Ohr Somayach Sandton celebrates Avigayil Goodman

RABBI ZE’EV KRAINES

The event was part of a multi-faceted initiative launched by the community to perpetuate Avigail’s memory and elevate her neshamah.

Dubbed “A-team”, for Avigayil, the programme, which will continue throughout the year and beyond, seeks to promote the fundamental Jewish ideals of Torah, prayer, and lovingkindness that Avigayil embodied in her brief, yet value-driven life.

Many Torah shiurim will be delivered in her memory in the coming months. The first of these was also on January 8, when over 300 men, women, and teenagers congregated at Ohr Somayach Sandton in Gallo Manor for a special evening marking her shloshim – the end of the 30-day mourning period, in which many friends and relatives, locally and internationally, committed to study parts of the Mishna as a special merit.

In an astounding achievement, the entire body of the Mishnah – over 4 000 mishnayot – were completed in under a month. David Aronovitz of the Kollel bookshop conducted a siyum on the night together with other family and friends through a live video hook-up to Jerusalem.

An “A-team” of adult and teenage men is being formed, with a renewed commitment to prayer by strengthening their attendance at minyan. They also have resolved to banish the distraction of cell phones from the shul environment during davening.

The children wanted to get involved as well, because Avigayil was a dedicated and popular youth leader at the shul’s children’s services. A scheme has been started to award “A”-points for attendance, participation, and the performance of mitzvot.

Lovingkindness was the virtue of Avigayil most noticed by the children. On the Shabbos after her sudden passing, psychologist and social worker Adene Reubenson, a member of the community, met the children to assuage their grief and disorientation.

In that session, the children spoke over and over again of Avigayil’s kind nature and deeds. The chesed activity and outing to Sandringham was the first of the deeds of lovingkindness carried out in her memory.

The children also got together to produce a book of paintings and messages that was presented to the family on the night.

Addressing the large crowd from all over Johannesburg, I emphasised that it was the tradition of the Jewish people to respond to tragedy with increased goodness and spirituality and not to wallow in paralysing grief and negativity. It would be a disservice to the memory of Avigayil, who always radiated faith and positivity, to focus on one moment of tragedy and neglect to celebrate a lifetime of virtue.