Not in five seconds, five minutes or even five years can his many disciples and admirers absorb the magnitude of his loss. It was not Rabbi Gifter. It was Rav Gifter. The Hebrew conveys infinitely more than the English, just as he conveyed infinitely more than I or anyone shall ever be able to reduce to words.
Rare today is the teacher of Torah who has many genuine disciples.
How debased our understanding of Torah authority has become that so many associate it with genuflection or absence of critical thinking. Rav Gifter's guidance was sought not because he demanded allegiance, but because he commanded respect. Rav Gifter's persona was appreciated not because he played with other people's psyches, but because he consistently and successfully worked to straighten his own. He cut below the surface. He read beyond a person's words into his real message.