Sori Filmer's Amazing Letter (In Many Ways)

This past Shabbat, Rav Shmuel Filmer, a 49-year-old Ba'al Hessed and director of Yeshivat Hevron passed away.  

Here is a second report  from Kikar (my quick translation - feel free to correct it if you have a better translation):



On Motza'ei Shabbat Kodesh, a community of thousands accompanied to burial the great man of action for Torah and Hessed Rabbi Shmuel Filmer Z"L, one of the great men of Lelov Hasidut and one of the directors of Yeshivat Hevron.

The departed Z"L was constantly involved with the uplifting of the horn of Torah and fear of Heaven out of trustworthy dedication to everything holy, and especially to acts of kindness and assistance to public needs.

Myriads of comforters were streaming to the house of mourning, led by Admo"rim, rabbis, and public figures, who are confused and hard-pressed to digest such a great loss.

"Rav Filmer was a Ba'al Hessed and quietly supported families in distress.  Despite the fact that he suffered many sufferings and pains, he never lost the joy of life and simple faith in the Creator of the world, and he constantly strengthened all those he knew and aroused them to strengthen themselves in spirituality," said those who knew him.

Kikar Hashabat got a hold of an exclusive emotional, tear-jerking letter that the young, 11-year-old daughter of the departed wrote to her friends at school:

To the dear girls in my class!

I am sitting here in the Shiva and writing you a letter.

First of all, thanks! I was very happy to receive your letters. They were worded just beautifully and very consoling. Secondly, thank you to Teacher who related to you about my righteous father.

And definitely, you are asking how I am, if I took it hard or easy, or you are thinking, "Poor girl" about me. I will answer you in this letter: I had the best father in the world. Why? Because for my father, it is good for him up there.

We learned about so many righteous people in the Torah, Prophets, Pirkei Avot, etc. Now, he is with them, there, happy with them, dancing with them.

A few days ago, I had One Father in Heaven. Now, I have 2 fathers in Heaven. This is not enough?! This is the most perfect thing in the world!!!!!!

You remember that the teacher made us a game with shoes, which we take off, and we need to say the sentences of the friend, such as "I or her". The same is with me and Abba.

I am found in the heart of Abba. It is good for him, so it is good for me.

And Abba revealed himself to me in a dream and told me, "Sori, I know when Mashiah will come. I will not tell you the date so that you won't start to count the days - to subtract, to add, to divide, or to multiply - but it is really close."

I request of you that you strengthen yourselves in "Ani Ma'amin" and say every morning all the paragraphs of Ani Ma'amin, of course, with the teacher's permission.

Loving and cherishing,

Sori Filmer

Your friend from class