Moshe Feinstein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moshe Feinstein (1895 - 1986) was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi and scholar, who was world renowned for his expertise in halakha and was the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Feinstein was born, according to the Hebrew calendar, on the 7th day of Adar, 5655 (traditionally the date of birth of the Biblical Moshe) in Uzda, near Minsk, Belarus, then part of the Russian empire.
The son of Rabbi David Feinstein, rabbi of Uzdan; Moshe studied with his father and also in yeshivas in Slutsk, Shklov and Amstislav before being appointed rabbi of Lubań, where he served for sixteen years. Under increasing pressure from the Soviet regime, he and his family moved to New York City in 1936 where he lived for the remainder of his life.
Settling on the Lower East Side, he became the rosh yeshiva of Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem. He later established a branch of the yeshiva in Staten Island, New York, now headed by his son Rabbi Reuven Feinstein. Moshe's son Rabbi David Feinstein heads the Manhattan branch.
He was president of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada and chaired the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America from the 1960s until his death. Feinstein also took an active leadership role in Israel’s Chinuch Atzmai.
Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky ("the Steipler"), Rabbi Yonasan Steif, Rabbi Elyah Lopian, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky and Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv all revered Feinstein and declared him to be the Godol Hador (greatest Torah sage of the generation), although many of them were far older than he. He was universally recognized as the preeminent sage of his generation, and people from around the world called upon him to answer their most complicated halachic questions.
Feinstein participated in the Rabbis' march on Washington on October 6, 1943.
[edit] Death
Feinstein died on the 23 March 1986 (13th of Adar II, 5746 on the Hebrew calendar). It has been pointed out that the 5746th verse in the Torah reads, "And it came to pass after Moshe had finished writing down the words of this Torah in a book to the very end." (Deuteronomy 31:24). This is taken by some as a fitting epitaph for him.
At the time he was regarded as Orthodoxy's foremost rabbinic scholar and halachic decisor. His funeral in Israel was said to be the largest among Jews since the Mishnaic era, with an estimated attendance of 300,000 people. Among the eulogizers in America were Rabbis Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, David Lipschutz, Shraga Moshe Kalmanowitz, Nissan Alpert, Moshe David Tendler, Michel Barenbaum and Mordechai Tendler. The Satmar Rebbe and Rabbi Feinstein's son Rabbi Reuven also spoke.
In Israel, Rabbis Eliezer Menachem Shach, Dovid Povarsky, Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss, Yehuda Tzadkah, Feinstein's son Rabbi Reuven and his nephew Rabbi Michel Feinstein, all tearfully expressed grief over what they termed a massive loss to the generation.
Feinstein was held in such great esteem that Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, himself regarded as a Torah giant, Talmid Chacham and Posek, refused to eulogize him, saying "Who am I to eulogize him? I studied his sefarim; I was his talmid (student)."
Feinstein was buried on Har HaMenuchot near his teacher, Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer; his friend, Rabbi Aharon Kotler; his son-in-law Rabbi Moshe Shisgal and in proximity to the Belzer Rebbe.
[edit] Disciples
Unlike many others of his generation Feinstein invested much time molding some of his select students to become leaders in Rabbinics and Halacha. Those students over the years spent countless hours a day, serving as apprentices to the great Rabbi. Most are considered authorities in many areas of practical Halacha and Rabbinic and Talmudic academics. Some are:
- Rabbi David Feinstein of New York, his son and foremost disciple
- Rabbi Efraim Greenblatt of Memphis, TN
- Rabbi Joseph Rottenberg of Baltimore, MD
- Rabbi Aaron Felder of Philadelphia, PA
- Rabbi Elimelech Bluth of Brooklyn, NY
- Rabbi Chaim Ganzsweig of Los Angeles, CA and New York
- Rabbi Mordechai Tendler of New Hempstead, NY
- The late Rabbi Nissan Alpert of New York
- The late Rabbi Avrohom Blumenkrantz of Far Rockaway, New York
[edit] Works
Feinstein's greatest renown stemmed from a lifetime of responding to religious questions posed by Jews in America and worldwide. He wrote thousands of responsa on a huge range of issues that affect Jewish practice in modern life. Among Rabbi Feinstein's works:
- Igros Moshe; (Epistles of Moshe), a classic eight-volume work of &halakhic; responsa;
- Dibros Moshe (Moshe's Words), an eleven-volume work of Talmudic novellae;
- Darash Moshe (Moshe Expounds, a reference to Leviticus 10:16), novellae on the Torah (published posthumously).
Some of Feinstein's early works, including a commentary on the Talmud Yerushalmi, were destroyed by the Soviet authorities.
[edit] References
- Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Reb Moshe: The Life and Ideals of HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. Brooklyn, NY: ArtScroll Mesorah, 1986. ISBN 0-89906-480-9.
- ou.org - Rav Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986)
- Igros Moshe is available for free online at hebrewbooks.org. Type אגרות משה into the sefer box for pdfs of all eight volumes.
