Semichas Chaver Program

This is exactly what I needed to see as I wind down a very long and intense week! This is my rabbi and friend, Rabbi Shalom Rosner. Anyone who has ever learned Torah online knows Rabbi Rosner. He has tens of thousands of students who listen to his Torah lessons on a daily basis. He is a tremendously learned and righteous man. It’s happened to me multiple times that I found myself somewhere in the world and someone who I am with hears that I live in Rabbi Rosner’s neighborhood and their eyes light up as they tell me how much they love his Torah lessons. And this is Rabbi Rosner’s son, Avraham. In the top photo, you see Avraham reunited with his father after two very long months in Gaza. In the bottom ones, you see Avraham the IDF officer defending his land. Now mind you, this is a family that picked up and left everything behind in the U.S. in order to live the dream of residing in the land of Israel. Avraham’s friends in the U.S. are surely enjoying the good life, starting their careers and building families while Avraham is heroically fighting for his people and his country. If there’s one family that perfectly illustrates and personifies what it means to be a Jew in today’s day and age, I believe it is the Rosners. But let’s not forget that behind every great man, is a great woman and that is true in this case as well. Rabbi Rosner’s wife and Avraham’s Ima is a very well respected pediatrician whose dedication to her family, both immediate and national, is nothing short of inspirational. And of course, these superb human beings didn’t come from nowhere. On both sides, their parents are simply incredible people. Rabbi Rosner’s father is one of the most respected rabbis who is well known for his expertise in Torah, medicine, and the intersection of the two. Rabbi Rosner’s late mother was a truly special lady who I had the privilege of meeting over the years as she always proudly attended the Torah lessons of her son. And on the other side, Rabbi Rosner’s in-laws are both respected doctors who made Aliyah in their 70s and continue to work as doctors in Israel. The bottom line is, this family is, to me, and many people around the world the perfect example of what it means to live a Jewish life in 2023. But for the past two months, it was difficult to not see the sadness in the rabbi’s eyes as he spoke of his heroic son and how he has not seen him in two months. So, five minutes ago, when he WhatsApped me this photo of them being reunited after two months, all I could say was “Wow”! Rabbi Rosner then reminded me that it is in this week’s Torah portion that Jacob is reunited with his son Joseph. “Same Parsha that Ya’akov meets Yosef. Not 22 years but 2 months was long enough.” I am going into Shabbat with a feeling of relief that Avraham is home for now. I can’t even imagine what his parents and grandparents feel. But if you want to know what it means to be a true Jewish hero, look at the Rosner family and take a pick of any of the family members. They are all heroes; one after another. Welcome home, Avraham and thank you for your sacrifice and dedication to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael. Just wow.

I wanna meet this guy and hug him.