With so very much happening in the world: elections, pandemics, vaccines, to name just a few; it was with dizzying shock that many in our community simply stopped in their tracks upon hearing of the passing of our rebbeim, our teachers: Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, zt’’l and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt’’l. Some of us have yet to wrap our heads around the tremendous losses of not one, but two intellectual giants of our people.

On pages 60 to 63, we bring you hespedim and personal reflections from several of those in our community who experienced these towering rabbis as individuals and teachers. Many more of us only knew them through their piskei Halacha, in the case of Rabbi Feinstein; or their writings and speeches, in the case of Rabbi Sacks.

And yet, as beautiful as they are, we feel that the reflections we have shared in our pages are only our community’s first attempts toward scratching the surface of their impacts on our community and our world. We invite our readers to send additional reflections to be featured in future issues of our paper. Please email us at [email protected].

Zecher tzadikkim livracha l’chayei ha’olam ha-ba.