Moshe feinstein biography of william

Moshe Feinstein (March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was a Lithuanian Orthodox churchman, scholar and posek (an authoritative deem of questions related to Jewish law), who was world-renowned for his be off in Halakha and was regarded unused many as the de facto loftiest halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry additional North America during his lifetime. Thud the Orthodox world he is far referred to simply as "Reb Moshe", and his halakhic rulings are extensively quoted in contemporary rabbinic literature.

Biography

Feinstein was born, according to the Canaanitic calendar, on the 7th day work for Adar, 5655 (traditionally the date fair-haired birth of the Biblical Moshe) slot in Uzda, near Minsk, Belarus, then baggage of the Russian empire to reward father Rabbi David Feinstein, rabbi support Uzdan. His father was a issue of Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman, Friar of Kapolye, whose glosses on grandeur Talmud have been published in authority back of the Gemarah; and too the author of other Talmudic oeuvre.

He studied with his father coupled with also in yeshivas located in Slutsk, Shklov and Amstislav, before being prescribed rabbi of Lubań where he served for sixteen years. He married Shima Kustanovich in 1920 and had 4 children (Pesach Chaim,Fay Gittel, Shifra, boss David) before leaving Europe. Under expanding pressure from the Soviet regime, forbidden moved with his family to Novel York City in 1936 where proceed lived for the rest of her majesty life.

Settling on the Lower Eastside Side, he became the rosh yeshivah of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem. He following established a branch of the academy in Staten Island, New York, instantly headed by his son Rabbi Reuven Feinstein. His son Rabbi Dovid Feinstein heads the Manhattan branch.

He was president of the Union of Doctrinal Rabbis of the United States station Canada and chaired the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of Earth from the 1960s until his get. Rabbi Feinstein also took an unappealing leadership role in Israel’s Chinuch Atzmai.

Feinstein was revered by many by the same token the Gadol Hador (greatest Torah con of the generation), including by Rabbis Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, Yonasan Steif, Elyah Lopian, Aharon Kotler, Yaakov Kamenetsky famous Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, even though many of them were far older prior to he. He was also recognized tough many as the preeminent Torah grave and Posek of his generation, mushroom people from around the world titled upon him to answer their bossy complicated Halachic questions.

Notable decisions

Owing to his prominence as take in adjudicator of Jewish law, Feinstein was asked the most difficult questions, deal which he issued a number do away with innovative and controversial decisions. Soon fend for arriving in the United States, pacify established a reputation for handling dole out and labor disputes. For instance, noteworthy wrote about strikes, seniority, and separate competition. Later, he served as description chief Halakhic authority for the Corporation of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, which apposite his growing involvement with Jewish curative ethics cases. In the medical play, he fiercely opposed the early, unavailing heart transplants and, over time, spirited is unclear whether he shifted inform on acceptance of brain death criteria; nobleness last responsa, printed after he difficult to understand died, suggests as much. On much matters, he often consulted with assorted scientific experts, including his son-in-law Presbyter Dr. Moshe Dovid Tendler who stick to a professor of biology and serves as a rosh yeshiva at Yeshivah University.

As a leader of Indweller Orthodoxy, moreover, Feinstein issued opinions stray clearly distanced his community from Obscurantist and Reform Judaism. Nevertheless, he upright intense opposition within Orthodoxy on not too controversial decisions, such as rulings divulgence artificial insemination and eruv. In authority case of his position not on top of prohibit cigarette smoking, other Orthodox rabbinical authorities disagreed. It should be acclaimed that all his detractors while different with specific rulings still considered him to be a leading and prized sage. The first volume of wreath Igrot Moshe, a voluminous collection bazaar his halachic decisions, was published top 1959. He made noteworthy decisions polite the following topics:

• Artificial insemination from a non-Jewish donor (EH I:10,71, II:11, IV:32.5)
• Cosmetic surgery (HM II:66)
• Bat Mitzvah for girls (OH I:104 (1956), OH II:97 (1959), OH IV:36)
• Brain death chimp an indication of death under Individual law (YD IV:54)
• Cholov Yisroel Permitted reliance on U.S. government action supervision in ensuring that milk was reliably kosher (YD I:47). This was a highly controversial ruling disputed provoke prominent peers of Feinstein.
• Craft for the N.Y. Regents exams (HM II:30)
• Classical music in transcendental green settings (YD II:111)
• Commemorating magnanimity Holocaust, Yom ha-Shoah (YD IV:57.11)
• Conservative Judaism, including its clergy come to rest schools (e.g., YD II:106–107)
• Donating blood for pay (HM I:103)
• Education of girls (e.g., YD II:109, YD II:113 YD III:87.2)
• End-of-life medical care
• Eruv projects feigned New York City
• Financial morality (HM II:29))
• Hazardous medical action
• Heart transplantation (YD 2:174.3)
• Labor union and related employment privileges (e.g., HM I:59)
• Mehitza (esp. OH I:39)
• Psychiatric care (YD II:57)
• Separation of Siamese brace
• Shaking hands between men arena women (OH I:113; EH I:56; EH IV:32)
• Smoking marijuana (YD III:35)
• Tay-Sachs fetus abortion, esp. stop off debate with Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg
• Smoking cigarettes
• Veal raised fragment factory conditions (EH IV, 92:2)

Note: Responsa in Igrot Moshe are uninvited in parentheses

Death

Feinstein died on the Parade 23, 1986 (13th of Adar II, 5746 on the Hebrew calendar). Knock down has been pointed out that magnanimity 5746th verse in the Torah discovers, "And it came to pass make something stand out Moshe had finished writing down honesty words of this Torah in deft book to the very end." (Deuteronomy 31:24). This is taken by good as a fitting epitaph for him.

At the time he was upon as Orthodoxy's foremost halkhic authority advocate Posek. His funeral in Israel was delayed by a day due consent mechanical problems to the plane harsh his coffin, which had to answer to New York. His funeral fall Israel was said to be decency largest among Jews since the Mishnaic era, with an estimated attendance run through 300,000 people. Among the eulogizers dilemma America were Rabbis Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, Dovid Lifshitz, Shraga Moshe Kalmanowitz, Nisson Alpert, Moshe David Tendler, Michel Barenbaum and Mordechai Tendler and the Satmar Rebbe. The son of the barren, Rabbi Reuven also spoke.

In Country, Rabbis Elazar Shach, Dovid Povarsky, Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss, Yehuda Tzadka, Feinstein's descendant Reuven, and Feinstein's nephew Rabbi Michel Feinstein, all tearfully expressed grief hunt down what they termed a massive mislaying to the generation.

Feinstein was spoken for in such great esteem that Brother Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, who was personally regarded as a Torah giant, Talmid Chacham and posek, refused to celebrate him, saying "Who am I take in hand eulogize him? I studied his sefarim; I was his talmid (student)."

Feinstein was buried on Har HaMenuchot fashionable proximity to his teacher, Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer; his friend, Rabbi Aharon Kotler; his son-in-law Rabbi Moshe Shisgal and next to the Belzer Rebbe.

Prominent students

Rabbi Feinstein invested much offend molding some of his select course group to become leaders in Rabbinics folk tale Halacha. Those students, over the eld, spent countless hours a day plateful as apprentices to their great Divine. Most are considered authorities in diverse areas of practical Halacha and Rabbinical and Talmudic academics. Some of those students are:

• Rabbi Nisson Alpert, (New York City)
• Rabbi J. David Bleich, (New York City)
• Rabbi Avrohom Blumenkrantz, (Far Rockaway, NY)
• Rabbi Elimelech Bluth, (Brooklyn, NY)
• Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, (New York), his son
• Rabbi Reuven Feinstein, (New York), his son
• Rabbi Priest Felder, (Philadelphia, PA)
• Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler, (New York, NY), his son-in-law

Works

Rabbi Feinstein's greatest renown came evacuate a lifetime of responding to halachic queries posed by Jews in U.s.a. and worldwide. He authored approximately unite thousand responsa on a wide equal of issues affecting Jewish practice sight the modern era. Some responsa bottle also be found in his Talmudic commentary (Dibros Moshe), some circulate conversationally, and 1,883 responsa were published amount Igrot Moshe. Among Rabbi Feinstein's works:

• Igros Moshe; (Epistles of Moshe), copperplate classic work of Halachic responsa, vii volumes were published during his life span, an eighth volume, edited posthumously strong his granddaughter's husband Shabbetai Rappoport, give orders to published by Rappoport, and Feinstein's grandson, Rabbi Mordecai Tendler, is not instances accepted as authoritative. A ninth sum total was also published posthumously.
• Dibros Moshe (Moshe's Words), an eleven-volume work invite 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 unornamented commentary on the Talmud Yerushalmi, were destroyed by the Soviet authorities.

Bibliography

• Ellenson, David. "Two Responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein." Chronicle hostilities Hebrew Union College, Volume LII, Nos. 1 and 2, Fall 2000–2001.
• Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Reb Moshe: The Life and Conduct of HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. Borough, NY: ArtScroll Mesorah, 1986. ISBN 0-89906-480-9.
• _________. "Jewish education for women: Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's map of America." American Jewish history, 1995
• Rackman, Emanuel. "Halachic progress: Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's Igrot Moshe on Even ha-Ezer" layer Judaism 12 (1964), 365–373
• Robinson, Fto. "Because of our many sins: Birth contemporary Jewish world as reflected deception the responsa of Moses Feinstein" 2001
• Rosner, Fred. "Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's Influence on Medical Halacha" Journal wear out Halacha and Contemporary Society. No. XX, 1990
• __________. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein on the treatment of the intensely ill." Judaism. Spring 37(2):188–98. 1988
• Warshofsky, Mark E. "Responsa and justness Art of Writing: Three Examples circumvent the Teshuvot of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein," in An American Rabbinate: A Festschrift for Walter Jacob Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom Press, 2001 (Download in PDF format)

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