Amir Lopatin, who tragically was taken from us one year ago, on March 25, 2004, was a most memorable person. To a great extent, I feel, this was because he embodied so many wonderful contrasts. He was a very ambitious young man with sparkling gentle eyes. He was a bright student of Sciences with a very spiritual mind. For all his vast knowledge and sophistication, he retained a marvelous childlike innocence and curiosity.
More then anything, Amir was a thinker, a seeker who in his last year, was constantly looking toward heaven. He was a large personality, outgoing, entertaining, and original. He was a great conversationalist, and could hold you spellbound for hours with ideas about our planet and its great potential.
He was loved by his family and his many friends. In our home, The Chabad House at Stanford University, he shared his warmth with others and lit the fire of compassion in many hearts. We all miss him.
Over the past year, I have often thought of those moving words, “Tzadikim be-mitatam nikraim chayim”: the righteous, even in their death, are called living, because a trace of them remains. The good they do lives after them; their influence leaves a mark on many lives. For Rachel and myself, that is true of Amir Lopatin. May his memory be an inspiration and a blessing.
-Rabbi Dov Greenberg