ZTz"L Rabbi Doctor David Lieber
The last time I saw Rabbi Lieber, he was hooked up to an oxygen tank. He was to have been honored, but because he was an exceptionally humble man, he refused to make the walk up to the podium to receive the honor: he did not want to make a scene by dragging his tank around.
He was a man of great erudition, and was humble in the way that only people of great learning can be. It was his vision that saw that the West Coast was to become another center for Judaism in the USA, that New York was not necessarily the last and only center for Judaism,and he saw his vision to fruition, serving as the President of the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University) for 29 years, and throughout that time, he taught and served as a guiding voice to students, and to rabbis of Los Angeles – and many more people through his work editing the Etz Chaim Chumash.
Good-bye, Rav Lieber, im yirtzeh, see you at the Great Beit Midrash.
I was blessed to get to learn Humash with Rashi from Dr. Lieber. There would be commentary so small us students would painstakingly have to read it, and he would recite it as if it was the Shema–it took us a few weeks to realize he wasn’t reading, but had the whole thing memorized.
He was a brilliant man and a warm soul; simply an exceptional scholar. Dr. Lieber was insturmental in establishing the University of Judaism, now American Jewish University. He was instrumental in establishing the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the AJU, formerly UJ.
His brilliance poured out in his teachings. As KRG mentioned, his humility was beyond belief.
His greatness will be remembered, and his teachings will not leave us.
alav ha’shalom
Rabbi Lieber was, to use a much overused phrase, a scholar and a gentleman. He was an Ohev Briyot and an Ohev Yisrael.
He showed respect to all. A person of vision, he was generous with his time, his knowledge, and his resources.
The Jewish world has lost a Gadol (a Giant).
Rabbi Lieber taught Hebrew Literature at UCLA when I was a student. I always looked forward to that class because I enjoyed the material and I loved the teacher. He was so erudite, and he was personally accessible, too. I once corresponded with him via e-mail, describing in detail an anecdote that he told, and he responded that he was glad to see that someone was listening to his lectures. I feel diminished by his stepping over the limn of the living to Olam Haba.