Although our articles are usually a compilation of ideas which we both put forth, this particular article is being written by me (Nina) and I am not sure how to go ahead with it. I want it to be a testimonial and indeed a love story about two very young people that met, fell in love, pursued their dreams, married and dedicated their lives to their family, their community and most importantly to each other.
In celebrating recent simchas of the marriages of four of our grandchildren we watched the excitement, felt the joy and realized that these young people as is the case with all young couples that get married have no idea of what lies ahead for them. To try and tell them that they will not be the same in five or ten years is an absolutely outrageous thought for them to conceive of. They need to find it out by themselves as we did.
The Mordechai Glick who always wore a black hat, shirt and tie when we married found out that he liked colorful shirts and ties. Lo and behold one day he even decided to buy himself a pair of jeans. Did that take away from his commitment to Yiddishkeit or total devotion to learning? Of course not. I realized that when you as a couple face a major challenge it is then that you realize how together you really are. In our case, it molded us closer in every way. We stood beside each other and his support was what kept me going.
The everyday stresses of being a shul rav are sometimes overwhelming. My husband stood strongly, listened carefully, advised, counseled and occasionally his psak was not what his congregants wanted to hear. Yet due to his reputation of being honest in every area of his life, due to his unblemished reputation as being the kindest most sincere and caring person that he was, everyone loved him and appreciated his counsel.
As a Rav he would never rush to the front of the room to sit with the other rabbonim present at a lecture. He would first greet many baalebatim and slowly make his way to the seat assigned to him. He never pursued any type of kavod.
As a father, he allowed himself to be with his children at all hours. Though our Shabbos table was always filled with guests he would have our daughter Naama sit in her wheelchair next to him so that he could assist in feeding her and I will never forget as zemiros were sung that he always had his arm around her as the two of them swayed slowly together to the songs.
It is his role as my husband that I am not sure how to address yet it is the purpose of this article. True we were two young kids that were insistent on getting married because we were so head over heels in love with each other. We will both be the first to admit at this point in our life that we realized that we knew very little about each other shortly after our wedding. However it didn’t deter us from pushing forward and making our life work and be special. We learned what love really is. The passion that we felt when one of us accomplished something that was perceived as difficult was never an accomplishment for one, but a combined effort that had allowed it to happen.
There have been many tears in my life particularly in the case of Naama and several severe illnesses with our children. The rock in my life has been my Mordechai. He never left my side and always took care of me. He taught me that when it rains it can be beautiful even when you are on vacation and that every flower and tree helps to make this world a more beautiful place. He taught me to appreciate the blueness of the sky and the shapes of the clouds. He is my life and my soul and it is for this reason that I am dedicating this entire article to him. On Sunday, Bet Nissan we will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. It does seem unreal that so many years have gone by but more importantly it is a love story that began when two young kids decided to get married and whose lives together today are that much more meaningful and special. Happy Anniversary My Mordechai! Much love from your Dvorah!
By Nina Glick
