"I'll Never Forget Zvika Saying to Me: 'Everyone's Eyes Are on You. If You Collapse – Everyone Will Collapse After You'"

Pleased to Meet

"Dovi Weinrott, 42, widower and father of three, attorney, CPA, and writer for pleasure. Lives in Bnei Brak".

A Distant Memory I Won't Forget

"Naomi, my sweet daughter, accompanied her mother years ago distributing 'gulgalach' to patients in an oncology ward. They reached an elderly man who told her, 'Girl, know that in life, the main thing is health.' Naomi, then only seven, asked, 'Mom, can I answer him?' Chani replied yes, and Naomi told him, 'The main thing is not health, the main thing is joy!' This response was very powerful in my eyes, and Chani was very proud of Naomi because she had never told her that before."

An Important Principle I Won't Forget

"In one of our meetings, I encountered my father of blessed memory in a gloomy mood. It was before a family summer vacation in Switzerland. I told him, 'Dad, don't worry, soon we'll fly to Switzerland and your mood will improve.' Dad heard this and shared a story his yeshiva head had shown him: Once there was a bird that smelled a bad odor, so it flew to another street to smell something pleasant. Even there, it smelled something bad, so it flew to another city and still smelled something bad until it decided to move countries.

"It moved to another country, but that didn't help either. There too, it smelled a bad odor. Finally, it discovered the stench resided within and on it. Similarly, said Dad: 'The correction always has to be internal, and the remedy is not necessarily in another country.' We eventually flew as planned, and his mood improved dramatically, but I gained a beautiful parable and learned a vital lesson: peace begins within me."

A Commandment I Kept and Won't Forget

"Not long ago, I had nearly 40 degrees fever. I was very tired and craved Coke Zero. No one was home, so in my exhaustion, I went to treat myself to Zero. That evening I didn't plan to go pray Maariv with a minyan, and on the way to the store, I hear the good inclination telling me: 'Dovi, you can buy Zero, but can't pray with a minyan?' At that moment, I didn't hesitate another second, and my feet took me to pray Maariv at the synagogue near my home, ensuring I prayed outside the room so as not to infect anyone, but the prayer and moral lesson were important."

A Jewish Personality I Won't Forget

"My grandfather, Moshe Aaron, peace be upon him. Grandpa was very strict about praying with a minyan, even when he could barely walk and needed close monitoring not to fall. I accompanied him almost every day for Maariv in the synagogue during the weekdays, as he walked very slowly and with great difficulty. One day after prayer, I lingered somewhat chatting with a friend and suddenly noticed Grandpa had disappeared and was walking alone. I ran to find him and discovered him in the dark taking a shortcut between two buildings. I shouted to him, 'Grandpa, why are you walking alone?' He looked at me penetratingly and replied: 'Dovi, I never walk alone!' This man, who went through so many wars and hardships, instilled in me that a Jew never walks alone."

A Torah Study I Won't Forget

"I studied at 'The Village' yeshiva high school in Tel Aviv, and I was not an outstanding student, to say the least. During the summer vacation between ninth and tenth grade, we were on vacation in Belgium, and my father of blessed memory used to study with us for an hour and a half every morning before going out on trips. I studied with him the first section in 'Kehillat Yaakov' on Tractate Bava Batra; he explained the give-and-take there repeatedly, but I hardly understood anything. Dad got angry, and I was slightly hurt and refused to go on the trip that day. The family went on the trip, and I sat with a sheet of paper and a pen opposite the book, somewhat helpless.

"I started summarizing the issue, and cried real tears trying to understand the written text. Slowly, step by step, I cracked everything perfectly, and felt as if suddenly the gates of heaven had opened for me. Dad returned and read the summary I wrote, not believing his eyes. From that day, I took a sudden major leap forward concerning learning. It was a sort of divine miracle. Shortly thereafter, I returned to the yeshiva and received very good grades in almost every field – both in religious and secular studies. I distinctly remember the divine presence in my life at that time."

A Fear I Won't Forget

The moment when Judge Gilad Neutel announced my father's acquittal in his criminal trial. It's hard for me to describe the fear before the announcement and the happiness that flooded me afterward. Without control, I yelled loudly in the courtroom: 'Yes!' It was a bit embarrassing, but it was fully understood by the judge and the people present in the courtroom. And of course, one cannot help projecting from this event to the fear of Judgment Day and the day of rebuke."

A Book I Won't Forget

"The book I wrote: 'Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise.' My soul is essentially there, and fortunately, 'a feeling heart' helps and still helps thousands live better quality lives and appreciate them much more."

An Event / A Difficult Period I Won't Forget

"Not to you, the day I was informed of Chani's illness. For a long time, I wandered with a stone in my stomach and emotional roller coasters. I don't wish these feelings even to my enemies."

A Shabbat / Holiday I Won't Forget

"The Shabbat when I left the synagogue crying in the middle of the Shacharit prayer, after being informed of Chani's illness. On the way, I met my beloved uncle, Zvika, of blessed memory, who was late for prayer and found me sitting on the bench outside. He asked me what happened, and when I told him, he said to me words I could only hear and accept from him. He told me: 'Dovi, cry a bit; it's okay. But remember one thing – you are your family's leader. Everyone's eyes are on you. If you collapse – everyone will collapse after you, and if you lead with good spirit – everyone will rise with you and help you greatly.' Fortunately, I applied this quite quickly, and it formed a positive turning point during all of Chani's illness."

Longing I Won't Forget

"I have, of course, great longing for my wife Chani, of blessed memory, and for the good things that were so part of her. There's so much to tell about her, but space is limited, so I'll write her almost last request: 'Please be happy not because I am gone, but because you are alive. Because after encountering the end, you learn to appreciate the middle and the beginnings.'

A Sight I Won't Forget

"I will always remember the moment when my grandfather hesitated whether to get into my father's car, which was German-made."

A Dream I Haven't Fulfilled and Won't Forget

"To finish by heart, very clearly, a long tractate of the Talmud with Gemara, Rashi, and Tosafot so that wherever I am with myself, I can recite it repeatedly. Oh, and there's one more small dream I hope I won't forget and will fulfill: getting married."