To talk about Rabbi Eli and Dina is very difficult, it is to talk about a whole life, a full life.
Dina was for me a very close friend, at some point I also realized that she is married to a wise student, we were privileged to meet with the Torah of Rabbi Eli. And since then we have not parted ways.
We were together in the studio, and we moved together to a teaching program of the Quarter College, and really a special bond.
I recently came across a note I wrote down as a draft of something I brought her. And it said, "Dear Dina, for the good and all the mental wealth, the encouragement, the strengthening of sincerity and the deep understanding and friendship of the truth, love."
It is impossible to summarize all her size at all, and hers for me and theirs for us and also as a family it was very significant.
The Torah of Rabbi Eli and Dina permeated us very deeply.
Every week my husband would listen to Rabbi Eli's Parshas Shavua lessons and then he would turn around a bit more to digest them and would come for a third meal and repeat them with me. It was to open up a different depth in the Torah a different size, we almost left Kiryat Arba before we knew them, so I remember after that we said how lucky we were to stay a little longer, a few more years to be resurrected from those springs of salvation.
Lord of the world, do you have better soldiers than them in the world? How did you give them up? How did you let them go? '
Rabbi Eli and Dina had a picture of Rabbi Kook and Rabbi Zvi Yehuda and it was written about her and they drew water in Sasson from the springs of salvation, from the elect of the righteous. I said I should put their picture in my sukkah. For to me they are the choices of righteousness through which the Torah came to us which is literally the fountains of salvation reviving all our lives.
We were a lot together we came as a family, for Shabbat and holidays, must see the face of his rabbi on foot, we were on Shabbat Chai Sarah and Purim, and it was sucking from the elect of righteousness, sucking the great deep Torah, we tried to hear every word, internalize absorbing the size, it was big on us and it Was really lively and very kind to us.
It was living together, going to school to deal with educational questions and thinking of common ideas, sharing each other’s personal struggles, we were in meaningful dialogue together, not just of simple friendships but literally at all levels, from good food and good music to deep philosophical matters and educational reference. We are very different which is why I had so much to gain and get rich from our shared discourse.
After Rabbi Eli and Dina passed away, I said: "Lord of the world, do you have better soldiers than them in the world? Do you have anyone who actually fulfills your great Torah in reality more than them? How did you give them up? How did you let them go? '
This is the feeling, that we had an umbrella in life, we knew we had someone to trust who knew the Torah in depth that if we had a question or delay about something (and there were many questions of life) we knew we had someone to trust because Rabbi Eli had already thought of everything, and Dina had already experienced All and know how to indulge in anything or how to give a point of view that will provide an answer, beyond the warm embracing love that embraces a huge hug an endless hug.
My first encounter with Dina was when we were in training, I did not know her. There was a lecturer there who explained to us how to be assertive. In retrospect, I remember that Dina took very seriously what she said and tried to do, no matter it was scattered around the house and Rabbi Eli did not accept the new behavior and she also cried that it did not work and it was awfully funny.
I thought, what is she taking this seriously, with such innocence and such a willingness to experience something new?
And then when I sniffed Dina and really understood, I thought it was unbelievable how Dina really trusted and tried something new, which to me did not seem so smart, but Dina was ready.
This humility, and also to tell everything, both to experience and fail and to be real and honest, this humility is one of the things that most stuck me to it.
Dina has never come down on others. She went down a lot on herself and recounts all her mistakes and dilemmas. She would laugh a lot at herself so there was a conversation at eye level. You never felt bad enough at birth, because she was always worse, obviously. And she always has something to learn and something to understand.
Dina really had dreams in the sky and she was wild in terms of her big dreams, and also very attentive to every peep and everything to learn something from him, even though she had a lot. It was very full, very clear, accurate in itself, but the ability to absorb everything that moves in reality and take it seriously and experience and try and cope and fall and rise it seems to me related to great humility and training that there is good in reality and there is something to learn from everything. Dina was listening and willing to experiment, willing to throw herself into the water, willing to wallow in the nonsense and prices of it and yet.
With Rabbi Eli I remember:
On the one hand, he had a great firmness, a firmness of Torah, when he was touched by the "bird of the soul," which is the attitude toward the great men of Israel and the attitude toward the Torah. Rabbi Eli really built in the girls the basic attitude to the Torah ,. Dina also explained to me how much he sees it as a mission and a purpose that cannot be given up, it is most important to him, and without it nothing is important. Rabbi Eli sees this as the basis and the foundation. We all know how important this is but Rabbi Eli was very firm in it and gave his mind about it.
On the other hand, Rabbi Eli could be a 'simple man' who knows nothing. When he heard that I was studying counseling, he came to me at the height of his enthusiasm to consult about one of the children: "What do you say?"
I said to him: 'Rabbi, how is that possible? I can not bring water to the sea. ' It would have seemed funny to me but Rabbi Eli really wanted to hear my opinion on what to do and how to proceed, this place of humility and sincerity and partnership and togetherness and willingness to discuss everything, open your head to everything, deal with everything, never settle into an existing way of thinking , But to be willing to examine things seriously, in depth, and there has always been a discourse, a deep discourse, an interesting discourse.
Dina for me was a phenomenon of animals, of vitality. We would make something together and Dina would say to me 'Wow, how can you concentrate? There is such music in the background. ' There was then seven hours of music on the channel and she could not concentrate because it was so significant, so talking to her.
Everything Dina lived in levels, lived in intensities felt everything. I remember saying to her, "I want my daughter to learn piano," it just seems to me that there is no more successful state teacher. And we did not win.
Everything is experienced with Dina intensely. For better or worse, at all ends of it. All the mental and emotional curls of it. Everything is experienced for herself with all of life, with all the person in her and her love in life. I felt it from everything Dina would do, and her enthusiasm and disgust and also anger sometimes.
Rebbetzin Ahuva Zuckerman
Farewell remarks by Dina Horovitz, of Ahuva Zuckerman
The words were written as a draft of what Dina said at the end of Ahuva's work at the Kiryat Arba studio.
Here in the studio there are some people I define as "elephants" that I got to work with. Beloved is one of those falls. It is not only that she holds in her hand and embraces several children, with another one on the way, her beloved grows in her home a wise student in the full sense of the word, and also educates all generations of her students, influences, leads in staff meetings.
I mean it's not even that and that makes it special - even though it really is once - but the "falls" in Ahuva are expressed in her quality of life, the extent of love in depth, the extent of influence and guidance for blessing and fruit.
Its wisdom and sharpness - known to all and I here do not mean the multiplicity of knowledge and the speed of retrieval - it is really amazing - but the thing that always impresses me, is the ability of a loved one in a given class situation, for example, or in a way educational practice is applied.
Ahuva is a Polaroid camera - something happens, and while I wonder slowly, (although, I caught or felt something), Ahuva, at the speed of her thought, already sees the clear picture, with surgery, diagnosis and advice.
Beloved advice, good eye, sight, smiling and laughing, sincerity, sharp and discerning sight. All of these are not titles, but the good eye, [here is an oral explanation ..]
Teamwork
For years, Ahuva and I educated parallel classes, we worked together far beyond what was needed from the formal work (like all educators ...). Do you know what teamwork is? What does working together mean?
Openness, partnership, creation together - interesting, fulfilling, and I dare say with a sense of mission and truth that somehow connect forever, a connection to holiness.
Boundless generosity, which does not come from "Gesta" "I will give you and give to me", but out of commitment together, out of context ...
And in a personal tone
Beloved, what do you do without you?
In your sharpness and friendship you would explain to me what I mean. You would interpret myself for yourself!
Just a year ago we sat down to dinner at the staff party and I asked you, "Beloved, so what am I doing next year on sabbatical ...?" Finally, we did different things, and that's a source of comfort.
Even though you go your way and say goodbye to us, the heart connection exists.
Your connection with your students / graduates (including my daughter) is alive and well.
I wish you only good and success
I know you very, very well
Thank you!
Dina Horowitz