When there are two months of Adar, our practice (per the Rema in Orach Chain 568:7) is to observe Yahrtzeits during the first Adar; the Rema quotes another opinion that holds one should observe the yahrtzeit in both the first and second Adar, and the Mishnah Berurah (Orach Chaim 568:42) says that ideally, one should observe both yahrtzeits. Lehavdil, children born in Adar don’t get to celebrate two birthdays during a leap year, as we have already informed Shevy, who was born on 20 Adar.
With this in mind, this past Tuesday, Purim Kattan, was the 26th yahrtzeit of my grandfather, Rabbi Dr. Isaiah Rackovsky z”l (Shaya’s namesake), who died on Purim in 1996 I have spoken a great deal about my grandfather in the past, especially in his role as a communal Rabbi and as a chaplain during World War II. For this week’s Rabbi’s Recommendation, I am pleased to share with you the audio of an interview conducted with my grandfather in 1975 about his experiences as a WWII Chaplain. I hope you find it meaningful.
Hakarat HaTov
I am deeply grateful to all those who were in shul last Shabbat morning, and participated in our interactive Torah study together. While many were more interested in observing and listening to what others had to say, it was also gratifying to hear the questions and comments offered by so many people throughout the short shiur, and those offered by others during kiddush and even into this past week. I am withholding these insights in this forum, because these comments were good enough to share in another shiur or sermon sometime in the future!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
