Well was she named,
Fought many battles,
With no weapon but her faith.
Like Sarah Imeinu
And Sarah Schenirer,
Morah Binah Kasirer served Hashem
Loyally,
With her wisdom
And a smile.
Sick for many years,
She refused to let that define her.
Testimonies by her husband and children
On how she would work
As a mom,
As a teacher –
Through her pain.
Making Shabbos food,
Directing her children to help,
Having just come
From the hospital.
Her son protested.
“Ima, let’s buy the food!
You must be so tired.”
She refused.
“This is for Shabbos.
We make our food for Shabbos.”
Before their engagement,
Her husband was asked if,
Knowing her diagnosis,
He wanted this shidduch.
He responded,
“Yes, I want to marry her.”
A rav blessed them
to merit raising children.
Eight children,
All Torah Jews,
The fruit of their union.
Shabbosim
At the Kasirer home
Were full of Torah,
Songs,
Love.
Morah Binah Kasirer
accepted Hashem’s will.
Every challenge, she said,
Was a chance to grow.
With her every breath,
She taught.
Not just in the schools,
Where her students absorbed
The midos and lessons she modeled.
She influenced
All who knew her –
Her husband,
Children,
Neighbors,
friends,
Those passing through.
One of her sons recalls how she shook the lulav
Each time,
Her whole heart
in the motion,
For she loved to do
Hashem’s commandments.
Once, having come home
Only a short time before,
She was sent back to the hospital.
She said that she had not accepted Hashem’s will enough.
Hashem was teaching her a lesson,
To accept His will.
This time, she would do better.
She passed away
While teaching,
Her last lesson:
We learn that Sarah Imeinu died
Having heard of the Akeidah.
No, said Morah Kasirer.
It was Sarah Imeinu’s time.
When Hashem takes us,
It is our time.
May we emulate
The qualities of this woman of valor:
May we learn to embrace
Whatever Hashem decrees,
May we use our challenges to climb to greater heights of service,
To reach out to others, no matter what we are enduring,
With love.
Morah Binah Kasirer,
May your neshamah have an aliyah,
May your teachings bear fruit and bring light into the world
For generations to come.
At 4:19 we light our candles, as Sarah Imeinu did way back when,
To bring in the day of rest and peace, a time to regroup, let the holy ascend.
This Shabbos, as we daven for a better tomorrow,
May we find our happy Shabbos thoughts, transcend any pain or sorrow.