by Merle Turetz
July 2016
Rabbi Dovid M. Cohen certainly has a lot to talk about! And why not? Academically, he is an accomplished scholar, attorney, therapist and educator. Rabbinically, he is a Talmid Chachum, having studied with some of the greatest Torah minds in the world, as well as having served as Rabbi for the Young Israel of the West Side in Manhattan for almost a decade.
Regarding his family, he is a respectful and compassionate husband to his “best friend” and the proud and loving father of their five children, one of whom led him to become a special needs advocate.
In his new book, “We’re Almost There” Rabbi Cohen takes the reader on a journey of his life, with all its ups and downs, bumps and mountains, joys and disappointments. While each chapter reads like a random free-association journey through the Rabbi’s brain, there seems to be one connecting theme and that is to live fully in each moment and seek out the lessons placed before us by G-d.
There are no coincidences. Each chapter is filled with his emotional insights from Torah learning, as well as, day-to-day living. In a deeply personal and honest recounting, Rabbi Cohen relates his experiences meeting the most holy and scholarly men and women whose paths have crossed his, providing him with insight and wisdom. Yet, of all of these sage and learned encounters, there is none who has provided him with greater clarity and, brutally honest introspection, then his special needs son, Yedidya. In those moments throughout the book, the reader is totally hypnotized, completely drawn into the Rabbi’s vulnerability and cemented to the next line.
The book is beautifully written with stories that are sure to make a positive impact on the reader. There are people who live lives filled with wondrous and phenomenal experiences and often say they should record them on paper, but never make the commitment to follow through.
Rabbi Cohen, fortunately for us, made true on that promise so that those meaningful events can be a powerful lesson that life is not about the destination, but it is all about the journey. And what a journey, “We’re Almost There” is! “We’re Almost There” would make a wonderful gift to anyone facing a personal struggle in his or her life.
There is a saying that when the world hands you lemons, make lemonade. Rabbi Cohen, not only makes lemonade, he finds the inner strength to make lemon cake and lemon ices – then adds lemon polish to make everything shine again. Yasher Koach!