In the early 1900's, photographs were taken in a studio and
were
limited to rare and formal occasions. Study the pictures and
you'll
notice that the mien is serious, the lips are compressed and
the eyes
stare at you with a look to the future. The subjects seem
specially
prepared and dressed for the occasion.
Compare this with contemporary photography. Drop into any
photo
shop and you are immediately aware of a change in pace.
Pictures are
ready in 20 minutes. Not a beat or pose is skipped. Every
short trip
or minor occasion is memorialized in a full roll of film.
Reading "It Happened in Heaven" is like looking over
someone's shoulder and studying an old family photo album
with one
of a kind, and one for each occasion cameos. Every vignette
is a candid
shot of times gone by, and faces to remember. A young
anorexic girl
who is spiritual and other-worldly; an aging waitress who is
fluent
in Torah; a lonely, beaten teen and a devoted cemetery
caretaker in
the Ukraine. Meet lost sheep and leaders in a remarkable book
which
actually happened on Earth, but was Divinely ordained in
Heaven.
"It Happened in Heaven" is more than a recounting of
varied experiences. Listen carefully to the voices of the
homeless
and forsaken; feel the pulse of Jews world wide living a
vibrant Jewish
life, keeping the pintele yid alive in exile. From
Kumorov
to the Lower East Side, from the rolling hills of Virginia to
a deserted
shul in Moscow. Listen to the babble of voices which
echo desperation
and hope, dedication and deliverance. Join Rabbi Dovid
Goldwasser,
a beloved American rabbi, on his outreach and chessed
jaunts
and gain a new world view in the process.
Listen carefully and you can visualize some of the characters
who people this marvelous anthology of hashgocha
protis and
inspiration: "Please, Izzy, make sure to open the door. There
are a lot of old people waiting to get in early in the
morning."
"There, on the bottom of the invoice, was my kallah's
signature..."
"My wife and I are at the end of our rope. Our parents can't
help
us." "He began living in the street; the only (remarkable)
thing is that he had a home." "My hands were shaking as I
held the precious painting." "You may not hear and you may
not see, but coming here shows that you see what others don't
see."
"Elaine, a Jew never gives up." "Rabbi, you are the first
person who ever showed he cared about me, not because he had
to, because
I was his patient or kid or something, but simply because I
was a
human being. And a Jew."
Pick up this warm book on a cold day. Relive tales of matches
that were made and people who were revived at the very last
moment.
"The world says that relating stories is a segula
for falling asleep. I say it is a segula to wake
people out
of their slumber" (Likutei Mohoran 60:6).
