Miami has lost an outspoken lawyer-public citizen. This past December, my friend and colleague Richard Sharpstein died by his own hand. If you knew Richard you knew he was part criminal lawyer, part social commentator and all showman.
I attended his funeral at Temple Beth Sholom on Miami Beach. The rabbis didn’t fatuously intone religious cliches or excuses. While they expressed dismay over Richard’s death, they didn’t try to sugar coat it. Rabbi Glickstein said this was not the day to ask why—it is a day to ask how. How Richard led his life. “How” is my theme as well.
