Poem About Shalom a"h

For those of you who watched the video in the last post, here is the poem Chaya Sara was reading to you. I wrote it a little bit before his yartzheit and wanted to put it here so you can read it too.

As we approach the yartzeit of my brother so dear,
There are some memories and thoughts I would like to share,
But how do I begin, from where do I start?
I guess it is best to speak straight from the heart.

My brother was niftar on Yud Zayin Av,
When his neshama was returned to his Father above.
Yes this came from Hashem's loving hand,
And although we may not fully understand,

We know that every bit of pain is given to us so,
We can learn from it and use it to grow,
And come closer to Hashem, our father, our king,
Who loves us and gives us everything.

There are so many thoughts that come to my mind,
I remember that my brother was always loving and kind,
He cared about each and every creation,
And here is an example that needs no explanation.

One day when Shalom was riding his bike down the block,
He came across a bird and so he quickly stopped,
Instead of hitting the bird, off his bike he flew,
And he came home with an arm that was black and blue.

Off to the doctor my brother went,
And then for x-rays he was sent,
He was told he had a broken arm,
But he was happy that the bird was not harmed.

He was willing to go through physical pain,
And not once about his hand did we hear him complain.
Are we as careful not to hurt someone's feelings,
Do we realize it's with their emotions we are dealing?

The mezuzah he always made sure to kiss,
He made sure never once to miss,
This mitzvah that may seem so small,
But in his eyes he knew it was great after all.

Who are we to measure what is great in Hashem's eyes?
For when we get to the next world, we will be in for a surprise
Hashem will show us how great these "small" mitzvos are,
And how they illuminate the world like a shining star!

Shalom got up extra early each morning,
And he and his chavrusah together would be learning,
For a half hour before davening would start,
The two of them would learn with all their heart.

His last Shabbos in this world was Shabbos Nachamu,
The men danced and danced all the night through,
And when it was over, in the shul Shalom stayed,
All the seforim and chairs he neatly arranged.

So that in the morning when the men would return,
It would be easy for them to sit down and learn,
Because everything was in its proper place,
And Shalom did all that cleaning with a smile on his face.

He would say Shema at night with extra concentration,
And one of his friends asked him for an explanation.
"Aren't you tired? Aren't you ready for bed?"
And this is what Shalom said,

"A person never knows when his last Shema will be,
And so each night I make sure to say it slowly and carefully."
If we were to view each mitzvah as it may be our last one,
We'd use each moment to get more and more mitzvos done!

Shalom did chessed for each and every Jew,
There are so many examples of what he would do,
He would use his bike and constantly help out,
Because he knew that was what life was all about.

Whenever we'd need a favor to get done,
Shalom would be the one to jump up and run,
Onto his "Mitzvah bike" he pedaled quickly,
To grab each Mitzvah, each golden opportunity.

There are countless of examples, loads of stories to share,
And there are many of them of which we will never be aware,
Because my brother did so many mitzvos in his own quiet way,
He didn't want praise or that people should say,

"Oh wow! Look at that! See what he did!"
Shalom was an anav and an erliche yid,
He only cared about one important thing,
About how he can live his life to get closer to the king.

And now he is the closest he could get,
In the Olam Ha'emes but let's not forget,
That by doing a mitzvah for his Ilui neshama,
You will be giving my family a tremendous nechama.

If you do one extra mitzvah just today,
And when you are finished, don’t forget to say,
It should be L'ilui nishamas Shalom ben Chaim Nosson who was so great,
And in that zechus we shouldn't have to wait.

Yes, by showing Hashem you want this galus to end,
Then the long awaited mashiach He will finally send,
And Hashem will see how much we really want Him,
So he will bring us all home to Yerushalayim!