Message From Arny Beller

Six years have passed since my beloved husband Daniel (Rabbi Beller z"l) was niftar. He was an exceptional human being - charismatic, loving, funny, erudite, deeply ethical, boundlessly kind, enormously talented. Even as I write these words, his absence doesn’t seem real. Yet reality hits home all the time as I watch my children navigate life as adults.. It hits home as I watch my two grandchildren, Daniel-Chaim and Shoham-Rut, neither of whom met Daniel, developing into very special little people.

On that rollercoaster ride I’m on, that of navigating grief, I’ve learned many things. Among the most important is what questions to ask and what questions not to ask. When trouble or tragedy strikes us, our instinct is to ask "Why?". It’s a question entirely legitimate but almost entirely unhelpful. Anyone who asks it knows that no answer can satisfy and that no guarantees have ever been given. So what question is the “right” question? Perhaps the very best question we can ask is: "What next?" What good can come out of this?

The prophet Micah asks this question in other words

הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה טּוֹב וּמָה יְהוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ"

What is G-d asking of us? Let’s look to act justly, love to be kind, and walk humbly with G-d in our daily dealings.

I would like to think that this Sefer Torah project is aligned with Micah’s words and is one answer to the question “what next?”. It has brought with it a torrent of good.

I have never fundraised before, but I learned a lot from doing it. There was something so beautiful in the positive energy, kind thoughts and loving memories that people shared along with their contributions. People not only contributed but never failed to mention how happy they were to be part of this or what an impact Daniel z"l had had on their lives..

The Sefer Torah will be part of important occasions at Beit HaKnesset Shivtei Yisroel, the shul where Daniel officiated for so many years. Throughout the year it will be put to use by the Tzohar Organization for educational purposes. I can truly picture the excitement and enthusiasm Daniel would have had for this project, were he here to see it. His great passion was to enable all people - children, youth and adults - to feel that the Torah was meaningful and relevant to them, no matter who they were or what their background.

To all the very many people who contributed to this Sefer Torah, let me once more express profound and heartfelt thanks from myself and the family

Arny Beller

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A few words about this website and its purposes.

• To help complete the fundraising campaign

• To invite anyone who would like to do so to share their memories or pictures media of Rabbi Beller ( If you would like add a memory click onto the ”memory treasure chest file” or the "Please share your visual memories" file.)

• To keep the participants in the project abreast of the progress of the writing of the Sefer Torah.

• To Invite everyone involved in this project to be part of our Memorial evening on Thursday the 31st of March and the Sefer Torah Procession on Friday the first of April. When the Torah will be completed

May we all have many Besorote Tovote - good tidings