My dear friend and teacher,
for too long a time I was shy to call you friend and too arogant to call you teacher. You were both to me.
Today, and woe to me, only today, I realized, that worldly matters and vicissitudes of life also applied to you. Somehow, despite all the nisyonot that Hashem sent you, you seemed to be untouchable, far from being a regular, normative and worldly human being. As if you went unaffected by all the troubles. Now I know, that it was just because of the way you were dealing with things, that made you so in my eyes, not the nature of those things. You went through difficult times, you suffered a lot, but never showed more than a drop of the whole sea of it. For me, you were the most vivid and happy person, welcoming everyone and everything with a great and firm emuna and simcha. The only tears of sorrow that I have seen, were when your brother, z"l, passed away. The rest were tears of pure happiness.
Very childish from me was to think, that you would be always here. That IT cannot happen. But it did. My friend and my teacher, today Hashem recollected your soul.
I am writing this, because today I learned a big thing. I met a person, who walked before Hashem and was perfect (Gen 17,1). May we always be watchful enough to notice that on time.
Chaya Shifra bat Hudye Hadassa, may your soul be bound up in the bond of life.
