PaterfamiliasHARRY ARANOFF Letters and diaries of an American Jew 1909-1999

Grandchildren’s Eulogies 1999:

ARI (AGE 24): …he spent hours explaining his unique perspective on the Akeida (the binding of Isaac) and his understanding of man’s relationship with G-d. I treasured the times when I would go to him for his opinion and a clarification of my own, whether it was the purpose of prayer, Rambam’s view on the immutability of natural law, or the intention of sacrifices. He always taught me that the most important thing is always to learn—Torah, physics, anything.

MAYA (AGE 22): …one of the most important things he taught me was the lesson of uvacharta b’chayim—choose life—and his way of choosing life was accepting the past as it was and approaching the future with the passion to make it the best it can be. Saba was also a rodef shalom—he loved conflict merely because it had within it the potential of resolution, and this love of peace drove his every deed.

MICOLE (AGE 20): …every roller coaster I go on will remind me of how it’s a sin to scare yourself. Every time I buy a dress on sale, I’ll remember that it doesn’t matter how much they take off—it matters how much they leave on. No day exists devoid of some sort of reference, whether conscious or not, to a lesson that I once learned from him; every time I close my eyes, I can still hear him say, “I love you,” clear as ever.