I’m seeing tributes for Rabbi Moshe Kahn all over Facebook, and each one is beautiful and meaningful. Rabbi Kahn impacted the Jewish world tremendously with his decades teaching Gemara and Halacha at Stern College for Women. What none of the tributes I’ve seen have touched on is his heart. In March 1996 I was enrolled in Rabbi Kahn’s class about the laws relating to hair covering by married women. I was a newlywed, married just 13 months at the time. One day, the day of the midterm, I walked into class with red, puffy eyes. I asked Rabbi Kahn if I could give him a name of someone who needed his prayers. He answered, “Of course!” and immediately took out a pen. I gave him my husband’s Hebrew name. When he asked for whom he would be praying, I told him that it was my husband, and he’d just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He looked me right in the eye and asked me if I was OK. He saw my red, puffy eyes and said, “You’re not taking the midterm today. You’ll take it another time. Don’t worry about this right now. Take care of yourself.” It’s been 27 years since then, and I still remember and appreciate his kindness and caring.

Rabbi Kahn, you made more of an impact that you’ll ever know. Thank you for teaching, for your high standards, for your kindness, for your caring, for your heart. יהי זכרו ברוך. May his memory be a blessing.