Boy’s Upshernish Includes Prayer For His Father’s Recovery

By COLlive reporter

Little Moshe Dukes celebrated his upshernish – 3rd birthday celebration and had his blond curls snipped on Monday afternoon, surrounded by his family and friends.

While the occasion was joyous, it was also very emotional, because of the person notably absent from the celebration – his father, Rabbi Yehuda Dukes, who remains hospitalized due to complications from Coronavirus.

The Dukes family gathered with family members and a few friends at the Rebbe’s Ohel in Cambria Heights, Queens, and Moshe received his first haircut, as is customary.

They then gathered for an intimate celebration at their home in the Five Towns, arranged by friends of Sarah Dukes, who have been by her side through this difficult time, as she cares for her 6 children as well as her husband who remains in very critical condition.

“I feel heartbroken that my husband was not here celebrating this milestone with us. He has missed so many holidays, and celebrations within the past 2 1/2 months of being in the hospital in very critical condition,” Sarah says.

“We had to have Pesach without him, my son Baruch’s 12th birthday, Lag Baomer, Shavuos, and now Moshe’s 3rd birthday upshernish. I always told myself, ‘He’ll be here for the next one. The next one… etc.’ But these special days came and went, and Yudi is still not home.”

But Sarah, an Award-winning composer and psychotherapist, remains strong and firm in her belief that her beloved husband will make it through and attend the next milestone with his family.

“So many people have been surrounding me, telling me that ‘your husband is going to make it,’ and that’s what’s keeping me strong,” Sarah says. “Together with the support of the worldwide community, there has been an army of thousands of people surrounding him and protecting him…we just know that he is going to pull through.

“I don’t know why Yudi and our family have to go through this, but I do know and accept that G-d specifically wanted it to happen like this and that there is a purpose and good reason for it even if we can’t see it.”

Sarah says that thousands have reached out to her to let her know they have added in good deeds on behalf of her husband, who founded the remote Torah learning organization Jnet (Jnet.org/mitzvahforyudi).

“Yudi has literally transformed the entire world, and is playing such an instrumental role in bringing Moshiach,” she says. “G-d willing, when he recovers, we will show him everything that has been done these past couple of months and he can see what an incredible impact he has had, and that will surely give him comfort, knowing that no time was wasted – his Shlichus continued and thrived throughout this time.”

“Yudi is going to soon discover his family grew by the thousands. He may not have been able to be with his family physically for all these holidays, celebrations, and milestones, but I know he will be so comforted to know that you, our now extended family have all been there with us this entire time, celebrating these special occasions together,” Sarah said.

Please continue to pray for Chaim Schneur Zalman Yehuda ben Hinda Yocheved.

VIDEO: Sarah Dukes plays “Once Again,” a song she composed with her son Baruch in honor of her husband