Rabbi Jerry's Speech
Rabbi Jerry Presides the Ceremony, 6/2/2020
June 2, 2020
Len enters eternity surrounded by the love that flows from us to him. He enters the Great Shalom accompanied by the letters of the alphabet that he selected with great care to describe the uses of language and the thoughts that took form and shape in his active mind. He enters the Olam Haba, the World to Come, welcomed by those who used language to tell stories to amplify the human condition, to entertain and to enchant the reader. He enters what ever eternity is accompanied by the hearts and souls of those who hold his place within memory as sacred. We will all miss this lovely, talented and brave man.
Leonard was a professor of the Socratic style. Ask class a question and sit back and watch the ideas pour forth. Guide with the lightest touch. Create curiosity. Enable discovery. Show his graduate students the thrill of the adventure of a deep dive into the letters. From the letters through the creative and imaginative skills of the users so often came the sublime, the beautiful, the classics works of ever lasting memory.
Len was born in Paterson, New Jersey 88 years ago. His father sold men’s furnishings in a department store. Len grew up with his sister Toby and when his Mother remarried he lived with brother Larry and sister Bernice. After high school, he attended several universities, Oklahoma, Indiana and California on his way to a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. He was elevated to Professor and taught at SUNY, at the Geneseo campus.
He was a Fulbright visiting professor three times, once in Athens, Greece where he headed the department and spent 1985-1987 and 1993-1994 in Beijing. It was there that he was introduced to another university instructor, Shaoping. A few dates…a lasting love…marriage and then the birth of their son Eli, a Ph.D in his own right - in genetics.
Len was a loving and devoted husband and friend. He was kind and caring, patient and unselfish. He was concerned and considerate. He was generous and responsible. He respected Eli and encouraged him to reach his potential and go beyond. He was present and interested in his son’s life, in his discoveries and in his developing character. He welcomed Eli’s wife, Sara.
Len was a sensitive and an empathetic man. He was a gentleman. He was determined to leave a legacy of literary works behind and he did. He was reserved yet possessed a wry sense of humor. He was modest. He was humble. He was helpful. He was a dedicated teacher.
Len loved writing and editing his books. He appreciated art, especially pen and ink renderings. He played squash, enjoyed swimming and planted a garden growing tomatoes and peppers.
And now, Leonard Moss enters the Great Shalom. He is at peace. He is at ease. He rests the rest eternal. The Mystery Profound reached out, gathered him and placed him among the righteous.
Be blessed, Len. Be blessed for loving, for your passion for life and the literature life produced. Be blessed for kindling so many lamps of learning, for sparking so much interest in humanity’s use of language. Be blessed for all the good you did and for every act of loving kindness that lifted another. Be blessed for planting so many seeds, seeds that bore fruit. Be blessed.
Shalom Len, Shalom. Shalom forever and ever.
jbl
[email protected]
Cell: 415 272-1607
Back to Burial Ceremony
Last created: 6/3/2020
Len enters eternity surrounded by the love that flows from us to him. He enters the Great Shalom accompanied by the letters of the alphabet that he selected with great care to describe the uses of language and the thoughts that took form and shape in his active mind. He enters the Olam Haba, the World to Come, welcomed by those who used language to tell stories to amplify the human condition, to entertain and to enchant the reader. He enters what ever eternity is accompanied by the hearts and souls of those who hold his place within memory as sacred. We will all miss this lovely, talented and brave man.
Leonard was a professor of the Socratic style. Ask class a question and sit back and watch the ideas pour forth. Guide with the lightest touch. Create curiosity. Enable discovery. Show his graduate students the thrill of the adventure of a deep dive into the letters. From the letters through the creative and imaginative skills of the users so often came the sublime, the beautiful, the classics works of ever lasting memory.
Len was born in Paterson, New Jersey 88 years ago. His father sold men’s furnishings in a department store. Len grew up with his sister Toby and when his Mother remarried he lived with brother Larry and sister Bernice. After high school, he attended several universities, Oklahoma, Indiana and California on his way to a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. He was elevated to Professor and taught at SUNY, at the Geneseo campus.
He was a Fulbright visiting professor three times, once in Athens, Greece where he headed the department and spent 1985-1987 and 1993-1994 in Beijing. It was there that he was introduced to another university instructor, Shaoping. A few dates…a lasting love…marriage and then the birth of their son Eli, a Ph.D in his own right - in genetics.
Len was a loving and devoted husband and friend. He was kind and caring, patient and unselfish. He was concerned and considerate. He was generous and responsible. He respected Eli and encouraged him to reach his potential and go beyond. He was present and interested in his son’s life, in his discoveries and in his developing character. He welcomed Eli’s wife, Sara.
Len was a sensitive and an empathetic man. He was a gentleman. He was determined to leave a legacy of literary works behind and he did. He was reserved yet possessed a wry sense of humor. He was modest. He was humble. He was helpful. He was a dedicated teacher.
Len loved writing and editing his books. He appreciated art, especially pen and ink renderings. He played squash, enjoyed swimming and planted a garden growing tomatoes and peppers.
And now, Leonard Moss enters the Great Shalom. He is at peace. He is at ease. He rests the rest eternal. The Mystery Profound reached out, gathered him and placed him among the righteous.
Be blessed, Len. Be blessed for loving, for your passion for life and the literature life produced. Be blessed for kindling so many lamps of learning, for sparking so much interest in humanity’s use of language. Be blessed for all the good you did and for every act of loving kindness that lifted another. Be blessed for planting so many seeds, seeds that bore fruit. Be blessed.
Shalom Len, Shalom. Shalom forever and ever.
jbl
[email protected]
Cell: 415 272-1607
Back to Burial Ceremony
Last created: 6/3/2020
