In Memory of Rabbi Tobias Geffen

"What is man that you are mindful of him."

Why did I remember him before we met? --

The long gray beard, the misty eyes, the coat

Draped low and black like some Hasid who yet

Survived a century of time, who wrote

In language older still, and what he knew

He spoke as clearly as an age-old seer.

Everything about him was soft like dew.

His lips seemed closed, and yet we all could hear.

Chagall had painted him upon a wall,

Old and hoary, white with wisdom, thin

With years, heavy with waiting, great yet small,

And I had always known him even then

    His footsteps can almost still be heard.

    And if we listen carefully, every word.

Jay Cohen