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*In Yiddish, "a gute neshome" means a good soul; a gentle person
Almost every day we read about someone who would be called "a gute neshome"--a good soul.
Sondra and David Light of Delray Beach, Florida, for example, dedicated a "Mobile Mitzvah" ambulance to Israel. This gift was made in memory of Sol Light of Hollandale, Florida.
And Matthew Jones, a Michigan father of five, donated a kidney to a complete stranger in 2007. This gift to a Phoenix woman set off a long-running organ swap that resulted in 10 sick people getting new kidneys over a .year. (Think "pay it forward" chain.) Jones said, "There's a very good possibility that when I'm dead and gone, the chain will still be going on."
Marlo Thomas writes that "Today, all patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude's are treated without regard for the family's ability to pay. Everything beyond what is covered by insurance is taken care of, and for those without insurance, all of the medical costs are absorbed by the hospital. The many people who have made this possible would be labeled "a gute neshome."
Arlene Miller, 91, is also "a gute neshome." She has set a new record by accruing 29,000 hours of volunteer work at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York.
Tovah Brill, a pharmacist at Mercy Medical Center, is truly "a gute neshome." With help from Drs. Chaim and Meyer Abittan, St. Francis Hospital opened its first Sabbath Room. In order to better meet the needs of families of Orthodox Jewish patients, St. Francis has opened two-bedroom, one bath suite, a fully stocked kitchen on a first come, first served basis as a hospital courtesy.
Tovah Brill came up with the idea. She said, "We hope this will give our parients' families a peaceful place to sleep and pray during the Sabbath, that will also give their loved one peace of mind knowing they are close by."
According to hospital statistics, Jewish patients are the second largest segment of the St. Francis patient base, after Roman Catholics. Kosher meals are always available to patients and their families, as well as access to spiritual care. The hospital also is exploring the idea of installing kosher vending machines.
The final story is taken from "In The Spirit of the Maggid" by Rabbi Pesach J. Krohn It is titled, "The Present of Presence." Read the book; it's wonderful!
Rabbi Meir Hochstein (*) and his wife, Chana (*) had been married six long years and hadn't yet been blessed with children. They had gone to great rabbis for blessings, they had been under special medical care and they prayed for others in their situation with the hope that others in turn would pray for them...Rabbi Hochstein was a Yeshiva rebbi and he dealt with children all day long, which made his plight more painful. Coming home to an empty nest was often too much to bear. Additionally, both R' Meir and Chana came from families of prominent Torah educators, so the possiblity of not having children of their own was almost unendurable.
Finally in their seventh year of marriage, Chana gave birth to a little boy who was born prematurely and weighed just close to three pounds. The baby was placed in the High Risk Unit of the Hodges Hospital in Milwaukee (*). The doctors and nurses were extraordinary in their care and concern for the infant boy and took extra time with the Hochsteins, as they knew how long the couple had waited for this child.
After two and a half months the Hochsteins were told that their son was fit enough to be taken home. Naturally there was elation and feelings of gratitude to Hashem and to the staff at Hodges. R' Meir wanted to buy the nurses a gift, but wasn't sure what was fitting or appropriate. He called his Rosh Yeshivah, Rabbi Elya Svei, in Philadelphia, for advice--and was taken aback when the Rosh Yeshivah [head of the Yeshivah] said, "Don't buy a gift."
R' Meir did not wish to challenge the Rosh Yeshivah, but he asked gently, "Rosh Yeshivah, we are so grateful to the staff; shouldn't we get them something to show our appeciation? They went beyond the call of duty for us and for our baby."
"Of course you should show your appreciation" said the Rosh Yeshivah, "but I want to show you something and then tell you what to do."
...."My advice is that every year on the child's birthday bring him back to the High Risk Unit. Show them that this is the boy that they helped. You will show them how strong he has become and thank them for the diligent concern they had when his life depended on them."
And that is exactly when Reb Meir and Chana did. Every year on the boy's birthdqy they brought Yossi to the High Risk nursery to show everyone how he had matured and progressed. They repeated this gesture year after year until Yossi was 6. By that time, the Hochsteins already had several other children and their lives were busier than ever.
Over the next few years there was always another excuse for not going back on his birthday. However the year of their son's bar mitzvah, Rabbi Hochstein remembered his Rosh Yeshivah's counsel and decided hat on this joyous occasion he and his son would visit the High Risk Unit. He came with a bar-mitzvah invitation and handed it to the head nurse with a warm letter of gratitude, He thanked everyone profusely for what they had done years earlier and brought a special cake for the staff.
A few weeks later the Hochsteins received a beautiful letter from one of the nurses. It read as follows:
"My name is Jodi Campanella and I am a nurse in the High Risk Nursery at Hodges Hospital in Milwaukee, where your son had an extended stay years ago. After finishing Nursing School at Snider Hospital two years ago, I was hired to work in the nursery at Hodges (my dream job).
While at orientaton I heard all about your son. All the nurses brought up how special a patient he was, not only because he had an amazing first few months, but because of how wonderful your family is. Everyone spoke of how wonderful it was to take care of a baby and be updated on the child's progress.
"A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting you when you brought an invitation to the bar mitzvah along with a letter that you had written about our staff. It touched my heart. You reminded me of why I became a nurse in the intensive care unit. Though I was not one of the nurses who took care of your son I wantd you to know how much we appreciate what you wrote and how true it is. Candy and flowers are a nice sentiment, but what you and your family do is something that helps us make it through the rough days. My most sincere thanks. Jodi Campanella, RN."
*(the names have been changed)
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