Rolling Rabbi

The Power of Perseverance:The Story of Rabbi Yehuda SimesNobody asked me. Nobody! I had not been in a massive auditorium listening to an authoritative voice challenging the crowd: "We are looking for volunteers. Who here would like to be the wife of a quadriplegic?" I did not hop up and down, making the emphatic ooo-ooo-ooo sound that my students emit when they are eager to sign up for a job or a privilege. I did not call out, "Pick me! Pick me! Please! Pick me!"I did not. Or so I thought.When a catastrophic accident completely altered Rabbi Yehuda Simes's physical existence, he was forced to rediscover his true essence, to internalize the idea that his body was merely a cloak for his soul, which remained forever whole despite being housed in so broken a body.His wife Shaindel, for her part, was forced overnight to become her husband's caretaker, cheerleader, patient advocate, and support system. Together the heroic couple forged ahead, as Rabbi Simes showed the world what it means to