Community Magazine October 2014

Donate: to the Jherin Esther Gorcey Mikveh If you would like to take part in this special mitzvah and donate to the Jherin Esther Gorcey Mikveh, please mail a check or credit card info to: Shaare Tefilah / The Jherin Gorcey Mikveh 20 Whalepond Rd. Eatontown, NJ 07724 For more information about the mikveh, please contact Rachel Gorcey at 732-995-9727. Poem written by Jherin Gorcey, a''h , one month before she passed away. “The gold bangles?!” Mrs. Gorcey interrupted, “The four gold bangles I bought her?!” “No… they were bracelets. As I recall, she said you made her three bracelets… One green, one blue, and one white.” Rachel went into deep thought, doing her best to recall the bracelets. She ran to Jherin’s room, eagerly pulled opened a drawer, and rummaged through Jherin’s belongings. She did not find any bracelets. Her guest began to feel upset, figuring her memory failed her. But just then, as Rachel walked out of her daughter’s room, she noticed the three bracelets on her wrists which she so casually slips on every morning. One is green, and bears the inscription, “ emunah ”; the second is blue and reads, “ Jherin Gorcey” ; and the third, white bracelet has the words, “ Stop lashon hara .” She nearly fell to the ground. R.E. continued: “She asked me to tell you how very proud she is of you. She said, ‘Tell her the classes given in our home are so great – but we need more! It isn’t enough. There are so many kids off the path of Hashem; so many girls and boys that need guidance.’” R.E confided that Jherin told her that she, too, needed to ‘get on the right track,’ and when she asked how she should do this, Jherin replied, ‘Do not worry, my mother will find a way to help you.’” Tears were the only response Rachel could offer. When she heard her daughter’s final message relayed by R.E., her emotions overwhelmed her: “Tell Mom I love her and I’m always with her. The gift she got me on my 16 th birthday…the bluestone ring – I love it. I want her to have it, and wear it.” Rachel felt faint, and collapsed. After she collected herself, Rachel proceeded to a safe and pulled out the bluestone ring she bought for her daughter’s 16 th birthday. It was put away in a safe for two-and-a-half years, but as Jherin requested, Rachel now wears it proudly. “Make it a Good One” “This small, little mikveh…consists of so much holiness, so many tefillot , so much kavannah , so much Yad Hashem , and so much Jherin,” Rachel says. It has been four long years since its conception, and its story, is a story for the ages. The story conveys the powerful message that we must all strengthen our emunah , as it demonstrates beyond any doubt that Hashem is fully in control and aware of everything. “As an Israel-born citizen of Ashdod,” Rachel says, “I’ve always wondered, why is it that I am here? For what purpose has Hashem led me to live here, among the Syrian community of Eatontown, New Jersey?” It was only with the tragic passing of her daughter that it all became clear. The puzzle pieces now seemed to fit. She was here, at least partly, to bring Jherin Gorcey to our community, a girl who lived to inspire, and continues to light up our world even after her passing. Dr. Steven and Rachel Gorcey wish to remind us all that although most of us do not receive direct messages from heaven like they did, we must nevertheless be attuned to the more subtle messages we receive from Gd every day as we go about our lives and our daily routine. We must realize that we are here not merely for ourselves, but for others, and that if we love Hashem, then we love everyone. We must help other people, and learn and grow each day. “The story of our lives is the only thing we take with us,” they say. “Make it a good one.” “This mikveh is going to change the whole community,” she foretold. “Tell Mom I love everything about the mikveh, and that I was with her every time she made a decision. Throughout everything she did – and on all the details she picked, I was with her, and I love all of it.” tishrei 5775 october 2014 35