Bookmark

Rabbi Daniel Loew, the principal of HHNE, in his devar halakha (a few brief words on Jewish law and custom) prior to the start of the morning service, explained to his students the practice of not merely discarding used or damaged ritual objects - even things that are permitted to be thrown away like a torn fringe from a tallis - if they can be used for something else. A torn fringe, for example, may be put to use as a bookmark.

A couple of weeks before Avi died, I had updated the synagogue's file box of Hebrew names and I had made a card for Avi. I showed it to Rabbi Loew after the service and I told him that I have been using the card as a bookmark for my siddur.