Belva Plain, who became a best-selling author at age 59 and whose multigenerational family sagas of Jewish-American life won a loyal readership in the millions, died on Tuesday at her home in Short Hills, N.J. She was 95.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/books/18plain.html?ref=obituaries
Reading about Belva Plain's passing, I was amazed that she became a best-selling author at the age of 59. At a time that most people are thinking about retirement and ready to give up on their dreams, she penned her first novel and continued a career which spanned three decades.
This evening I came across a Torah thought related to this week's parsha on Revach.net. It is a story about not giving up.
As told by Rav Refoel Salzer of Gateshead - Approximately 17 years ago, I took a class of 12-year old boys for Chumash-Rashi. One particular boy in the class (we’ll call him “Reuven”) gave me cause for concern. I knew him to be a serious, hard working boy with excellent ability, and I expected him to be at least among the top of the class. It alarmed me therefore to note that he was scoring around the 40% mark, week after week. His Gemoro Rebbe confirmed that in his class, Reuven was “bombing away” at the head of the class.
I took Reuven aside and queried this situation – and I was even more astounded by his explanation. “Rebbe,” he said in all honesty and sincerity “ this has been going on for years! I have just never been able to ‘get my teeth’ into Chumash Rashi. There’s just something about it that does not let us get on!” He then went on to assure me that it had nothing to do with the Rebbe – it had been the same with all his past Rebbeim. When I tried telling him how fundamental Chumash Rashi was to his Yiras Shomayim and the success of all his learning, he replied that he was fully aware of all this, - but he simply could not get to grips with this crucial Limmud.
Read full article: http://www.revach.net/article.php?id=4188
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