A Tribute to Rebbetzin Sora Gluck z”l Upon her Shloshim By her children Nafla Ateres Rosheinu. Mommy, how can we even begin to describe what an isha chashuva, a distinguished woman, you were? How orphaned the world is to have lost a one-person chesed organization. You were so vibrant, so vivacious. You helped out myriads of people starting with your family and then branching outwards to Klal Yisroel. Your choshuve parents, Rav Lipa zt”l and Rebbetzin Shoshana Eidelman z”l brought you up in a home whose walls were permeated with Torah, Avodah and Gemilus Chasodim. Your family’s philosophy was, you did what you had to do, whether it was easy or not. You attended Bais Yaakov Elementary School of the East Bronx on Kelly Street, Bais Yaakov High School of Williamsburg, and Bais Yaakov Seminary in Bnei Brak. After seminary, you worked as a madricha in Ohr Hachaim, a seminary for girls who came from disadvantaged homes, girls who would otherwise find themselves on the street. The Israeli girls felt your care and devotion, your love and your warmth. When you returned to America, Bubby asked you where your coat was. You didn’t want to tell until Bubby pressed you, and you finally told her that you gave away your coat to an impoverished girl. “Ma,” you told Bubby, “I at least have a spring coat; this girl had nothing!” Mommy, the ahavas Yisroel that you had for others was an intrinsic part of your makeup. Mommy, you took the foundation that you received from the chinuch of your parents to marry a talmid chochom. You helped Totty devote his life to limud HaTorah and harbatzas HaTorah. You did whatever it took to enable Totty to learn and be marbitz Torah undisturbed to hundreds of talmidim in Telshe Yeshiva of Chicago. Mommy, you nurtured us and intuitively provided each one of us with everything we needed. You were there for us. You were a role model for your family and for your community. It’s difficult to describe the many and varied types of chasodim in which you were involved. It was as if you ran a Bikur Cholim, Tomchei Shabbos, Misaskim, a Hachnosas Kallah Fund, and a medical referral agency from our house. Let’s describe your Bikur Cholim society. You arranged to take care of the needs of the choleh and his family. People would call from all over, including Eretz Yisroel, at all hours of the day and night about cholim who needed emergency care with a specific doctor in Chicago. You assured them that everything would be taken care of. You arranged rides to and from the airport, cell phones (when they became available), apartments or families to stay with, interpreters to explain the doctor’s diagnosis, friends and toys for the kids, food for every day, Shabbosos and Yomim Tovim, hospital shifts so the patient shouldn’t be left alone, and even people to sing to lighten up the atmosphere. You had a list of many people’s blood types should the need arise for the cholim to get private blood donations. Making arrangements meant spending hours of your time on the phone! How many hours and hours of hospital shifts did you personally take so that a friend or a stranger wouldn’t be left alone to navigate the doctor and the hospital protocol? You davened for the cholim and you asked others to daven for them as well.You pierced the heavens with your tefillos. You also ran a “Tomchei Shabbos” type of organization in our home. Our house was the packaging house for food packages to be delivered to patients in hospitals as well as to needy people for Shabbos, Yom Tov and weekday meals. Mommy, you never grew tired of making and packaging the kugels, salads, soups, and chickens for people in need. The caterers and ba’alei simcha in town knew our address. After a simcha late at night you would patiently and happily sit and package food for various families. You knew which people were on special diets, who needed more food for late night noshers in the family, and who had food allergies. All this and more was taken into consideration. We had a mini-store in our house to help alleviate some of the financial burden of others. You took people’s food orders and then had volunteers put the orders together. The packages were then delivered to save people from embarrassment. Everything was done discreetly. You made the less fortunate always feel so dignified. Every detail was thought out and taken care of to help a Yid in need. You even arranged a food delivery in Eretz Yisrael just a few months ago. When a relative of one of your sons-in-law was in critical condition in the hospital in Israel, you called Bikur Cholim there and had them deliver tasty food because that was what the patient wanted . What we are finding out now more than ever is that while you were helping the sick and the needy, you were also helping give life to the people who helped you in your mission. You were like the general of an army. You took care of all the particulars and when you couldn’t do something yourself , you mobilized numerous volunteers to carry out the project. The beautiful way that you asked people to join your “chesed club” was “Can I be mezakeh you with a mitzvah?” People considered it a zechus to “work” with you. You gave them purpose, value, and community. They knew you were genuine. You were so selfless. You never asked anyone to do what you could do yourself. A young man came from Chicago to be menachem avel and told us that he cried the day of the levaya “because Rebbetzin Gluck was like a second mother to me. I ‘lived’ in her basement.” He was one of the many volunteers who packaged and delivered to people in need. A few young men came to visit you when you were so weak. One of them said, “Rebbetzin Gluck, you made me feel needed. You gave me what to do in life! You taught me the true meaning of chesed.” Ever since he met you he said that he had so much brocha in his life! Many people echoed these sentiments. A few people told us, “It was a joy to ‘work’ for your mother.” One of the interpreters who hosted an Israeli family commented, “I lost a mentor. Your mother was my hero.” A few young women told us that they learned how to run their homes just by seeing you run your house. They are so indebted to you, Ma. Mommy, you together with yb”l Totty shlita, hosted many many guests for Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim. Not only did you give them meals according to their specifications, you also took care of their medical needs. People felt so at home when they came to our house. Mommy, you were not discriminatory with your care and concern. You had an ayin tova and you saw people in such a positive light. We only heard you speak nicely about others. You liked everyone and cared for all types of people from all walks of life. Mommy, you understood people and knew what to say and do to uplift them on all levels. Every time you visited Bubby Eidelman, you brought her either jewelry or an article of clothing. You never went empty-handed. Hashem gave you special kochos and you used those kochos. You knew exactly how to connect, reach out and touch countless souls. You knew how to make other people feel comfortable. You were mekarev many people. One woman who was in a particularly difficult situation told us, “Your mother saved my life! She made me feel like a million dollars!” You knew how to be mechazek all types of people, of all ages. A father of many children recounted that when he was 13-years old, you told him, “You have to save your notebook. Maybe one day you’ll write a sefer.” A woman told us, “The women in the Telshe Kollel often felt that you were like Eliyahu HaNavi; always there with a yeshua at the right time.” A mother commented that one of the first sentences that her two-year old said was, “ I like soup. I like it. Minnis (Mrs.) Gluck made it.” A very grateful woman wrote, “The One (Above) blessed us with a gift, a treasure, unique on this plane of existence. She knew who she was and yet she was completely humble. Sora saw each person as an individual. She saw their heart and especially their soul. She never judged anyone. A beggar was the same as a rich man. …She opened her door and she opened her heart. She saw G-d in everyone. She patiently taught us how to keep kosher, how to daven, and how to love G-d. There is no finer gift.” Mommy, you were like a nurse without a degree. We remember how you took care of Bubby Gluck. Bubby Gluck came to us regularly for Shabbos . On Motzei Shabbos before Bubby Gluck left our home, you individually packaged and labeled lunches, suppers and medications for the week. After Bubby Gluck’s stroke you became her personal loving and devoted nurse around the clock in our home for well over a year. A woman who developed a challenging illness after she gave birth told us you ‘‘nourished her with tikva and soup; you were such a source of comfort.” Every Rav and doctor in the city had respect for you. A prominent doctor, originally from Chicago, said, “ I learned a lot from her. She was a born counselor, caretaker and nurse.” When he made his house calls he would often find you were already there visiting the patient. Nothing ever prevented you from doing chesed, not even the fact that you didn’t drive or ever own a car. You knew and anticipated what people would need before they themselves knew. You didn’t say “Call me if you need .” You were always there with a meal, a ride, a listening ear, a doctor referral, an air conditioner, a succah, money, and whatever was needed. We remember as we were growing up that you experienced pain in your feet and back, but that never deterred you from accomplishing. Totty used to say, “Isn’t this too much for you?” You responded, “Do you want me to stop breathing?” Your love for chesed was so strong, even your final illness could not separate you from your passion. Two years ago when you were not feeling well, you insisted on making salad and kugels for someone’s bar Mitzvah. Many times after chemotherapy when you were so weak and uncomfortable, you pushed yourself to take care of other people’s Shabbos needs. We remember your excitement when you were able to make puree soups for someone’s mother even though you were so weak. Remember the time about a year and a half ago when your doctor gave up hope and you were transferred to another hospital? After a very short time, you miraculously started feeling better. You said you couldn’t wait to get out of bed and into the kitchen! With Hashem’s infinite kindness, you were discharged and you returned to the kitchen, your chesed headquarters. Out of those headquarters came challahs, soups, and kugels for the family and even cucumber salads for the Bikur Cholim. When you were sick, you made sure that Bubby Eidelman never found out about your illness. You painstakingly climbed those very steep steps to see her. It took tremendous kochos from you, but you were determined and you did it lovingly. You used to tell us, “The Ribono Shel Olam is so good to me.” When we asked how you were feeling, you answered us “Boruch Hashem with chesed.” You were grateful for every moment. Mommy, you helped people in a manner that was above and beyond. Hashem acted limalah miderech hateva with you. Gedolim and even the doctors said you lived on nisim. You defied all odds ; you kept shocking the doctors! A Rav mentioned to us when a person wants something for himself, he figures out a way to get it. Viahavta lireacha kamocha -- when you wanted something done for someone else, you found a way. Mommy, towards the end of your life, when you weren’t able to physically help others, you helped them by being mechaper for this dor with all of your terribly painful yisurim. You were a “powerhouse.” It’s no wonder that a few minutes after you were niftar the power in the hospital went out! “It is so difficult to think that such an important part of Chicago and Klal Yisroel has now traveled to the olam haemes,” commented a woman from Chicago. “There the emes will stand for her as all her chasadim rise and give eidus to the chashivus of this tzadekes.” Mommy, you left behind a spiritually rich yerusha and a most beautiful legacy. It is our fervent tefillah that Hashem should enable us together with Klal Yisroel to continue along the brilliant path that you have forged. Your loving children
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 16:06:43 +0000
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