Saddest Day in My Entire Life by Netivotgirl

Saddest Day in My Entire Life

by Netivotgirl

Today was one of the saddest in my entire life. The head of Netivot's Chevra Kadisha, a very young saintly woman named Yaffa died suddenly from a head trauma resulting from a fall at age 49. She'd been taking care of her wheelchair bound husband for the past 3 years as well as taking part in almost every single tahara for women in Netivot. I want to tell you about her: She was Sephardic and forty nine years of age. Yaffa's entire life was chesed, and all she did was done without fanfare. She was an ardent Zionist and dedicated her entire life to concern for our brothers and sisters. I feel blessed to have been counted among her friends.

Many people knew her only from her work on behalf of Netivot's poor. She had a gemach for poor brides and anyone needful of food or clothing knew that Yaffa would aid them. Although far from wealthy (she worked as a cleaning lady before her husband's stroke,) she literally lived for others to live....and those who had died.

Chevra Kadisha. A phrase that gives us all goosebumps. Despite the fact that "Chesed shel Emet" is the truest act of loving-kindness possible without recompense, not many men or women feel comfortable washing and preparing bodies for burial. Yaffa was initiated into this mitzva when she became Bat Mitzva; she is a descendant of a most prestigious Sephardic rabbinical dynasty. This is a fact I only learned years after meeting her, because she was extremely humble about herself and her activities. Even the motzei Shabbat when the Cast Lead Operation began (with many rockets causing havoc in Netivot,) Yaffa was in the cheder tahara preparing an elderly woman for burial.

Whenever there was a funeral, she'd leave her job, do what needed to be done and later commence her cleaning activities. Her employers all adored her, as did all who knew her. Do you know a happy person around whom others gravitate like moths to a bright lamp? Yaffa was one of them. Her countenance was truly regal! Her immense yirat shamayim and midot were stamped on her face as was the joy she showed in helping others. Whenever someone apologized for troubling her, the reply was "It's not hard. Nothing is hard. Hashem will surely help." She then quietly went from door to door until she found the aid required

Let me give you further proof of Yaffa 's righteousness She and her husband "adopted" a single man whom I'll call Pinny. Estranged from his Netivot relatives, for years Pinny had lived alone and was a frequent Shabbat guest at their table. He was tragically killed in the Cast Lead Operation . Yaffa organized a children's Tehillim group in his memory and her husband said Kaddish for this poor soul, as he had no children to do so. Pinny appeared in a dream and told her that he bequeathed his car to her for her Chesed activities. So well known was her support for this lonely man when alive that all Pinny's relatives believed her description of the dream and finally she had a car to aid her saintly pursuits

May we continued to be blessed with other"secret" heroines that live among us who in their quiet manner are paving the way for Moshiach's arrival. Please say a perek Tehillim for the illuee nishama of Yaffa bat Rachel.