I'm in Cleveland this week visiting family. Last night, we got an automated call from the local synagogue. Rabbi Dessler had passed away at age 90. The Hesped was this morning in Cleveland and the funeral will be in Israel Tuesday night at 6:15pm at Shamgar in Jerusalem. Rabbi Dessler was a pillar of this community. His children spoke about his midos, his personality. He was a very quiet man who never raised his voice and worked to maintain control at all times. All this was true, but that is not what I recall. My first recollection was as a student in the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland. Rabbi Dessler was the principal of the school. He was GOD. We saw him here and there, but he was a busy figure. I had the luxury of visiting his office a number of times due to my propensity for annoying and aggravating my teachers. Rabbi Dessler was always polite, spoke quietly and pretty much let me do what I wanted. Who could ask for ...
Hospitality and Food along with a little Jewish content. These are the records of our weekends with guests. Meals are rarely less than 10 people and frequently top 20. Recipes and Philosophy included.