Karen, that's very interesting.
Your paternal grandmother's maiden name Schneidmesser, which means "cutting knife," also relates very well to Robert's personal interest in knives.
Posted by: Pearl at November 15, 2006 08:14 PM
Hi Karen,
My name is Alissa Schneidmesser. I recently typed my last name into a search engine, and found this website. I was shocked to see that someone else in the U.S. has the last name Schneidmesser in their family lineage. When I showed my parents the website, they said that your father had married them and that he was cousins with my grandfather Issac.
There is still some confusion in our family as to whether Schneidmesser is our last name. My grandfather insisted that it was Schneidmesser, but his brother Abe's family was Schneidermesser. Both have since passed, so we have no way of knowing who was right. We were wondering if you knew anything about the family history, and would love to hear from you.
Posted by: Alissa Schneidmesser at November 26, 2006 04:37 PM