I received a phone call to let me know my ex-sister-in-law, Julia, died of a heart attack early this morning. A second phone call let me know my young friend Janette died this morning from cancer after going into Hospice less than a week ago. When someone dies we grieve because we will miss them. The tears welled up in my eyes and I cried.

“But after all is said and done, death can be an incomprehensible, devastating experience to those who are left behind. After all the rationalizations, all the explanations, the heart still cries. And it should cry. When a friend or relative is grieving for a loved one, do not try to explain; just be there with them. Soothe and console them, and weep with them. There is nothing you can really say, for no matter how we might try, we must accept that we often do not understand G-d’s mysterious ways.” This is an excerpt from “Toward a Meaningful Life – The Wisdom of the Rebbe” by Rabbi Simon Jacobson.