Cut Small Pieces

My beloved mother, Hensha Lipschutz, a”h,

My beloved mother, Hensha Bas Yosef, a”h, Yahrzeit was 28th of Kislev. Shewas a very big Tzadekes. In and out of the home. She was beloved by so many. Many of Hamodia readers who live in Boro Park in particularor occasionally go there, if they don’t know her by name, know her by sight. A short woman, but tall with Mitzvahs, she wore a hat on top of her blond sheitel. My mother often collected and distributed Tzedakah to help poor families here and in Eretz Yisroel and as well as Yeshivas and organizations When asking for Tzedakah, my mother would sometimes say “a penny and up.”

Many know her for her good Vorts, Brochos and words of Chizuk. Many whom gave her lifts by car, were uplifted by her as well. She would often say her good vorts and also mention that “the car is called Hachnosas Orchim.”People raved about her. Someone who gave her a lift,once told me, “She was amazing lady! I used to take her home from KRM (supermarket) and she used to give me Brachas every time I took her home. I used to love meeting her just so I can take her home!” Someone else told me that she only gave my mother a lift once but said, I got such Chizuk from her!” Someone else said, “I gave her a ride, She gave me so many Brochos. It was worth it!”

My mother would tell people, to say after Havdalah, (a daughter of a Rebbe suggested to say) ”The Sanzer Rebbe the Baal Divrei Chaim, Zeicher Tzaddik Kodesh L’vrocho, z’chus yogainu al kol Yisroel” “Hashem Yisborach zol geben koach, moach and gelt oiyach and mazal hoiach, ad b’as goel tzeddek, bimhaira, biyomeinu amain!” “Hagefen – (hay) Hatzlacha, (gimmel) Gezund, (Pay) Parnassa and (nun) Nachas”“Life is fragile, handle with prayer.” ”Wear a smile, one smile fits all – Ivdu es Hashem B’simcha” “You are not fully dressed unless you wear a smile.” “A smile is a curve that makes so many things straight..” It take 2 muscles to smile and 72 muscles to frown, so you might as well smile” “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, and today is a gift from Hashem, enjoy it!. ” “Boruch Hashem, Yom Yom.” “Chofetz Chaim said about Mazal – Mem is Mokom, Zein is Zman, Lamed is La’asos – Hishtadlus.” “You do your best, and Hashem will do the rest.” And she would often say, “Zei Gebencht.” Whatever my mother said, said, she fully meant it!

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My mother would tell women who were pregnant to say when they go into labor, “Beraishes Bara Elokim Es Hashamayim V’es Haaretz, Ven der mant as der eibershter hut bashafen the himmel un erd, a chut shel chessed vet arumgeringilt der mench.” People would get back to her and told her they did say that and that they had an easy childbirth. In general, people have told me that she gave them brochos and the Brochos were mekayim!

My mother had a a very big influence on people, had inspired many and changed people’s lives for the better.

My mother’s had great Yiras Shamayim and Middos Tovos, She loved Hashem, and I would often hear her say, “Heliger Bashefer, Ich Hub Dear Shtark Lieb My Tierer Heliger Bashefer.”

I had video taped my mother saying her Divrei Torah that she would usually said on Shabbos. When I taped it, it was the week of Parshas Vayigash. (She was niftar, years later, the week of Parshas Vayigash.) One of the great things my mother said on this video, “Yosef Hatzadik and his brothers- he gave them mechilah, slicha. We have to do that too - we have to give slicha and mechila to people If you are easy going in judgement - Hashem wil be easy going with you. So you do yourself a favor by giving people mechilah gemorah When somebody asks you mechilah, you give them mechilah gemorah, . So Hashem will give you Mechlah Gemura

My mother was a very positive person. She would say, “Accenutuate the positive, eliminate the negative.” “Don’t tell Hashem how big your problems are, but tell your problems how big Hashem is!” Everything was Gam Zu L’tovah.

My mother grew up in the East Bronx. An Article in the Hamodia Inyan Magazine in 2012 titled “More On The Bronx Back Then”, written by Rabbi Reuven Bleich, reminisced, “In the next apartment house, lived the Rubenstein’s, a family who’s children are Rabbonim and Torah Scholars.” Rabbi Bleich was referring to my mother’s brothers.

My grandmother – my mother’s mother, was a great Tzadekes as well and would also collect Tzedakah. She would also do all the mending and sewing for her children and grandchildren. Many remember her collecting Tzedakah in front of Kosher Delight on 13th Ave. in Boro Park. My mother would occasionally accompany her, propping my mother up with a blanket, making sure her mother was comfortable. She was very Mechabed her mother.

One of the great many mitzvahs my mother did along with her mother, for decades was Taharos. Even when my mother had a young family living in East Flatbush, no where near any funeral chapels, she would get up early in the morning to to do Taharahs. She would go to Boro Park, Flatbush, Williamsburg and sometimes to Manhattan and New Jersey to do Taharos. She didn’t always get paid, but when she did, she would give double Maaser. One of the women who did Taharahs with my mother told us when we were sitting shiva, that my mother, “made sure everything would be perfect. No one did Taharass like your mother and grandmother!”

After my mother movedfrom the Bronx, my family moved on to Kew Garden Hills, then Boro Park. When it was time for her to move out of Boro Park, there happened to be someone looking to rent out their apartment in Crown Heights to a family with kids. The apartment in Crown Heights, was a 2 family house on top of a Shul. My mother was interviewed by the Rabbi’s father, and she was liked right away and got the apartment. This was the beginning of a very special relationship with the beloved Rottenberg family. (Rabbi Shlomo Rottenberg, zt”l and his beloved wife Rachel, a”h.). Our family lived in Crown Heights for 2 years. The Rottenbergs had decided to move to East Flatbush/Remsen Village. The Rottenberg’s insisted we move together with them. My mother was told by the Rottenbergs, “ you are our tenant and you are not going elsewhere!” My mother, being so close to them, heartily agreed! And the house in East Flatbush was a brand new custom built house also with a Shul. (Who could resist!) And right across the street from a playground! (A joy for most kids like us.) My mother saw the long vanity in the bathroom of the new house and thought, “this would be perfect for a baby!” Eventually, my mother became pregnant and had a boy, the bris was on Shabbos Beraishis – the first bris in the new Shul.

My mother loved living on top of a Shul. Hearing the Tefilos from her window, 7 days a week was great. She relished it.

The kids from the Shul would come up to our house during davening on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim and use the living room as a playground, kids jumping up and down the couch.

My mother loved Rebbetzin Rottenberg, a”h. The feelings were mutual. Rebbetzin Rottenberg would often bake and bring up yummy samples. Our house was like a one family house. We were like one family.

Whenever the Rabbi and Rebbetzin went away for Shabbos, my mother would lovingly take care of the Shul. She would give out the Shalosh Seudos and would clean up after Shabbos and would take me and occasionally one of my brothers, in tow. My mother would also wash the towels from the Mikvah. For my mother it was a labor of love.

My mother was also the Mikvah lady of the Shul. Often on Friday nights, we would get a knock on the door and my mother would have to go down to the Mikvah.

My mother did a lot of Hachnosas Orchim there as well. Occasionally, people who had relatives from nearby Brookdale Hospital, would come over to sleep in the extra room in our apartment, that had once been rented out by the Rottenbergs. After the border moved out, often the Rottenberg’s children and great grandchildren would sleep in the extra room and from time to time, in my room as well.

We lived in East Flatbush/Remsen Village with the Rottenbergs for about 22 years. My mother accumulated thousands of Mitzvahs of the years living with the Rottenberg’s. Those were the most glorious years of my mother’s life. Eventually,the neighborhood was changing and Jews were moving out and the Rottenbergs had to sell their house, and move. They were special people, and we had a special relationship and wanted to live with them until Moshiach came. I went looking at a house with a Shul in Boro Park with the Rebbetizen so we can possibly continue living with them elsewhere. That apartment though wasn’t ideal. I tried to find a 2 family house with a shul for us and put an ad in a newspaper seeking such. Excitedly,I received a call from a builder who was building a house and said can make it into a shul. The Rottenbergs would have considered, had it not been next to another Shul. The Rottenbergs also went house hunting in Brooklyn and their daughter told me that they would not consider anything that did not also have an apartment for us as well. Unfortunately, they couldn't find anything.In the end, they found a house in Monsey. The community they were told was in need of a shul. The house they found was a one family house with a garage and they were going to make the garage into a shul. So no room for us. They offered to find us an apartment fornearby. As much as we wanted to continue living with them or at least near them, Monsey was too far as my mother as my mother’s Tzedakah oasis was in Brooklyn. So we ended up moving to Boro Park, in the area where her mother lived as well.

Growing up, we never had much money, and it was not easy, but my mother was always wealthy with Mitzvos and Maasim Tovim. She wasn’t a materialistic person and was always Sameach Vchelko.

One of my principals from Bais Yaakov of Williamsburg, told my mother, she doesn’t have to pay tuition. But my mother paid anyhow. She wanted to have a part of her children’s Jewish education. How many people would not take advantage of a free tuition offer like that?

My mother lived simply – didn’t spend much money, didn’t have much of a wardrobe. She wasn’t into spending money on herself. She also spent very little on her synthetic shaitels that she purchased from a Paula Young catalogue, (if anyone wants to know her secret, you got it). She was a beautiful person, inside out.

My father was away for Parnassa most of the year, for many, many years and she raised us, mostly by herself. She did so with grace and never lost her cool. She never complained she needs to get away or ever felt a need to go on vacation. My mother never raised her voice.

As a kid I was spoiled, not just with getting games that I wanted. My mother knew I loved to have potato latkes in the morning, and before school, she would make it for me. And she made it by hand – grated the potatoes and onions – didn’t use a food processor. (Didn’t own one.) Looking back, as an adult, I am embarrassed to say this. I feel so bad that she had to do this for me. My mother never complained though and did this out of love. She had a big heart, not just for the family, bur for others as well. She loved making people happy. And if this is what made me happy – she was happy to do so.

As an adult though, even until shortly before she passed away, she would often cut my grapefruit and orange in the morning, usually, when she would get up earlier than me. She would cut it into small pieces so it would be easier to eat! Of course I appreciated this sweet gesture, but I would say, “Ma, youdon’t have to do this.” I would remind her from time to time she didn’t have to. Her response would be, “a Mama, blabt a mama.” Also, she would sometimes straighten the creases in my bed sheet with her hand. She would tell me it would be more comfortable for me to sleep! Boy, was I spoiled.

Very rarely did my mother ask us to do any chores in the house, unlike many mothers. A chore was not much of a chore to her. She liked doing things by herself. She didn’t seem to mind housework at all. She was so organized and did a great job at everything. I did take upon myself though in my adulthood to clean most of the house for Pesach. The least I can do.

Another example of my mother’s extraordinary good heart, often, when I would sit down in a chair and read, my mother would pull up a step stool so I can put up my feet – to be more comfortable. I would remind her that she didn’t have to, but she would usually anyhow push over a stool to put up my feet. I once asked her – does this make you happy? Yes, she would respond, that it made her happy. My being more comfortable made her happy! She herself liked to put her own feet up on a step stool when she was sitting and reading, and was more comfortable and she wanted the same for me. One of my cousins also recalled she came over to the house when she was younger and told me my mother would pull over a chair so she can put up her feet. And would give her goodies as well. My sister’s friends who would come over to sleep were extremely impressed by her as well. One person told me how her sister was pampered by my mother when she came over to sleep at our house. Another person who came over to our house to sleep as well, said, my mother would “prop up their feet and feed them hot chocolate, chocolate milk, cookies.” Also, my sister’s friend said, that, when my mother would wake them up in the morning – “she had such simcha for Chayim – such a positiveness.” Would give them negel vassar and would say that” we have to thank Hashem, a beautiful day, we have to thank Hashem we are alive!” And my mother would say, “Hashem gave us back our Neshama – and giving us another new day to do mitzvahs.” My sister’s friend added, “ She was always giving Brochos,,inspirations and a smile and good vort. She entertained, played piano for us. Your mother was like a Malach!”

Whenever I was in the room with my mother and she had the fan on, even though I didn’t complain about being hot – she would always put the fan facing me instead of herself. Someone else’s comfort was more important to her.

My mother was nice to everyone, including non-Jews. She amazed me how nice she spoke to them. I was with her numerous times when I saw how nice she spoke to them. What a great Kiddush Hashem.she would make.

She was always a happy person and once told me she never got depressed in her life. She would say to me, “Ich Nemt Alas B’ahava.” Whatever she went through in her life – she told me she would sing. She told me that she has so much Simcha in her, and that she is bursting with Simcha. She said waking up in the morning, is like winning the lottery every day! And when she would get up in the morning, she would say to me so cheerfully, “Good morning sweetheart! A guten oifshtain!” (How I miss that!)

Some more examples of my mother’s great chessed – she would go to the grocery store to pay people’s grocery bills. My mother even traveled from East Flatbush to Williamsburg to pay someone’s bill at a butcher store there. I asked my mother if that particular family knew that she was paying their bill at the butcher store – she said no. My mother loved doing Mitzvahs, Matan Basseser, when she was able to.

My nephew also told me that when he was once with her, there were parking meters that expired and there were cops around and my mother would put in quarters into peoples parking meters, so they wouldn’t get a ticket! Wow!

My mother was such an easy going person I was so blessed to have her as my mother, for so many reasons. We were best friends.

My mother went to Shul every Shabbos – snow, rain, bitter cold, ice,etc. She was usually the first lady in the Shul. She loved going to Shul and loved sitting in front so she can see the Sefer Torah taken, she would tell me. What great joy this was for her. She never talked in Shul. She wasn’t into talking, period. . The Rebbetzin of the shul in Boro Park where she davened, told me that people in the shul would complain about the rain. Never my mother. My mother told would tell them, that rain, Geshem, brings:- Gimmel – Gezund, Shin – Sechel and Mem – Mazal. My mother over the years would tell me some of her best days, were rainy days. She never complained about the weather.