Honoring Real Beauty on Mayflower: An Unforgettable Mitzvah Moment

How does a moment become an unforgettable memory? Seize a stirring of the soul for a Mitzvah. On Friday, I felt a stirring to mobilize our warm community to honor Bernice Lang, one of our members, by inviting men, women and children to walk to her home after kiddush and sing Happy Birthday to her on the occasion of her 100th birthday. The experience will live in her heart, her son’s and our community forever.

Rabbi Aryeh Levine, the legendary righteous man of Jerusalem, was once asked why he spent such a short time choosing an esrog for Sukkot when the requirement in the Torah is to find one of hidur, beauty. He explained that it is not only regarding an esrog that beauty is a requirement but God directs us to reveal the beauty in the elderly. He had elderly people to visit that afternoon and felt it was more important to spend the time revealing the beauty in them than the esrog.

His message is counterintuitive in our society but a timeless and timely reminder to engage, uplift and learn people whose faces possess extraordinary life experience and true beauty. I shared this insight with the shul on Shabbat morning and am grateful to the Stamford PD who graciously sent a couple of officers to help us cross the street with over 60 people.

At 12:30 PM, we all waited outside on her back lawn and as royalty, Bernice was wheeled outside on the porch by Richard to her adoring new fans. We offered her a blessing and then she sang Happy Birthday in Hebrew and English to her and she sang along with us. It was one of the most extraordinary moments and reflects deeply the values of Agudath Sholom and who we all strive to be. May God continue to bless Bernice and may we all make extra efforts to seek real beauty and strengthen the real meaning of community.