David Rosen was raised in an assimilated Jewish home where Judaism was nothing more than a mere cultural memory—not a living heritage with a meaningful and purposeful destiny. David was a bright student with a promising future, but with little to no meaning in his life.
He visited a Chabad house on campus for a Friday night meal, and something within him stirred. A spark was waiting to be ignited and stoked into a passionate flame. He returned often, during which his inspiration motivated him to observe Shabbos, don Tefillin, keep kosher dietary laws, until he became fully observant, having embraced all the mitzvos.
His family thought that he had become unhinged. His friends ridiculed him. He did not care, because he answered to a Higher Authority. While he loved his parents, he could not ignore that his spiritual life had taken a different trajectory than theirs. Their relationship was respectful, but reserved, until David's father was diagnosed with a terminal disease.
David no longer was just a son visiting his dad, but a beacon of light and hope during his months of pain and fear of this dread disease. He sat by his father’s bed, reciting Tehillim, watching the chemicals dripping into his father’s veins. He spoke of hope, faith, and love for Hashem. During those final weeks of his father’s life, David engendered hope and dignity.
Then, something unbelievable and totally unexpected occurred. David’s father asked him to help him put on Tefillin. He knew that he could not change his past, but if he could somehow infuse his future, albeit short, with meaning, he would try. They prayed together daily until his father passed away with Shema Yisrael as his final words. David’s mother and sister were moved by the transformation, and the religion that they had so erroneously shunned became a beacon of light and hope to them. The entire family became observant, because David refused to allow the status quo of his upbringing to define his future—his acharis.