HaRav Moshe Ezri zt"l, the Torah powerhouse from Tzfat, passed away in the middle of a wedding and left behind six orphans whom he did not merit to bring under the chuppah.
Hello, my name is Shoshana Ezri. I have just gotten up from the difficult and bitter days of 'shivah' for my dear husband, a man of chessed, who invested of himself tremendously to teach Torah to the community in Tzfat. He was taken from us in an instant- out of the blue, he left for the world that is completely good, leaving me and my children behind, stunned and hurting.
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I want specifically to start from the beginning. About half a year ago, my husband Rabbi Moshe Ezri went to participate in our nephew's wedding. He prepared himself to go with the express intent of helping the groom and bride to rejoice, but, in the middle of the simcha, he suddenly had a heart attack.
I'll never forget the telephone call that informed me that my husband had been taken in critical condition to the hospital. I was panic-stricken. I was extremely worried about him and I immediately went to the hospital; I saw he was in a really bad state. What we didn't do for him!...We stormed the gates of Heaven for his recovery and indeed, b'chasdei Shamayim he slowly started to get better, bit by bit.
About two months ago they started speaking about my husband maybe being able to be released from the hospital and to come home. How excited we were, I and the children! We simply cried from emotion. We looked forward to the day he'd come home. We prepared a special room to help him weather this difficult period. The children had already prepared "Welcome Back" and "Baruch Rofei Cholim" signs.
But then, so suddenly, he died. Just like that. Without any prior warning. I can't forget the moment I heard about it- I didn't know what to do; I didn't know how to keep going; my heart froze within me, and I simply cried- cried like I've never cried before. I cried over Moshe, my husband the tzaddik, who was and now is no more.
I cried over the children, who now became orphans. I cried over my difficult situation- a down-and-out widowed woman. My husband passed away, and left me saddled with heavy debt. I have no idea how to deal with this. Everything is so dark, with no light. I feel I simply have no strength; everything suddenly fell on top of me.
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But I have no choice. The only choice I do have is to turn to you, dear fellow Jews. Please help me. I beg you to stand at my side during this difficult time. Help me to keep my head above the waves, that I should see a bit of light in all the darkness that surrounds me.
As I write these lines I am simply crying, crying from the depths of my heart, because the truth is that I don't have another choice. I'm pleading with you. Please. I have twelve children, six of whom did not merit that their father should bring them to the chuppah. Please take them into consideration. Think about me, crying and begging you to help me, help me survive this difficult period.
I thank whoever can help me. You should merit to do many more mitzvot.
Shoshana Ezri