From when I was very young I remember my sister Esther taking care of me. She would sing and rock my crib before bedtime "Numi numi yaldati...." and many other Hebrew songs. Pam hayiti beteiman- that rhyme i didnt like as much. And uch in vye if she stopped rocking my bed. I was only a little spoiled. My mother depended much on her and my sisters for childcare, as she worked late to support the family. My sister Esther told us maasiyot of Tzaddikim and stories of the parsha and midrash. She instilled in us midos tovos and yiras shomayim. When i started school I had very much background knowledge in Yahadut because of her efforts. I was very active as a child and i had little time to eat. But when Esther told us stories I was entranced and I would eat food I did not like in the least,such as peaches and cream. My mother Rivka Leah Dov's ah chicken soup and rice I always enjoyed so that was an easy sell. But, otherwise i was a picky eater and Esther had some good stories up her sleeve as she coaxed us to eat. I especially liked the story of Estherel the Lost Princess,the true story of the daughter of Reb Shabsi Cohen ztl. I cried buckets of tears about her becoming an orphan. She was young when her mother was sick and she warned them of trials to come after her death. The cossacks y"sh were coming....Reb Shabsi flees carrying his daughter.... In desperation her father drops her near the palace. She ends up in the king's palace to save princess Maria's life from a fire. For a reward she asks only for kosher food. The story is full of tragedies and yet she helps the Jewish people from taxation and expulsion. She marries a choshuva talmid chochom whose wife died leaving many children at home. Esther was their babysitter as she ran away from the palace to be in a Jewish home. At her engagement her father Reb Shabsi was invited to attend. He hadn't seen her in years. He fainted when he saw the kalla-she looked just like her mother....The story is written in sefer Sifsei Cohen I think...The story is so moving and captivating and it instills much emuna and yiras shomayim, against all odds, in the listeners. This was one of many stories she taught us. Its interesting that I have a granddaughter who is a direct descendant of this tzaddik. Erev pesach she taught us the hagada....even though they were busy cooking and cleaning Esther found the time. I did the same with my children. I learned a lot from her. And believe me we weren't easy kids at home. ....We were hyper.....She said we took out a lot of kochos from her. When I was a youngster of 6 and up I recall every chol hamoed Esther and Shloma zl drove us to parks and Coney Island.. my parents generation didn't know or value rides. .But the reinetzs took us along. They didn't have to do it but they did it happily. I remember my other brother inlaws taking us to Palisades park too. In the summer my parents didnt go to the country. But my brother inlaw Reb Shloma zl and Esther came to the rescue. He drove me to the country. I remember spending weeks in Torah Educational Center right next door to yy Jacobsens family and the Rubashkins. Esther's house was always meticulously clean. Her meals were scrumptious. I learned a lot from her. She used to make swans in the chicken soup from dough that tasted as good as they looked. Alle taamim likovod Shabbos. She baked challos with lotsa sesame.... ..i remember being with them in Adlers bungalow in swan lake. She taught me to crochet a beautiful poncho of navy and light blue at age 12. I remember the Ackermans from there. Their grandchild married my brother Nachman's child from the Graber mishpocha. I recall the bungalow in Ellenville where she sent me to buy bialys at the bialy store. The owner of the colony had a dog who met me at the bakery. He walked me all the way back home as i shivered in fear from him. Yet maybe the dog watched over me? You don't forget a story like that. I remember Nisi R? Of bobov a cousin to Reb shloima was there..we had lots of fun in the bungalows. ..And most important during the year every motze shabbos my brother in law picked us up at 1322 42nd street and he drove us to Crown Heights for the weekly melave malka that Esther prepared. Everything was beautiful and tasty. There were no paper goods used and the house was very neat....as always..Then my dear brother in law drove us home to boro park. It was the most exciting highlight of the week. This went on for a long time. I remember going to crown heights for shabbos in high school as my freinds lived there. I remember wheeling Shmuli in a carriage down Kingston Ave. I enjoyed Chanie, Dina and Moshe immensely as children. I knew no one had such adorable brilliant nieces and nephews as I did. I would tell my friends in school all the cute antics they did and said. I remember Esther taped the teitch of the mishnayos so Moshe could hear it over and over and know it well. We were so surprised as little Dina knew it too. I used that trick of taping lessons and hearing it repeatedly in high school. It worked wonders while we ate or cleaned we heard it and it sunk into our memories..

After I married we followed in Esther's ways and we made a melave malka each week at another sister's house. This was on the long motze shabboses. Reb Shloma took us to 770 some times. The first time my father Reb Yakov Dov ah went there, the Rebbe sent him wine...it was amazing to see the Rebbe ztl knew all his chasidim and a newcomer was noticed immediately.

I learned a lot from Esther as she did much hachnosas orchim. I remember that the Rivnitzer Rebbe visited them one night at 741 Montgomery St. A chasid of his from the former Soviet Union needed surgery and he came to N.Y. for the operation. He stayed by the Reinetzs. The Rivnitzer rebbe came the night before, to wish him a refuah shlayma. Their house was welcoming and I remember the special mezuza covers in their home. It was a little curtain gathered on top of the mezuza holder. It was sewn by the Reb Shloma's mother -the tzaddekes Mrs. Shaindel zl she was very makpid on mitzvos and Esther loved her mother in law dearly. She took care of her with much kavod. (I heard there is an inyan about this in halacha about mezuzos. ) Esther's kibbud av vaeim was exemplary. As a young girl she worked as a secretary. When she made her first paycheck,she came home and put it on the table stating,"Ima this is for you!" She knew my parents struggled for parnosa and she wanted to help. My parents didn't expect this but they marveled at her maturity. Her kavod extended to our grandparents as well. For many years Esther wrote to my grandparents Reb Shmuel Mordche Kornblit zl and Mrs. Chaya Malya zl weekly letters. They lived in Meah Shearim section of Jerusalem. They had no phone and their only means of connection with their children Rivka Leah and Reb Yakov Dov was via mail. She brought them so much joy and nachas as she wrote and sent tzedaka money to der Tatte so he could distribute money to the poor families for Shabbos. I have over 40 letters, as i made copies of them so i can see they always thank her for it. She was very close to their heart. Once they met, maybe in their textile store?a Mrs. Shaindel Reinetz who told them she had a son in America, my grandparents told her about their granddaughter Esther Dov who was 22 at that time. (By my mother Rivka Leah ah it was a very desperate situation. She was a shadchanit who believed one must marry early). Then the son and granddaughter met in America and the rest is history. Esther heard and saw that Shlomo was very good hearted and giving person and this impressed her. My sister was hesitant about Lubavitch but after she married, she became a big chasidiste of the rebbe. She went on mivtzaim. She knocked on doors once a week for years as she encouraged kiruv rechokim to keep shabbos, kashrus etc. She attended shiurim and she studied chitas, chumash,tehillim and tanya daily. I assure you she knew it by heart all the sefarim. She had a brilliant memory. She was very disciplined. She had exact times for everything. Davening and Tehillim was kodesh by her. I don't know other women like her today. She didnt need vacations and fancy designer clothes. Everything she did was leshaim shomayim for her spiritual development. She lived sheveesi Hashem lenegdi tomid. She didn't waste a minute. She occupied her time with Torah, tefilla tzedaka, kiruv and her family. She taught me to give tzedaka before I daven each day as it says in Tehillim ani betzedek echze panecha. Betzedek is tzedaka.

Above all she was very devoted to her husband Reb Chaim Shloma zl. She took extra special care of him during his illness. She didn't leave him -even for a simcha as he needed her. For years they had a very good marriage. He was very concerned about her. He reciprocated her devotion as he always phoned her regarding her needs. He would encourage me to shop with her to buy nice things. He often told me don't look at the price. Once I went with her to Syms dress shop in Manhattan. We found beautiful misook tops for bargain rates. We were very happy. I think i still have one left. Those clothes never got ruined....He was happy that she was happy. In the last few years Esther did not come to America as she was busy with her husband's needs. I went to visit her in kfar chabad 2 years ago. Who would believe it would be the last time my husband Leibel and I would see them? On chol hamoed succos before carona I went to visit my niece Chany Shmerling and Reb Nechemya. For years and years i told Chany i am coming to visit. Finally the day came. Avi Shafer, my nephew, drove me to Kfar Yona. We had such a beautiful seuda and i have nice pictures of it. Reb Shloma and Esther look so good. Reb Nechemya and Chany prepared a beautiful spread....As expected they were well trained.. I have many stories and pictures and letters etc. Some poems Esther wrote are in my family Dov Kornblit history book worth reading. Every year she wrote an amazing poem with the new year wishes. Using the acronym תשפא. I found last years as this year she did not have the energy to write....Who would have believed it that this years poem wouldn't come ? There is so much to say and learn from my dear sister Esther bas Reb Yakov Halevy zl. She left us so quickly. My sister Tzipi shetichye would encourage her that when she would be well again she would travel to the usa for simchas. She went to visit her often and she gave over my messages as she was too weak to speak on the phone. We hoped she would get well again and we would visit 770 and we would daven by the Lubavitcher rebbes tzion....we looked forward to spending ruchniyusdig time with her. But, Hashem had other plans. Her wonderful daughters and sons stood by her side round the clock to help her at home or in the hospital. May she be a melitza yeshara for them and klal yisroel. I can imagine her going into the chabad heichal with much applause. I can see my parents and grandparents greeting her with much simcha. If we all follow in her ways her neshoma will have an aliya and she will be a gitta bayter a melitza yeshra for us and klal yisroel bevias goel tzedek bbumain. Love, Your baby sister Rochel Dov Goldenberg. I lost that title baby sis when i graduated to become a Babby.

Esther you were blessed with a great memory and we are sure you will remember us letova to daven for all of us. Esther you are unforgettable and we will do our utmost so you and R' Chaim Shloma will see nachas from us.