Life's Special Moments

Believe it or not, Hashem might present you with your greatest opportunities to do acts of chessed when you are least prepared. Will you be ready to seize Life's Special Moments before they are lost forever?

This book is a collection of true, riveting short stories about how people from all walks of life, at different times and in different locations, reacted to such “magic moments” of opportunity to do chessed in the most unexpected places — in a large Palestinian neighborhood south of the outer walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, in a German prisoner-of-war camp, at a wedding, on the banks of a Polish river, on a snowbound highway, and in many other venues.

This life-changing book makes us ask, in every situation: “Why did Hashem put me in this very place at this very time? What chessed does Hashem expect me to do at this exact moment?” These stories train us to become what the author calls an “Observant Jew,” constantly on the alert for magic moments of opportunity to do chessed.

We learn this concept from the mitzvah regarding a bird’s nest (kan tzipor), popularly known as shilu’ach ha-kan. The mitzvah of shooing away the mother bird before taking her eggs or nestlings cannot be orchestrated but happens “Ki yikarei kan tzipor lefanecha ba-derech” (Devarim 22:6) — unexpectedly, when we go about our normal daily activities — and it earns us blessings and long life.

This second collection of such stories has been eagerly awaited by those who read his first book and will delight new readers as well. So treat yourself to a great read, be inspired to seize your own kan tzipor moments, and you too will look forward to incredible blessings.

And if you missed Mr. Savitsky’s first book of “seize the moment” tales, titled Kan Tzipor, read that one, too! The acts of chessed that ensue might spark a national movement of good deeds in whose merit our nation will finally be redeemed.

“Kan Tzipor quickly became a family favorite of ours, as its inspiring and very relatable stories sensitize us to the constant stream of opportunities that we are all given to seize a moment and make a lasting difference. The contagious love of life and drive for kiddush HaShem that are characteristic of Steve Savitsky jump off every page.”

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President The Orthodox Union