As preparations for my wedding were underway, my future wife’s grandfather fell seriously ill. Every day was a struggle for him.

At the wedding, I joined hands with friends and family in dance. However, as the night moved along, I wondered where my wife’s family was. Yes, I danced with each uncle and with Grandpa, but being on the further side of the dance floor, I hadn’t seen much of them.

After our wedding, when the pictures and video finally arrived, I noticed how my wife’s family danced with one another, and with Grandpa—he was celebrating with the family. Their happiness seemed magical. I learnt, over the few months that I knew him, that Grandpa always rejoiced at an upcoming family celebration.

Meeting someone at their last moments of life has the potential to create unpleasant memories. But from Grandpa Mordechai I learned a wonderfully positive and priceless lesson—never to miss a family celebration.

We often read about zealots or extremists whose behavior is negative or destructive. In this week’s Torah reading we read about a different kind of zealot—one whose behavior saved his nation.

Grandpa, too, was a zealot. He was a zealot for family celebrations. Although I was not privileged to know Grandpa for long, from him I learned that I too should be a zealot for good.

Dovid Zaklikowski,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team