Travel - by Chaya Simon (as told by Judy)

In his different travels, for many years he would stop by and see us in Paris on the last Shabbos before going back home to NY. We were very lucky because he would be so excited about all of his adventures and we would hear about them first hand. What always amazed me was how so much of what impressed him, wherever he was, and no matter how many sites or museums he had visited, were the people stories, the yiddel he met in a shul, or the family by whom he had stayed, etc, on whom I am sure he made an everlasting impression.

Attention to others - by Chaya Simon (as told by Judy)

He was such an inspiration to me in so many ways, many that I have only realized since he was taken from us. I was, you know, the baby sister, so my memories from childhood are kind of a blur, but I do have very vivid memories from my teen years on. One of the most amazing things, I find, about your Zaidy, was that even though he was so incredibly brilliant, and constantly involved in learning and reading, people meant so much to him. If someone came into the room where he was, or if he was called to the phone, you would never see him seem "bothered" by the interruption. . His eyes would light up and he would give his full attention to whoever it was came in, as if he had been waiting for the person all day to spend that time with him/her. You know how hard it is to tear yourself away from a "good book" or something you are concentrating on to give your attention to something else. But to your Zaidy it was never a problem. The person wanting to speak to him deserved immediate attention, the book or sefer could wait.

Qualities and pride - by Chaya Simon (as told by Efraim)

In Pirkei Avos it says that the crown of a person is their grandchildren, how the grandchild behaves reflects back on their grandparent. You should always reflect and remember what a special z'chus it is to have such an incredible Zaidy and you should always work hard to be his crown. You are his first grandchild and will always have a very special place in Zaidy's crown. I would only ask that you think about your Zaidy often, his kindness, his soft manner, his amazing dedication to Torah study and serving HaShem and most of all, with all of that, his incredible humility. He is a role model for all of us to aspire to. He was able to elevate others simply by being in their presence. We have a lot to learn from Zaidy, I hope together we can implement his characteristics into our own lives.

Being considerate - by Chaya Simon (as told by Chana'le)

Zaidy never expected anything from anyone.

• Before he came to Crown Hieghts he had a minhag not to carry even on yom tov. When he came to Crown Heights he still kept this minhag. He made sure that his children carried his things. He also made sure to tell them that his minhag wasn't meant for them.
• On pesach he would only eat fruits, vegatables, and home-made foods. He wouldn't eat anything made from a store except for matzos and wine. He permitted his children to eat store-bought things.
• When he went to his early minyan he never asked his sons to come along.

(Note by blogger - please keep in mind that the previous sentence refers to the EARLY minyan. He DID insist that his children go to minyan)

Being Misameach Chosson Vkallah - by Chaya Simon (as told by Chana'le)

There was one singer that Zaidy didn't like. Once he was asked why he didn't like that singer he answered, "One day when I was in a restaurant I saw him in a phone-booth. He was yelling at someone. That turned me off." Zaidy also used to add, "We can learn a lesson from this. This singer might be a very nice man. I might have just happened to catch him in a bad moment. But people always judge someone by what they see the first time, even if it's the only time you ever get angry. We must always be careful. We should only do things that we wouldn't be ashamed of letting others see." Zaidy would be invited to around four weddings a week. He would make sure to go to every one to do the mitzva of making the chosson and kalla happy. Even so, he still had time to speak to people. The only time he didn't go to a wedding was when he had made an arrangement with someone else at that time. Zaidy would never take laziness as an excuse. Even if he was very tired he would do whatever he had to do anyway, regardless of how he was feeling.

Mitzvah of Lulav/Esrog - by Chaya Simon (as told by Batya)

Think of days that you anticipate; the last time you had a trip scheduled to an amusement park, or the day of your birthday, or when you're leaving to camp. You wake up early, early in the morning, so you can get started on the fun and excitement that you've been awaiting.. . One of my favorite times of year was the competition to wake my father early Sukkos morning. After having spent long hours and many nights before Yom Tov selecting a beautiful Esrog set, Abba wanted to use it at the earliest possible time. So every year on the first night of Sukkos my father would remind us that he was offering a reward to the person who wakes him first, just after sunrise, so he can bentch Lulav and Esrog. On Yom Tov, like Shabbos, my father didn't have to be up at 5:00 in time to learn and participate in his 6: 15 Minyan. But on Sukkos morning a mitzvah was waiting; a mitzvah we only get a chance to do once a year, a mitzvah for which Aba had spent weeks preparing and anticipating, and he wanted to do it at the first possible moment. The anticipation to do the mitzvah was as tangible as a child waiting to open his birthday gifts.