My brother Yossi, courageous, fearless and the sweetest soul!

My brother Yossi, courageous, fearless and the sweetest soul!

Tonight on the seventh day of Passover, is my brother Yossi’s anniversary of passing. In 1997 on the 7th day of Pesach, this precious soul whom I loved with every fiber of my being was taken back to a special place in heaven.

Yossi was taken from us too soon. His life was too short and I miss him terribly.

Twenty years sounds like a lot, but what’s amazing to me is that this young man made such a profound impact on me, with how he led his life, that he has remained very much alive with me. Yossi had a courageous and fearless nature, and at the same time, he was the sweetest soul.

For all the beautiful light my brother shone upon this world for the brief time we were blessed to have him with us, I often tell myself to imagine — just imagine if Yossi were still here! What great things he and I might have build and accomplish together! Sadly, his life was an amazing but curtailed blessing, and we try to continue on his behalf, inspired by and using his positive spirit and joy for life that never waned.

Yossi exuded an inner peace and a sense of direction. He wasn’t torn by different competing ideas and values. Sometimes naturally in pursuit of success and happiness in life we sometimes overlook what's really important. I was amazed that he remained fully focused, never taking his eye off the prize: he lived to help others, caring especially for those who are often ignored.

When I saw him getting up a half hour earlier than his normal 6 am wake up time so that he could help one of his classmates get ready for an exam, or when I watched him motivate his whole school into a new project to reach out to a fellow in need, I saw the true meaning of life; I saw the true meaning of Torah.

When he got wind of a young student who couldn’t afford tuition in Yeshiva, it was he who quietly and discreetly approached members of the community to allow his friend to continue his studies, with pride and dignity intact.

He would often talk dreamily about how one day he wanted to reach out to a community to create a warm and loving place, and as he visited various Chabad centers for Shabbat or events I would hear his ideas develop. One day he wanted to build and open his Chabad center.

And it all changed.

When he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, I thought at least then he would spend time caring for himself and take a break from his selfless giving character. Not Yossi.

As I sat at his bedside in Sloan Kettering hospital for two years, I watched in amazement how doctors and nurses were inspired by this wellspring of joy and happiness. As I wheeled him through the hallways, he would ask me to slow down to share a joke with a little girl who had no hair to frame her innocent face, or just to smile to another elderly patient sitting in the ward. He asked me to wheel him into the patients' lounge so he could spend time to pray. It was just so amazing and awe inspiring to see this teenager who was going through such pain and treatments live and wake up fully to begin his day first thanking G-d and then almost on a mission to uplift and to ease the pain of others. His unshakable faith, his positive demeanor, his courageous acceptance of his situation with equanimity – without any trace of bitterness – were almost superhuman phenomena. It was transcendent. otherworldly!

Instead of wallowing in pity, he was so focused, directed, and full of purpose and meaning. It was almost as if this were his Chabad center.

I know how much life Yossi had in him. I knew his thoughts and felt his dreams, and while I cry for what has been cut short — a beautiful, sincere, caring bright soul who taught me more than he could imagine, I take comfort in knowing that Yossi still has a chance to live his dream through our center, together with my dear wife Ettie Zaklos whom he never met and our precious children. I feel to this day how Yossi is watching our community and taking pride in us, as if we are living his life for him and our magnificent achievement is giving him a chance to prove his immortality.

Knowing Yossi, I promise that wherever he is in the beautiful place in heaven, he is advocating on our behalf, praying for each one of us, for our families, and the world at large.

As I read from the Naples Community Torah tomorrow, dedicated in his loving memory, I know Yossi continues to live on.

Wherever you are in your life, whatever your situation, please know that as I recite from his loving Torah and embrace Yossi with love, I embrace all of you.

If you can, please do some mitzvah — a good deed in his honor.

As we recite yizkor on Tuesday, let's remember the precious moments of our loved ones and know that we can to keep their Neshamot alive and live fully.