By Jared Dunkin, Tax Lawyer, Author, and Community Member
Thirty years ago, I was deeply moved by Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. I was in college at the time, and like many readers, I was determined to find my own “Morrie” – a mentor who could provide a roadmap for a life well-lived.
Many years later, I found that person in Rabbi Avrom Landesman. A lifelong Woodside resident and attorney, Avrom was a foundational architect of the Silver Spring Jewish community, including Woodside Synagogue, Yeshiva of Greater Washington, and Torah School of Greater Washington. Yet, to those who know him, he is simply the wisest, humblest, happiest, kindest, and funniest person we have ever met.
Following a health scare he faced at age 85 during the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized I had to seize every possible moment with him. For a full year, my wife and I visited him every Wednesday. These visits became a sacred routine: she would bring two soups and fresh baked goods, while I would bring my deepest questions and concerns about how to be a better husband, father, leader, and human being.
The lessons I learned are shared in my book, Wednesdays with Avrom. It captures his unique ability to use humor to dismantle the “ruminations” that pull us away from the present. He once told me about a man who refused to tell a stranger the time because he imagined a chain of events ending with the stranger marrying his daughter. The man concluded, “I’ll be damned to get a son-in-law who doesn’t even own a watch!”.
In an age where we carry little devices in our pockets designed specifically to steal our attention, Avrom’s wisdom is more relevant than ever. He taught me that “if you try to be in too many places at once, you are actually nowhere”. True fulfillment comes from being “all in”—giving 100 percent of your mind to wherever your body happens to be, whether at work, with family, or in prayer. He showed me that by mastering these transitions, we can experience the “tremendous power of each moment”.
Wednesdays with Avrom is available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/0bNjBdrr. In the spirit of Avrom’s lifelong commitment to the community, all proceeds are donated to Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington.
JARED DUNKIN is a tax lawyer who lives in the Kemp Mill with his wife and five children.
He is also the author of The Cat’s Meow https://a.co/d/043QEGfe and Brass Tax https://a.co/d/0hrXbYe3.
🟦 All profits go to charity
Wednesdays With Avrom is a warm, wise, and often humorous collection of life lessons drawn from the conversations, experiences, and character of Avrom — a truly remarkable human being. Through stories rich with insight and heart, the book shows how every person can find meaning, purpose, and a place to make a difference, even in today’s complicated world.
What readers are saying:
“Deriving wisdom from Avrom is like finding water in the ocean… a repository of knowledge, erudition, good taste, sagacity and friendship.”
— Hanoch Teller, renowned author and storyteller
“A sparkling book, filled with wisdom, and a must read… it could just as easily have been called The Book of Avrom.”
— Prof. Shnayer Leiman, Touro University & Yeshiva University
“There is no end to what one can learn from his life lessons, experiences, teachings, and humor.”
— Rabbi Moshe Walter, Woodside Synagogue
📌 Buy the book: https://a.co/d/0gZnNsf6
📚 Author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07PPXKFRM/about
📖 All published books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07PPXKFRM/allbooks
Details:
• Publisher: Mensch Press
• Publication date: May 10, 2022
• 182 pages | English
• ISBN-13: 979-8986107912
