During shiva we received hundreds of e-mails, letters and phone calls. Many were from people we’d never met, but they all felt compelled to write and share some Devorah Leah experience with us.
One lady wrote how she was walking down the street late at night in Crown Heights and this young lady came up, inquired about her welfare, and insisted on walking her home, making sure she got home safely. It was Devo, doing it with a smile, a word of encouragement, even though she herself would now have a longer walk home.
Another wrote us how Devo spent a two-day vacation volunteering at the home of a young mother who had recently given birth. Devo helped with the other siblings, washed dishes and clothes, did housework, etc. All this for a woman she didn’t even know!
I was mostly unaware of this side to Devo, for she never called me to boast or brag about this deed or that mitzvah. We’re only beginning to find out now.
Devo loved davening, learning, and reading stories, especially of the Baal Shem Tov. She said Tehillim like crazy, much of which she knew by heart. Whenever she would ‘catch’ me learning she would grin and simply say ‘About time!’ She used to encourage others to learn about Chabad philosophy, always finding it so relevant, positive, and important for one’s growth in life. She also hated TV, claiming it was a major waste of time. Too much to be done, was her attitude. Too many people needed help for her to sit mindlessly in front of the tube.
But happiness was her biggest project. She took it upon herself to always appreciate G-d’s blessings on a daily basis. She was even grateful for all those tough years with a serious medical condition – that, she felt, it was a ‘blessing in disguise’ because it somehow made her a better person.
But it wasn’t enough for her to be self-satisfied, for how could she be truly happy when others, those around her, were down in the dumps? And so she began, at the young age of 16, a campaign of helping others become truly happy. Almost all the letters and calls we’ve received about Devo make mention of her radiant smile and her unconditional acceptance of everyone – whether they were young children or older professors and rabbis. She gave of herself to all, and she did so with joy.
We take comfort in knowing that she is in a better place – that her neshama is free from the physical constraints and tribulations of this world. The Alter Rebbe, Baal HaTanya, was once threatened by a Russian prison guard. The officer put a gun to his head for some ‘fun.’ The Alter Rebbe, unshaken, smiled and responded; “Your toy frightens someone who has one world and many gods… but I have One G-d and two worlds. Your toy does not scare me.” Clearly, there is more to this world than meets our limited eyes.
During shiva we received a copy of a letter the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote to an Israeli widow whose husband was killed in one of Israel’s wars. The Rebbe wrote that the soul, the real essence of the person, is eternal. It lives forever. Only the body can be affected by illness and bullets. But the body is just a vehicle, a temporary home (until Moshiach comes), for the neshama.
Furthermore, the Rebbe wrote, the soul is deeply connected to friends and loved ones, participates in all simchas, and takes particular joy in seeing the family recover from the tragedy, put their lives back together, and carry on with even greater vigor in Torah and mitzvot.