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44 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 He was a true osnam, a unique, towering Towering godol, whom Hashem placed in our generation to protect us. We have no way of understanding or captur- ing what we have lost. We will try, in these Greatness ~ pages, to paint a few brushstrokes from his long life, cognizant of the fact that we will barely scratch the surface. Moshe, who un- Born to Kedushah til then had Spectacular Rav Dovid was born in the year 1929 felt it neces- in the town of Luban, Russia. He was the sary to stay in oldest son of his illustrious parents, Rav Luban with the Moshe and Shima. The early beleaguered Yid- Simplicity years of his life were extremely difficult. den so that he could By the time Rav Dovid was born, the ra- tend to their spiritual bidly anti-Semitic Bolshevik government needs, came to the con- By Avrohom Birnbaum gedolim. There was so much more about of Stalin was tightening its stranglehold on clusion that if he could him that was hidden than what was re- “There are no words to describe his per- Yiddishkeit and was enacting gezeirah af- not be mechanech his chil- vealed. He lived with Hashem in a way that sonality,” said Rav , ter gezeirah in order to terrorize the people dren, he had no choice but only Hashem understood his greatness and rosh yeshivah of the , into relinquishing their observance. to leave. He felt that it was his inner essence. at the levayah. “He was simply an ‘oisnam Slowly, they cut off Rav Moshe’s par- his obligation to raise his chil- Yes, we can try to describe his gaonus, fun ah mentch,’ a totally unique and special nassah and made it nearly impossible for dren as G-d-fearing even his greatness and his mastery of all areas human being made up of so many facets. him to survive. Even worse, however, were if they would not become talmi- of Torah, as well as his profound hasma- Rav Dovid was kulo tov…” the gezeiros against chinuch. If one taught dei chachomim, and when even dah and his broad shoulders as a in There are times when the towering and Torah to one’s child, that alone was enough that became impossible, he left. halacha, a posek who ruled on matters that unique greatness of a person can be bet- of a reason to be sent to Siberia, from where Rav Dovid was about eight no one else could or would rule on. Yes, we ter described not by what one can say, but nearly no one returned years old when they left Russia. can try to describe his phenomenal humil- by what one cannot say. Rav Shmuel Ka- In the introduction to the eighth vol- Rav Dovid’s younger brother, Rav ity, which was unparalleled. Yes, we can menetsky, in his hesped for the posek ha- ume of Igros Moshe, there is a biographical Reuven, who was born after the try to describe the remarkable and dor, Rav zt”l, spoke for chesed in which he was engaged. We can barely two minutes, but from what he didn’t try to encapsulate the depth of the simplic- say, we perhaps heard more than what he ity of his emunah and the remarkable pow- and everyone else did say. er of his tefillah. Nevertheless, after all of Rav Dovid Feinstein was a complete that, the truth is that no one actually knew “oisnam fun ah mentch,” a completely sin- him. He was kulo kodesh and kulo kodesh gular individual who cannot be described l’Hashem, with so much more hidden than in the conventional way that we describe revealed.

With his brother, Rav Reuven Feinstein.

family came to America, writes in one of his seforim that when With his father, Rav . the family left Russia, they still did not have papers to enter ei- ther Eretz Yisroel or America. The family thus stopped in Riga, Latvia, which at the time was not yet under Communist rule, and waited there to procure their papers. He de- scribes how the Yid- den in Latvia were sketch of Rav Moshe. It is written there that amazed by the the government even forbade children from brilliance of taking part in the family Pesach Seder, be- the seven- cause “such an event destroys the soul of year-old the child due to terrible customs, such as Dovid. stealing the Afikoman.” They In school, three of the Feinstein chil- dren, Rav Dovid and his two sisters, were bullied by their teachers and fellow stu- dents because they had the dubious status of being children of the . The situation became so untenable that Rav With Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky.

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 45 would start a posuk and he would finish it. ing towards the back of the bais medrash, I came and brought the rebbetzin bread. I He was able to rattle off pesukim by heart. in front of a pillar, where he was largely went towards Rav Moshe’s room to see if This was despite the fact that his father had hidden from view. anyone was there. As I got close to the door, not taught him the pesukim, because doing Reb Aryeh Don Greher, Rav Dovid’s I heard a heated conversation. Apparently, so would have almost certainly meant a nephew, recalls coming to learn in the ye- Rav Moshe was preparing the next volume death sentence. How did Rav Dovid know in 1959. “Rav Dovid was my maggid of Igros Moshe on Even Ha’ezer for print, the pesukim? When his father was learning . He was so humble. He didn’t deliver and a question arose as to whether he should in the next room, the young Dovid would the shiur in the bais medrash, not even in print a follow-up teshuvah defending what listen to him learning and would remember the library, but rather on the top floor. I was considered a controversial p’sak at that the pesukim just from listening. would often notice that he would say the time. Some people in the room, with raised While in Riga, Rav Moshe was offered when he wasn’t even looking in voices, were trying to urge Rav Moshe to a rabbinic position in Latvia, but he turned the Gemara. He knew it all by heart. print that teshuvah. I felt that I should go it down. He explained that the main reason Rav Moshe knew the greatness of his tell Rav Dovid what was happening. I went he had left Russia was for the chinuch of son, Rav Dovid. In his sefer, Igros Moshe to him and told him. Later, he came to Rav his children and he was afraid that Latvia (Gittin, Part 3), he writes a sevarah and Moshe and, with total bittul and humility, was too close to Russia, a fear that was adds, “My son, Hagaon Harav Dovid, said, ‘Tatteh, I will not scream at you, but I proven all too correct when, a few years also agrees to this sevarah.” On other oc- hold that you suffered enough with regard later, during World War II, the communists casions, Rav Moshe would say, “My son, to that teshuvah. I also spoke it over with swallowed up Latvia, making it part of the Dovid, knows .” the [Rav Michel Barenbaum] . Rav Dovid’s close talmid, Rav Boruch and he agreed as well…’ Not long after Rav Moshe arrived in Moskowitz, author of the seforim Vedibarta “I was amazed at the neimus and humil- the , he was appointed rosh Bom, which contain many of Rav Dovid’s ity that he displayed even when he felt the yeshivah of Tiferes Yerushalayim halachic rulings and the rationales behind need to voice his concern…” (MTJ) on the . His young them, related, “I once asked the rosh yeshi- son, Dovid, entered the portals of MTJ as vah about a certain sevarah if it was his se- Profound Hasmadah – an elementary school talmid…and basi- varah or his father’s. Rav Dovid answered, a Giant in Torah cally never left. He remained in MTJ for ‘I don’t know, because whatever I have is Many years ago, Rav Moshe Feinstein bais medrash, and then, after his marriage, from my father.’” was walking on the streets of the Lower he continued in and was later ap- Indeed, the profundity of the loss of Rav East Side with Rav Tuvia Goldstein, rosh pointed maggid shiur by his father. Upon Dovid is also the fact that we lost a talmid yeshivah of Yeshiva Emek Halacha. Dur- Rav Moshe’s passing in 1986, he became muvhak of Rav Moshe, Rav Moshe’s To- ing the course of their conversation, he told rosh yeshivah. rah, and Rav Moshe’s sevaros. Rav Tuvia, “You should know that my son, He never left MTJ or the Lower East Rav , who grew Rav Dovid, knows the entire Shas with Ris- Side…and MTJ and the Lower East Side up on the Lower East Side, remembers honim!” never left him. He remained the same Rav from his early youth how Rav Dovid was When Rav Moshe said this, he was re- Dovid, with his simplicity hiding his great- constantly learning with profound hasma- ferring to Shas with the hasagah of Rav ness. dah. He recalls Rav Dovid’s tremendous Moshe Feinstein. In 1952, Rav Dovid married Rebbetzin humility and the bittul that he displayed Another story: Rav Dovid once went Malka, a daughter of Rav Chaim Dov for Rav Moshe, even though they spent so to Yeshiva of Staten Island for Shabbos. A Greenberg, a prominent talmid of Rav much time together learning and talking in ninth grade boy there who was a bit temi- . The rebbetzin was learning. musdik went over to Rav Dovid’s brother, one of the first talmidos of Rebbetzin Vi- “When I was a young bochur, there the rosh yeshivah, Rav Reuven, and asked chna Kaplan’s . were times when I would go to the store to him, “Is that which people say that Rav As long as his father was alive, Rav buy groceries for the rebbetzin. My ‘pay- Dovid has learned Shas one hundred times Dovid remained almost entirely in the back’ for this was that when I brought the true?” background. Anyone who remembers those food to the house, if Rav Moshe was there Rav Reuven answered, “I don’t know! years recalls how Rav Dovid refused to sit and no one was speaking with him, I was Let’s ask him.” up front and was more comfortable daven- able to go in and speak to him. One day, Rav Reuven then asked, “Dovid, is it

46 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 Memories of the from a ChoSsid As told to his daughter-in-, C.B. Weinfeld For decades, Weinfeld’s Skullcaps, a idea if the two were connected. prominent Judaica and personalized yarmulke Despite the Rosh Yeshiva’s humility, store (today based in Boro Park) was located he never shied away from issuing powerful in a humble storefront on 19 Essex Street in p’sokim on a broad range of issues. At one the Lower East Side, just blocks from Mesiv- point I asked a complicated shailah, to which ta Tiferes Yerushalayim. Rav Dovid firmly replied, “men darf ah pos- Over the past 30 years, storeowner Rav eik.” When I replied that the Rosh Yeshiva Leibish Weinfeld, a talmid chochom and be- was a world-renowned poseik he humbly loved public speaker, had many opportuni- insisted, “Ich bin nit der poseik acharon.” I ties to ask shailos of the rosh yeshiva—with am not the final poseik. “Who is the poseik whom he forged a close connection—and ob- acharon?” I persisted, and the Rosh Yeshiva serve his conduct. replied, with utter simplicity, “Rav Elyashiv.” What Rav Leibish recalls, aside from On another occasion, he mentioned a p’sak the rosh yeshiva’s brilliance, erudition, and that differed from that of the poseik acharon. photographic memory, was his sterling mid- He had broad shoulders, despite his humility. dos. In fact, 17 years ago, upon the tragic and The ‘poseik acharon’ and the Rosh Ye- untimely petirah of my mother-in-law, Mrs. shiva had a close connection. Years ago, Rav Rivka Faiga Weinfeld, the rosh yeshiva paid a Elyashiv sent two messengers to ask Rav personal condolence visit to my father-in-law Dovid to try and use his connections with at his store, a heartwarming and much appre- influential senators in order to pass the “get ciated gesture. law.” Ultimately, thanks to the Rosh Yeshi- va’s involvement, the law was passed by the Rav Leibish recalls: State Court of Appeals on Febru- I have merited to ask the rosh yeshiva ary 5, 1983. According to the court, a mar- scores of shailos over the years, ranging from riage contract, or kesubah is recognized as a complicated kushyos in the sevorah to shailos binding civil contract and may be enforced by involving wide-ranging aspects of halacha. state courts. This was a milestone achieve- It is known that the rosh yeshiva was blessed ment for the Torah world. with a photographic memory, and I witnessed Rav Dovid was machmir that bochurim this each time. As soon as I asked the ques- and men shouldn’t use a professional shaver tion, the daf was open in his mind, down to with a razor blade to shave their sideburns the page number and paragraph, and the rosh and encouraged the use of the kosher shaver. yeshiva would issue a comprehensive teshu- Many yungeleit made the decision to grow vah on the spot. their due to Rav Dovid’s example. Although the rosh yeshiva spent his days A young chassidishe boy was once at in the yeshiva, learning with geshmak like a the Pirchei on East Broadway and saw a bochur, and he also carried the weight of the chocolate in the vending machine that had a yeshiva on his shoulders, he never seemed to hechsher which was cholov stam. The child be in a rush. I never saw any hint of tension approached Rav Dovid and mentioned that in the rosh yeshiva’s appearance and manner- it bothered him—why did the machine sell isms, regardless of his pressing concerns. chocolates he couldn’t eat? The rosh yeshiva The rosh yeshiva didn’t wear a frock—he listened intently without saying a word. The didn’t consider himself worthy. Kavod was following week, the chocolate bar was re- not abhorrent—it was meaningless to him, moved! not even something that merited consider- The renowned kosher Gertel’s Bakery of ation. He was a man of few words who didn’t the Lower East Side was a fixture of the com- engage in idle talk. Yet if someone stopped munity for many years. In its heyday, there him on the street, even if it was a young child, were lines of customers snaking around the the rosh yeshiva would have all the time in the block. Today, Gertel’s is no longer in exis- world to listen. I would often watch him pass- tence, but some years ago, it was bought by a ing my store, and marvel at how he would chassidishe yungerman. One morning, bend down to listen to people with such com- the owner prepared to close the store because passion and composure. Nothing else mat- his father was just niftar and he needed to go tered at the moment, but the person he was to the levayah. When Rav Dovid, who was speaking to. passing, saw him closing the store, he insisted The best way to reach the rosh yeshiva, it stay open so that Yidden would be able to aside from stopping him on the street, was to buy challahs for the Purim seudah. The rosh call the public phone at MTJ and ask to speak yeshiva advised that he sell it to someone else with him. Within moments, the rosh yeshiva during the shivah, so as not to deprive the lo- would be on the line, listening as if he had cals of their bread. all day to spare. He treated everyone, from a “It will take some time to arrange,” said prominent posek to a small child, with equal the owner. “I need to go to the levayah and respect. my manager won’t come for a while.” Although the rosh yeshiva lived simply The rosh yeshiva urged the man to leave, in a small apartment and needed nothing for and took over the store, minding it for several himself, he somehow had the ability to raise hours on Purim morning. Such was his sense large sums for tzedokah. He rarely mentioned of achrayus for the local community! his charitable activities, and few knew about Every so often, Rav Dovid would take their scope. A talmid chochom who lived in off a few hours and walk over to Goldman’s the neighborhood told me that Rav Dovid Judaica, a seforim store owned by his friend, gave him $15,000 toward each of his chil- Reb Yosef (Jack) Goldman. Rav Dovid would dren’s weddings! go to the back of the store where he would sit He famously was involved in raising the down with a Tehillim for several hours, grate- funds to repair the community mikvah in the ful for the block of undisturbed time. Lower East Side, restoring three large bo- Weinfeld’s Skullcaps moved away from ros. Shortly thereafter, Rav Dovid’s son and the Lower East Side over a decade ago, but daughter-in-law, who were married for sev- the warm memories of the time I spent talking eral years without children, were blessed with in learning with the rosh yeshiva, as well as triplets—two girls and a boy! I asked the rosh his sweet smile and endless reserves of pa- yeshiva about the story, and with a smile, he tience, shall remain with me forever. didn’t deny it, though he insisted he had no Yehi zichro boruch.

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 47 Couched in Pashtus By Rav Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst Like all of Klal Yisroel, I am devas- tated. As many of the maspidim at the levayah said with tearful eyes, we are not capable of evaluating who Rav Dovid was. My rebbi, Rav zt”l, actually said that “no true talmid can evaluate his rebbi” (Sefer Hazikaron). I, for one, am in awe of Rav Dovid’s gaonus, tzidkus and middos to the point of being incapable of adding anything to what was said in the hespeidim. I would just like to add a few sentences of de- scription of what I saw, heard and was affected by over many years. On several occasions, I had the zechus of bringing baalei batim from my shul able with his usual few but well-chosen and neighborhood to discuss communal words. This was the effect he had on ev- issues with Rav Dovid. These included eryone, because Rav Dovid did and said such disparate halachos and hashkafic only that which people needed to hear. issues as Hatzolah, shul security, mikvah Every word was carefully chosen, so protocols and more. The rosh yeshiva’s that each sentence, often just individual knowledge of the halacha and practical words, was a mussar shmuess of linguis- and technological issues was astounding. tic chesed. But even more astounding was the man- Rav Dovid’s published Torah, such ner in which he responded. It was with as his shiurim, are like his per- respect toward his interlocutors, patience sonality. Couched in seeming pashtus with those who didn’t understand the re- – the ultimate simplicity – they belie a sponses, and often prescience about what profound depth that always requires fur- the issues “really” were. All of this was ther analysis. All of us who visited his of- done with humility, his sweet smile, and fice were entranced by the candy dish on yet the full authority of a world-class his desk. But like everything else about posek. him, it was a vehicle for chesed and I had the special zechus of speaking making talmidim – children and adults several times at an annual fundraiser – feel comfortable and right at home for a kollel that Rav Dovid founded in with him. I must confess that many years memory of his beloved son, Rav Shmuel ago I stopped calling him in yeshiva for zt”l. Since I had the kavod of knowing a while when I found out that the num- Shmuzi, as he was lovingly called by all, ber I had been given rang in one of the I took the liberty of speaking about his phone booths. Nothing was beneath him, middos and impact upon my talmidim although he himself was above it all. when I was the menahel of R.J.J. in Stat- Chaval al d’avdin. We surely en Island, where he was learning by his do not yet understand what we have lost. uncle, Rav Reuven. I was at first nervous We can only try our best to emulate the speaking about Rav Dovid’s son in front little that we know. May he be a meilitz true that you finished Shas one hundred When he said the p’sak, it sounded so sim- of him, but he made me totally comfort- yosher for us all. times?” ple – yes, no, muttar, assur - but behind that Put on the spot and being an ish emes, ‘simple’ p’sak stood the entire sugya, with Rav Dovid replied simply, “Yes.” all of the applicable Shas and … One of the difficulties in writing about “There were times,” Rav Moskowitz Rav Dovid is the fact that his hasmadah continued, “when I tried to ascertain how and greatness in Torah were, in some way, many times he had reviewed a certain su- concealed by his humility and chesed. gya. He learned one masechta after an- He was a phenomenal masmid with un- other, reviewing each one. It wasn’t just believable powers of concentration. At the superficial learning or chazarah of what same time, he had absolutely zero desire to he had learned in the past. Every time he show what he knew. In fact, often, when approached a Gemara anew, it was with he would be giving a shiur or rendering a such amkus, such depth. He was constantly p’sak halacha, his Torah knowledge at the writing his he’aros in his notebooks. His highest levels of iyun were masked by the conduct was reminiscent of an incident simplicity with which he spoke or rendered that is said about Rav Chaim of Volozhin. With the author. a p’sak. After learning and reviewing Seder Moed Rav Boruch Moskowitz merited speak- fourteen times, he asked his rebbi, the Vilna ing with Rav Dovid on an almost daily basis Gaon, how many times he should review. since 1994. Rav Moskowitz relates, “I had The Gaon answered, ‘There is no end to gedolim recognized his greatness. There is the towers!’ the zechus to speak with the rosh yeshivah chazarah!’ That is what we saw with the a letter written by Rav Yosef Shalom Elyas- “Rav Dovid looked up for a split sec- b’iyun in halacha on a regular basis. I tried rosh yeshivah. There was no end to his hiv to Rav Dovid wherein Rav Elyashiv ond and immediately returned to the sugya. not to discuss the topics until I had learned chazarah. His learning of Torah was con- called him “pe’er hador.” Then he left and I ran to the bais medrash. the entire sugya with great iyun, review- stant, always new and always with a chid- Rav Dovid’s power of concentration In the bais medrash, we immediately began ing the Rishonim and on the dush and a deeper understanding. That is in learning was extraordinary. Rav Mos- to recite Tehillim. We realized that there sugya, including poskim such as the Noda why the Maharsha says in Maseches Shab- kowitz shares a fascinating story: “In the were thousands of people trapped inside B’Yehudah, Rav Akiva Eiger, the Chazon bos (105b) that if one sheds tears upon morning after davening, I had the zechus the Twin Towers. We continued saying Te- Ish and Igros Moshe, and others. When I the passing of an adam kosher, Hashem is to speak to him in learning before he went hillim fervently and then we saw Rav Dov- would talk with the rosh yeshivah, I real- mochel his aveiros. That is true for a regu- out for breakfast. I remember that on Sep- id returning to the bais medrash. He walked ized that he had complete grasp of the intri- lar person, but for a talmid chochom, it is tember 11, 2001, 9/11, we were talking in in, took notice of us saying Tehillim, went cacies of the sugya with all of the Rishonim much more, because the loss of his Torah learning as we walked out the door of MTJ to his seat, opened his Gemara and began and Acharonim. He was ‘holding’ there as from the generation is totally irreplaceable. in Lower not long after the Twin to learn. When we saw the rosh yeshivah if he had just learned it thoroughly. When The loss of Torah that the generation has Towers had been hit. They were smoldering learning, we closed our sifrei Tehillim and he rendered a p’sak – muttar or assur – it just sustained with Rav Dovid’s passing is with smoke before they imploded. Every- opened our Gemaros. Later, I felt that I was a p’sak based on every sevarah and ev- indescribable.” one was just awestruck, staring at the sight. needed to understand his conduct. I asked ery shitah of the Rishonim and Acharonim. Despite his efforts to hide himself, great Someone told the rosh yeshivah, ‘Look at him, ‘Wasn’t the power of Tehillim re-

48 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 quired at this time?’ He re- sponded, ‘You are right! Tehillim is a tremendous zechus, but learning Torah is an even great- er zechus!’ I pressed on, “But how can someone concentrate on learning while knowing that thousands are stuck in a burn- ing building?’ Again he conceded, ‘You are ques- right! If you cannot concentrate, then it is tion. better to say Tehillim.’ He just “I recognized the gravity of his words. said his The Twin Towers fell, but the rosh yeshi- explanation, vah was totally immersed in the sugya with ‘ kele’achar all of its depth. The world was on fire! We ,’ in a way felt that the entire America was under at- that only someone tack, but the rosh yeshivah, even though he deeply involved in understood exactly what was happening, the sugya realized was able, with his power of concentration, what he was doing. to engage in the depth of a sugya and in- This was the rosh yeshi- voke the ultimate zechus for Klal Yisroel.” vah’s approach in render- Many people who were close to Rav ing p’sak as well. He would Dovid relate that when he was learning, if give the p’sak, but only a per- you didn’t actually interrupt him, he would son very well versed in hala- not know that you were there. The same cha could fully comprehend applied at home. The apartment could be the depth of the p’sak. teeming with grandchildren and all kinds “Every time he said a shiur,” of things could be happening around him, Rav Moskowitz continued, “there but Rav Dovid would not notice anything was the entire Shas and Rishonim while he was learning. The rebbetzin would that had to be reconciled as he said tell the grandchildren, “If you don’t tell it. If you weren’t looking for it, you Zaidy that you are here, he will not notice.” didn’t notice all of the chiddushim

RebbI By Micha Cohn shiva’s emunah. While some would give Every time I had the zechus to go to elaborate explanations, the rosh yeshiva Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim to spend would always say we don’t know the time with the rosh yeshiva, it began with ways of Hashem—and aveiros, we have plenty! At the same time, in the face of the same image. As I would open the door the most challenging world events such to the bais medrash before Shacharis, I as the current pandemic, the rosh yeshiva would see the rosh yeshiva sitting with With Rav . remained undaunted and unfazed. a large Gemara on his shtender, with an His approach to psak halacha was open notebook nearby. The bais medrash with the same unwavering reinkeit. The was still quiet and the rosh yeshiva would rosh yeshiva never got carried away with be sitting there learning. Every so often, one point; he always weighed the merits he would take out his Parker pen from his of each source, each sevorah, the seri- pocket and write down a he’orah as he ousness of the question involved, learned. Yisroel, the kavod of other gedolim, and As the bais medrash filled with adults many other factors. Those who knew the and children coming for Shacharis, the rosh yeshiva well knew that there was Gemara would finally close and the note- so much more behind the short answers book would be put away—but somehow, people often received. I felt that his heart never left that beloved His work with the klal was the epit- scene for the rest of the day. If I could ome of rein. The rosh yeshiva shunned pick one word that captures the beauty of the limelight, but when duty called, he that scene and perhaps the essence of the would stand up to the challenge, often rosh yeshiva, it is reinkeit, purity. in the most unexpected ways. When he With Reb Yehuda Rechnitz. The rosh yeshiva’s connection to felt he could make a difference, bring real Torah was rein. His life was a constant shalom—he would become involved. review of Bavli, Yerushalmi, Mishnayos, The Gemara in Yevamos (121a) tells Rav Moskowitz explained the rosh ye- that were inherent in his Chumash, Nach, , Mish- the story of how Rabi Akiva was ship- nah Berurah and beyond. It wasn’t a re- shivah’s unique level of learning: “Many words. That is why we must wrecked. When Raban Gamliel asked people simply didn’t understand the rosh recognize the profound view to prepare a dazzling shiur or write how he survived, he said he came upon a an impressive sefer—it was personal. A yeshivah. Even when he would deliver a loss of Torah and gadlus plank of wood from the ship. Rabi Akiva shiur, whether it was the Mishnayos shiur baTorah that left this personal avodah and dveikus to Torah, grabbed onto the plank, and with every that he delivered right after Shacharis in the world with the rosh and the more private, the better. wave that washed over him, he held on morning or the Gemara shiur that he deliv- yeshivah. The Torah The rosh yeshiva’s middos were more to the plank until he made it to shore. The ered in the afternoon, if you had not learned void that he left in than rein. He used his razor-sharp in- Gemara concludes, “From here, the cha- the sugya with great iyun before attending, this world is tre- sight to see through the glamor of kavod chomim say that if evil people come upon you would not even recognize what he was mendous.” and the pull of machlokes. When people a person, he should bow his head” and weaving into the shiur. It sounded like he tried to get him involved in a controversy allow it to pass over him. was just explaining something on a sim- Posek claiming all sorts of important reasons This was the life of the rosh yeshiva. plistic level. In truth, however, every word A s why he must do so, he rarely did. He saw Pure Torah, pure middos and pure emu- was measured. He clarified a sugya in a Rav that beyond the important reasons were nah were his plank, his anchor. He stayed way that a powerful question posed by Rav impure motives—and he would have focused to this pursuit as he rode out Akiva Eiger would be answered automati- nothing to do with that. the waves of the many tekufos he lived cally, in light of his explanation. His emunah was so rein. Over the through, through personal joy and trage- “He didn’t construct the shiur by years, as we tried to understand world dies, and through the ever-changing chal- building it up with a question from events or tragic events within the com- lenges to Klal Yisroel. Rav Akiva Eiger and then ex- munity, we were awestruck by the Hareinu kaporas mishkavo—yehi zi- plain how his chiddush strength and simplicity of the rosh ye- chro boruch. answered that

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 49 The Quiet

By Rabbi Daniel Travis The clear. I asked the rosh yeshivah what constitutes first time I in this shaalah. walked in to To my great shock, Rav David said, “If he MTJ, I noticed will be more normal as a result of the karate, then that there was a this is considered pikuach nefesh.” very dignified talmid Rav Dovid determined that providing a plat- chochom sitting at the form for someone to have a healthy, normal in- front of the bais me- teraction with the world is paramount to saving drash. He was dressed in a his life. This was one of the most important ye- very simple manner and had sodos that I have ever heard from a gadol. (Post- a short beard. I didn’t suspect script: This young man became a chosson within that this rov was anything more six months of starting his karate lessons.) than one of the hanhalah mem- bers. After the davening finished, all For a number of years, I learned b’chavrusah of the bochurim approached him to with Yuri Foreman, former middle weight box- say good morning. I realized I made ing champion of the world. One day, Yuri told me that he had been challenged about the a mistake. This “simple” talmid cho- Dovid grew older and his father and lei HaTorah once remarked that at the kashrus of his profession, and I wrote a teshuvah chom was none other than Rav Dovid the other elder poskim of the previous meetings of the Moetzes, Rav Dovid Feinstein. on this question. My conclusion was that in his generation passed away, more seri- would generally sit, listen and rarely I approached the rosh yeshivah to dis- particular case, it was permitted for him to con- ous shaalos made their way to him – say a word. He kept quiet. On the rare cuss the subject of baby wipes. He took the tinue boxing. shaalos that virtually no one else could occasions when he would give his time to explain his ruling step by step, and I spoke to a number of poskim about this or would pasken. opinion, however, his word, by default, listened carefully to the questions I asked. shaalah, and many of them felt that for numer- Mrs. Chana Yampolsky, the long- became the final word. Even those who After speaking to Rav Dovid, it was firmly ous reasons, a Jew should not be involved in this. time secretary in MTJ, who often field- would offer very strong opinions would etched in my heart what teach us that They dismissed the shaalah and were not willing ed the many calls that came from all have nothing to say. It was akin to the one of the foremost conditions for acquiring to discuss it. I was disheartened that they had not over the world – from North America, Urim Vetumim when he spoke. Torah is humility, and only those who excel in even given the time to hear what I had to say. Europe, and Eretz Yisroel – reminisced: In his humility, Rav Dovid attrib- this attribute can reach true greatness in Torah. When I was in MTJ, I took the opportunity “When international calls would come uted any siyata diShmaya that he had in My relationship with Rav Dovid was lim- to run this ruling by Rav Dovid. I mentioned to in, I would ask the questions, ‘Why are p’sak to the zechus of his father. Once, ited to the times that I traveled to the United the rosh yeshivah that his father, Rav Moshe, had you calling the rosh yeshivah? Are there many years ago, there was a bochur States. However, I feel that every encounter I ruled that it was permitted to play professional not gedolei haposkim in Eretz Yisroel?’ with a very complex personal situation had with the rosh yeshivah was very significant sports even though there was an element of dan- “More often than not, their answer relevant to the veracity of a geirus. He and made an impact on my life. involved. From my investigation, it seemed was, ‘The gedolei haposkim in Eretz was very depressed, and his maggid Being Normal is that this teshuvah was written about professional Yisroel instructed us to call Rav Dov- shiur advised him to go speak with Rav Pikuach Nefesh football, which is known to be a dangerous sport. id.’ The shaalos would come via phone, Dovid to get a clear p’sak on his status. One time, while I was in the United States, I Rav Dovid did not wave me off, but listened fax and email from the greatest pos- He went to MTJ and waited outside for was asked the following shaalah. A young man carefully to what I was saying. He thought about kim and from the simplest of people. his turn with a number of petitioners. had gotten divorced and was having trouble get- the question and replied that although it was true Rav Dovid would answer all of them. For some reason, the rosh yeshivah ting remarried. The source of his difficulty was that professional football is dangerous, he did It didn’t matter who the sho’el was. I didn’t notice him and, after staying for that he was extremely shy, and it was not easy not think that we could extrapolate from his fa- would frequently notice,” Mrs. Yam- a while, he dejectedly left and returned for him to express himself. ther’s words that boxing is also permitted, since polsky continued, “how the difficulty to his maggid shiur, saying that he felt I sent this young man to a frum psycholo- boxing is significantly more dangerous than foot- of the shaalos and the tzaros would that the rosh yeshivah had ignored him. gist, and after the appointment, the psycholo- ball. Although the rosh yeshivah did not agree take a toll on him. He was a very com- The maggid shiur, who had a relation- gist told me that he could see this young man to what I was saying, he left me with something passionate person and the tzaros really ship with Rav Dovid, called him and for 10-15 years and maybe he would change. perhaps much more important: a feeling of great affected him. asked why he hadn’t answered the bo- Alternatively, he could take karate lessons dignity and respect. Doctors would call and explain chur’s question. Rav Dovid didn’t try for 6 months, and in all likelihood, this complex medical procedures to him so to apologize nor try to shift blame. He Vedibarta Bom would help him, since this sport forces a that he could tell them what the hala- said emphatically, “I have my father’s One of the talmidei chachomim who made person to come out of his shell. cha is. In his most unassuming way, he siyata diShmaya. Cases that are not the greatest impact on my life is Rav Boruch I listened carefully to his words, would answer “muttar” or “assur,” but meant for me don’t come to me.” He Moskowitz of Kew Gardens in Queens. He was which seemed extremely logical to me. people would not realize that behind firmly held that the fact that he hadn’t meshameish Rav Dovid for about twenty years, My only question was that since karate those words was kol haTorah kulah. noticed the bochur meant that this case and during this time, he was zocheh to a daily involves a certain amount of violence, One member of the Moetzes Gedo- was not for him. chavrusahshaft with the rosh yeshivah. They perhaps it is forbidden al pi hala- worked on many areas of Shulchan Aruch, with cha. I felt that this question needed a special emphasis on clarifying the rulings of a gadol’s evaluation, so I went to Rav Moshe. speak to Rav Dovid. For many years, I urged Rav Moskowitz that Rav Dovid heard the shaalah these teshuvos had to written up and published. and replied that it was, in fact, Rav Dovid, in his great humility, rarely pub- prohibited unless it was a lished divrei Torah, and these teshuvos would be case of pikuach nefesh. At the rosh yeshivah’s legacy. Since Rav Moskow- this point, most people itz himself is very humble, he hesitated, but after would have given up, many years of persuasion, he finally acquiesced. but I have learned After much toil, Vedibarta Bom was born. that one should The sefer contains brilliantly written teshuvos, keep clarifying each one concluding with the p’sak of Rav the answer Dovid. The first volume was received warmly of a gadol by the Olam HaTorah, and a second volume until it followed. Rav Moskowitz still has many un- i s published teshuvos, and with Hashem’s help, the Olam HaTorah will be zocheh to see Vedi- barta Bom Volume 3 in print. May Rav Dovid’s petirah be a kap- porah for Klal Yisroel and help usher in the geulah soon. With Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum of Satmar and Rav Aryeh .

50 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 was once in the kollel office of MTJ look- Although in learning, the rosh yeshivah ing something up in a sefer. While I was would say his own chiddush, when it came hidden from view, a person stepped into to halacha lemaaseh, the rosh yeshivah al- the office to speak with the rosh yeshivah. ways tried to follow the direction and p’sak The rosh yeshivah gave him advice and the of the gedolei Acharonim of previous gen- person did not like the advice. The person erations. This was the purity of his emunah began yelling at the rosh yeshivah, insult- in the words of the chachomim and halacha ing him and heaping scorn on him for some that he had for previous generations. The alleged wrongdoing. I was amazed by what rosh yeshivah was a gadol baTorah, one of I was hearing and I contemplated interrupt- the greatest poskim of our times, and one of ing. I realized, however, that the rosh yeshi- the greatest examples of middos tovos and vah wasn’t responding or defending him- anavahi, which we can all learn from and self, so I should also keep quiet. As soon understand. Our obligation is to understand as the person left, I walked back in and sat and appreciate the tremendous loss Klal down to learn with the rosh yeshivah. He Yisroel has sustained with his passing.” didn’t say a word and learned with me as if Of course, on the outside, people saw nothing had happened.” that he never wore a rabbinic kapote or hat. This was an illustration of the rosh ye- He did his own shopping. He took the sub- shivah’s total control and his ability to not way and, in general, lived like “one of the be affected by the bizyonos of another. boys” in MTJ and on the Lower East Side. “Even when it came to his own p’sak He really was much happier and much halacha,” Rav Moskowitz said, “he would more comfortable away from the tumult With Rav . tell me, ‘No one has to listen to me.’ When and out of the limelight. I asked him why he doesn’t tell people Reb Aryeh Don Greher relates, “When what he holds regarding certain halachos, I look at my wedding pictures, I see, of Another foundational aspect of his ap- and said, ‘Please, write by all of these that I he would respond, ‘I am not their rebbi. course, Rav Moshe, my wife’s grandfa- proach to p’sak was adhering to the meso- said no.’ He then explained, ‘My father got They can ask a different posek.’ ther, and my shver, Rav Moshe Shisgal, rah of the poskim of the generations that married kedas ukedin and so did yours and “Even when it came to his p’sak, the rosh but there is no picture of Rav Dovid. I am preceded him. At the levayah, his son, Rav they didn’t know about these things!’” yeshivah’s humility would shine through. certain that he found himself a corner and Mordechai, pointed out that minhag and It wasn’t for nothing that Rav Chaim There were times when he learned a sugya was learning!” mesorah were very important facets of his Ganzweig, mashgiach of MTJ, said at the and would pasken one way, but if other Rav Menachem Savitz commented, “I p’sak halacha. Minhagim were sacred, and levayah that Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv poskim already reached a ruling, he would never met anyone with the pashtus that the the mesorah, how poskim and Klal Yisroel said, “Rav Dovid is the posek of America.” say, ‘The Pri Megadim already paskened,’ rosh yeshivah had. Since I had a relation- conducted themselves in past generations Humbler than Humble or, ‘The Berurah already says ship with Rav Dovid, the organizers of the regarding these halachic matters, was what what to do.’ This was even when he had Citifield asifa asked me if I could call Rav At the levayah, his grandson, Rabbi he lived by. personally come to a different conclusion. Dovid to personally invite him and tell him A few years ago, Rav Menachem Savitz Shlomo Fishelis, said that his grandfather was writing a sefer on the halachos of mar- was born during the week of Parshas Be- riage. He came to Rav Dovid with a num- haaloscha, and it is brought down that ber of shaalos. Some of the shaalos were the maftir of the week of one’s birth has relevant to certain chumros in the chupah a connection to the person. The maftir of ceremony that some are accustomed to fol- Parshas Behaaloscha is the parsha of the low. “When I asked him the first question lashon hora told about Moshe Rabbeinu. on some of the chumros,” remembered Rav Rav Dovid taught a lifelong lesson to keep Savitz, “he emphatically answered, ‘No!’ quiet and refrain from talking when it He then told me, ‘Write lo, ein nohagim wasn’t necessary. He would say, “Hashem kein – no, we don’t do that.’ made me quiet and I am quiet.” “I kept on asking him these kinds of Rav Dovid excelled in the phenomenal shaalos, and by the sixth one, I saw that he quality of anavah. was becoming agitated. He looked at me Rav Boruch Moskowitz remembers, “I

52 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 With Rav Hillel David and Rav Moshe Tuvia Lieff. that a driver would pick him up and bring lustrious rosh yeshivah, a man already in him to the asifa, where he would sit on the his 80s, began to fill up MTJ’s soda ma- dais. I was flabbergasted by his response. chine! With complete and utter simplicity, he told “Nearly tongue-tied, I began begging me, ‘I already bought a ticket.’ He bought the rosh yeshivah, ‘Please, let me do it.’ his own ticket, not even dreaming that he “With a look of wonder on his face, Rav would be invited, presented with a ticket Dovid exclaimed, ‘Why should you do it?’ and given a seat on the dais. He probably “‘The rosh yeshivah is a zakein,’ I pro- bought a ticket for himself in the bleach- tested. ‘It is not lefi chevodo (in accordance ers!’ with his honor).’ “On another occasion,” Rabbi Savitz “Rav Dovid again looked at me, inno- shared, “I was working on a sefer on the cently, uncomprehendingly. ‘Why not?’ he halachos of nesuin, marriage. I had a whole asked softly, ‘It brings the yeshiva money! host of difficult halachic questions for Rav What could be not honorable about that?’ Dovid on which I wanted his clarification “I begged Rav Dovid to please let me and his p’sak. One summer, during bein fill the machine, but Rav Dovid would not hazemanim, when the yeshiva was not in relent…and personally finished filling the session, I went down to the Lower East machine with soda. Side to try speaking to the rosh yeshivah. “Similarly, when it was time for break- I was hoping to maximize the quiet period fast,” Rav Savitz recalls, “the rosh yeshivah of time to have all my questions answered. would walk to the coffee/pizza shop on the No one was around and I had the rosh ye- corner where he generally ate breakfast. As shivah to myself. The rosh yeshivah was so we would walk into the store, I kept back, friendly and patient, listening and answer- wanting to give him privacy as he ate, but ing my questions. We spent approximately he exclaimed, ‘Please come join me,’ as if I two hours together. Then, Rav Dovid be- was his friend. I asked him, ‘Can I buy the gan walking out of the bais medrash. I fol- rosh yeshivah breakfast?’ With a smile, he lowed him. The rosh yeshivah went into the answered, ‘Many people have offered this hallway, pulled a key out of his pocket and to me, but I always say no.’ began to open…the soda machine! Before “Then, all of a sudden, the rosh yeshivah, I could register what was happening, the il- in his humility, asked me, ‘Can I have five

With Rav and Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler.

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 53 Rabbi Menachem Savitz, asking him to find with the request!” that second photographer’s phone number. Rabbi Dov Sorotzkin, his great-nephew, give you Then, Rav Dovid, who had nothing to do added, “Recently, I saw a picture of Rav a sefer in return.’ with banishing that photographer, called Dovid signing a child’s cast.” The rosh yeshivah pulled him and apologized! He would frequently say, “Besoch ami out Shel Pesach Kol During that same visit, Rav Dovid went anochi yosheves.” That was his life. Yes, he Dodi, which he had written. He in- to a different home, and the host asked if learned Shas and Shulchan Aruch and knew scribed it and gave it to me. Rav Dovid Rav Dovid would take a picture with his kol haTorah kulah, but he felt that he was then said, ‘Sorry, you are giving me much family. “Sure!” Rav Dovid agreed. When just a like everyone else. more than I can give you!’” the host asked if his wife and daughters When Rav Dovid needed something min- On a later occasion, when Rabbi Savitz could also be in the picture, Rav Dovid from his secretary, he went to her office. utes brought him a different sefer that he had didn’t even understand the question. “Of When she would ask him, “Why doesn’t the to my- published, Rav Dovid again refused to let course!” he said. rosh yeshivah call me? I will come to his of- self?’ I him leave until he had gifted him with a se- During his last trip to Lakewood not fice,” he would reply with simplicity, “Why could not fer. “He looked around, but couldn’t find long before the coronavirus pandemic should you come to me if I need something help but won- anything to give me, so he said, ‘You know broke out, one person noticed the follow- from you?” der why he felt what? The yeshiva recently had a dinner ing: “Rav Dovid was at a parlor meeting, A prominent philanthropist would get a the need to ask and put out a journal. In the back of the and a child went over to him holding a pic- call from Rav Dovid every year on 15 Av me. Of course, I journal, they published the rosh yeshivah’s ture of Rav Dovid. The child asked Rav asking him for a donation for the yeshivah. said yes…and then [Rav Moshe Feinstein’s] chiddushim on Dovid if he could autograph the picture. I The wealthy man, who was accustomed to I rubbed my eyes, not Maseches Beitzah. I worked on those chid- wanted to scream at the kid, but Rav Dovid roshei yeshivah asking him for significant believing what I was dushim.’ He pulled out a journal, inscribed just smiled and signed his name in English! sums of money, asked Rav Dovid, “How seeing. The rosh yeshi- it and gave it to me.” He obviously didn’t see anything wrong much would the rosh yeshivah like me to vah pulled out a crossword Another remarkable story: A few years puzzle and began to fill it in. ago, Rav Dovid visited Lakewood to at- Later, he explained to me, ‘It tend a parlor meeting to benefit Rav Mi- sharpens my brain…’ chel Feinstein’s yeshiva. When he went to “Eventually, when my first visit Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, there was two seforim were printed,” Rab- a certain photographer in need of parnas- bi Savitz continued, “I traveled sah who had been hired to take the pictures. to the Lower East Side to give the When they arrived at Rav Kotler’s house, rosh yeshivah a copy. He looked a different photographer tried to push his at them and thanked me, saying, way in, and one of Rav Dovid’s nephews ‘I want to pay you for the seforim.’ did not allow him entry, because he was not Obviously, I emphatically declined, the person who had been hired. Rav Dovid but Rav Dovid was undeterred. ‘If somehow found out that they had not let With Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen. you won’t let me pay, at least let me this photographer in. He sent a message to

With Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler.

With the Novominsker , Rav Shmuel With Rav Henoch Leibowitz. Kamenetsky and Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman.

With Rav Berel Povarsky, Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel and Rav Reuven Feinstein.

54 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 pasken- ing shaalos. Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen re- calls, “When I was a young bo- chur, I once went to MTJ to ask him a shaalah. He told me, ‘Please, go to my father. He is the one who knows how to pasken.” give?” Chesed Rav At the levayah, one of the most mov- Dovid ing moments was when the mashgiach of answered, MTJ, Rav Chaim Ganzweig, spoke about “My father Rav Dovid’s chesed and ahavas chesed. told me that one He said, “Do you want me to tell you that is not permitted the rosh yeshivah zt”l was a gaon? That to demand a cer- decades ago, his father, the rosh yeshivah, tain sum of money.” Rav Moshe, said that he ‘knows Shas’ The man rephrased the - Rav Moshe’s understanding of Shas? question, saying, “But Do you want me to tell you that he was a what amount would make posek - in Rav Elyashiv’s words, ‘the posek the rosh yeshivah happy?” of America’? Do you want me to tell you Being accustomed to giv- about his ehrlichkeit, about whom Rav ing prominent roshei yeshi- Moshe said, ‘You won’t find an ehrlicher vah donations of $100,000 like him?’ Well, I want to tell you about or $50,000, the man was flab- the chassodim that the rosh yeshivah did. If bergasted when Rav Dovid an- you would observe him over the course of swered, “$1,500…” a day, you would see that it was chesed all Reb Shimon* would try to day! Nearly everything he did was chesed. bring Rav Dovid a every So much of his harbotzas haTorah was also year for Sukkos. One year, he came chesed. to Rav Dovid with a beautiful lulav “The way he interacted with people, rich and, in the course of their conver- and poor, wise or foolish, with great talmi- sation, told Rav Dovid, “It is not a dei chachomim and with am haaratzim - heavy lulav, so it will be easy to hold everyone was a recipient of his chesed. He when circling the bimah.” Rav Dovid understood the art of doing chesed so the responded, “It is already a number recipient wouldn’t even realize that chesed With Rav Aharon Schechter. of years since I circled the bimah for was being done for him. He was a living hoshanos.” example of gaonus in chesed. “Why is that?” Reb Shimon asked, “He did so much chesed with individu- clearly surprised. als and he did so much chesed with Klal With utmost simplicity, Rav Dovid Yisroel. Even in his old age, when travel answered, “Someone needs to hold the was difficult for him, he ran to simchos, he Sefer Torah, and I don’t want to make flew around the world on behalf of Chinuch anyone uncomfortable by asking them Atzmai, on behalf of the chinuch of chil- to hold it, so I hold the Sefer Torah dur- dren from France…” ing hoshanos while the tzibbur circles Rav Dovid was so soft-hearted. When the bimah.” people would go to him with problems, One talmid of Yeshiva of Staten such as if they didn’t have money to marry Island had a problem. He was getting off a child, he would raise money and work married and there were not enough the phones. This was especially true for res- kibbudim under the chupah to suit idents of the Lower East Side, with whom his father’s and shver’s needs. Rav he felt a special kinship. There were also Dovid immediately told him, “So the interesting characters in the neighbor- don’t give me a kibbud.” The talmid hood. Rav Dovid was so attentive to all the asked, “The rosh yeshivah will poor souls on whom society had given up. come without a kibbud?!” He had so much patience for them. Once, “As I asked the question,” the in a candid moment, he told someone close talmid said, “I realized that the to him, “They are my ticket to Gan Eden!” rosh yeshivah was looking at Years ago, a Yid had a store on the me as if I had just landed from Lower East Side that sold all kinds of small Mars! He had no idea what I items. Rav Dovid would personally visit was even talking about!” the store and buy items that he didn’t need People remember him just because that Yid derived pleasure from coming to chasunos, and it the fact that Rav Dovid came into his store. would take time until peo- There were menahelim of yeshivos who ple would even realize came to him with tales of woe that they that he was there. There were on the brink of closing due to finan- was no entourage, just cial problems. The rosh yeshivah, who was a quiet, unassuming so unassuming and found it difficult to ask man sitting in the people to help him, would nevertheless corner. make phone calls to raise money. During his His secretary commented that people father’s life- would constantly call and give him names time, he did to daven for. “He told me a couple of times not feel that ‘Most people don’t call back with a worthy good besurah, so I keep on davening…’ At o f times, he spent almost as much time daven- ing from papers with names on them at the end of Shemoneh Esrei that it took him a long time to finishShemoneh Esrei.” Once, while Rav Dovid was eat- ing breakfast in the coffee shop, a person came in wear- ing a yarmulka

56 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 An Incalculable Loss By Rabbi

When the Chazon Ish died, the Brisker Rabbi and the rosh ye- financial situation was so dire that we would Often overlooked in discussing the Fein- Rov said, “Until now, it was a world with the shivah were extremely close from when Reb have to drop a major project. The rosh yeshi- stein family is a point noted by Rabbi Meir Chazon Ish. Now it’s world without the Cha- Meir was a talmid of Mesivtha Tiferes Jerusa- vah said that we must continue and Hashem Zlotowitz. We all assert our faith in Chazal, zon Ish.” lem. For forty years, they spoke on the phone would help. A little later that day, he called but in many cases, it is in the abstract. To Rav Those of us who knew the well-concealed almost every day. It was natural, therefore, to say that he had arranged a major loan. The Moshe and his sons, every word of Chazal Rav Dovid Feinstein, even somewhat, can use was a reality, as concrete and immovable as that from the first day of /Mesorah, work continued and before long there was in- those same words: “Until now, it was a world Mount Everest. When asked how it is possible with Rav Dovid. Now it’s a world without Rav Rav Dovid was a key to every important de- deed siyata diShmaya. that one of the monumental baalei tzedakah Dovid.” It’s a world without the person Rav cision, and when Reb Meir was writing the When the Mesorah Heritage Foundation of the generation could have suffered critical Yosef Shalom Elyashiv called the posek hador fiveMegillos and Yonah, Rav Dovid reviewed was created to fund ArtScroll’s scholarly financial reverses, Rav Dovid said simply that of America. he probably didn’t give as much as he should Rav Dovid tried very hard to be a private have. He did not wear his yiras Shomayim on person, to conceal his greatness, to spend his sleeve, but it was absolute, as was his un- his life learning and teaching. He acted like wavering fidelity tohalacha. an ordinary Jew - brim-down fedora, short Unlike his father, Rav Dovid was not a jacket, avoidance of public life, and sitting in prolific writer. Over the years, he wrote sev- the middle of his bais medrash as long as he eral seforim in English to provide Mesivtha could - but he failed. Much though he tried to Tiferes with much-needed fund- mask his stature, his greatness shone through raising vehicles. He would send handwritten and he was forced to accept the burdens and notes to this writer, who would do the actual honors of leadership, but neither his dress nor writing. For the last several months, while he his manner changed. Even late in his life, he was in poor health, he was working on a com- would do the Erev Shabbos shopping, assisted mentary to the second half of the Haggadah, by his loyal disciple, Eugene Weiser. from Hallel to the end. As in everything he The other gedolim knew it very soon, but did, his originality was astounding. He would little by little, the general community realized allude to new ideas and base them on refer- that he was a fitting successor to his immea- ences to pesukim, Gemaros, and Medrashim. surably great father. He was revered far be- It was obvious from his handwriting that he yond the yeshivah world. Jews from all walks was weak and did not have the strength to of life turned to him with their shaalos, as well check the sources he was quoting. However, as for guidance and brachos. And his brachos every source was accurate, daf, chapter and were much more than formal courtesies. An posuk, which is great testimony to his total adam gadol was very ill and his doctors told knowledge of Shas and Tanach. the family that his condition was hopeless and Equally astounding to those who knew the end was near. The family asked a confi- him best was his hasmadah. He learned with dant of Rav Dovid to arrange a meeting with total concentration. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz was the rosh yeshivah so that they could seek his once with him on a four-hour flight. The rosh rulings on medical and end-of-life questions. yeshivah was so engrossed in his learning that The meeting took place and he answered all he was oblivious to anything else. That he was their questions. At the end of the meeting, thoroughly familiar with the Gemara didn’t Rav Dovid said, “I answered you because you matter; learning must be done without distrac- wanted the meeting, but none of it will be nec- tion. essary.” The gadol recovered and resumed his In addition to his regular shiurim in the very busy schedule for several years. Mesivtha, Rav Dovid said a Chumash shiur Rav Dovid was more than the biological every Friday. It was open to the public and heir of the gadol hador, Rav Moshe Feinstein. people came from all over and from all walks Rav Dovid and his father would learn together of life. Some professionals would leave their every night and the rosh yeshivah would often offices to attend the shiur. As in his writing, review his most complex teshuvos with Rav these sessions were incredibly original. Never Dovid before finalizing them. Interestingly, did he quote commentators. His insights were neither father nor son objected to others who always true and firmly based, but how he in- With Rav Meir Zlotowitz and Rav Nosson Scherman. disagreed with them, sometimes vehemently terpreted the verses to include these concepts or even disrespectfully. Sometimes, a rov or was his and his alone. writer would ask for permission to disagree Understandably and justly, there is great publicly or in writing, and the response was focus on his greatness in Torah and halachah, always the same: No one has a copyright on but he was equally great in the extraordinary Torah. The correct ruling will be judged by degree of his chesed. He would do anything to the accuracy of its proofs and reasoning. The help a fellow Jew, whether it was a child in the broad acceptance of the decisions of both Rav yeshivah, a widow or orphan, or a once-suc- Moshe and Rav Dovid speaks for itself. cessful businessman who had fallen on hard A wealthy, very successful businessman times. A penniless unfortunate was as impor- told this writer that many of his deals involved tant to him as a major supporter of Mesivtha complex halachic dilemmas, regarding which Tiferes Jerusalem. If the Torah does not dif- he always sought rabbinic guidance. He was ferentiate between them, how could he? once advised to consult Rav Dovid. The man Near the end, he said that he wants a small told me, “When I was halfway through de- levayah. Just as he fled from honors in life, so scribing the situation, Rav Dovid understood he resisted it when he was leaving this world. it better than I did and told me what to do. Thanks to Covid and the availability of video Since then, I bring all my hard ones to him.” hookups, his request was substantially grant- On a more mundane matter, a girls school ed. In normal times, there would have been administrator wanted to turn his backyard into at least 100,000 people to bid farewell to the a playground, but there was a fruit tree in the gadol hador. yard. He consulted Rav Dovid. In the course and commented on the manuscripts. If there work, Rav Dovid became a founding trustee Our generation has suffered an incalcu- of the conversation, it emerged that the fruit lable loss. Klal Yisrael will survive. It always was ever a question of whether to undertake and never missed a meeting. It was the first tree had not produced fruit for a few years. does. But it takes a long time to fill the void. The rosh yeshivah said simply, “If it doesn’t a project, Rav Dovid’s word was law. That time he lent his name and active presence to Hagaon Hagadol Harav Dovid ben Harav give fruit, it’s not a fruit tree.” Case closed. An relationship continued with Rabbi Gedaliah anything outside his yeshivah. He asserted that Moshe Feinstein zt”l has left us a huge leg- important element of his greatness was that he Zlotowitz, who expressed our feelings about ArtScroll’s work was essential to Klal Yisroel acy of Torah, chesed, yiras Shomayim, and could cut to the core of a question without be- Rav Dovid in one word: “irreplaceable!” At and he therefore felt compelled to depart from the example of how a Jew should live. His ing obstructed by extraneous details. one point, Reb Meir told Rav Dovid that our his practice of avoiding such involvements. life should be a road map for us all.

58 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 With Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman. and asked for charity. Rav Dovid suddenly yeshivah had agreed so easily. When they stood up and exclaimed, “Rabbosai, please arrived, the proprietor, Stanley, came to don’t give him anything!” Rabbi Men- greet the rosh yeshivah, reminiscing about achem Savitz, who was there at the time, how his own father would bring hats to couldn’t believe his ears. Rav Dovid was Rav Moshe to pick from and saying what the quintessential baal rachamim, and here an honor it was that the rosh yeshivah he was admonishing everyone not to give came to buy a hat for himself. Rav Dovid tzedakah?! Rav Dovid then explained, “He looked at him in wonder. ‘I am not buying is a drug addict and every penny you give a hat! He is!’ he said, pointing to the per- him will go for drugs. But don’t worry, I son who asked the rosh yeshivah to come take care of him. I clothe him and give him to the store. ‘I thought he probably needs food…” me to see if the hat fits him well. so I came A person from the Lower East Side along.’” was once buying new shoes and a destitute That was the rosh yeshivah. He wasn’t person from the neighborhood asked him, making up the story. He really, truly be- “Can I have your old shoes?” The shoes lieved that it was the most natural thing in were torn, but he took them anyway. When the world for him to accompany someone the person who purchased the new shoes to make sure that the hat would fit. told this to Rav Dovid, Rav Dovid didn’t At the levayah, his grandson, Rabbi react. Later, however, the person found out Shlomo Fishelis, shared, “I once said, that from then on, Rav Dovid bought the ‘Zeidy, I am only popular because of you. poor person a new pair of shoes every year. People always come to ask me to ask things A talmid chochom who grew up on the of you. I don’t want to bother you.’ Rav Lower East Side reminisces: “One of the Dovid responded, ‘Shlomo, your job is to people who was close to Rav Dovid de- do chesed. If I can’t help them, then I will cided that it was time for the rosh yeshivah tell them no.’” to get a new hat. His hat was worn, and he On Erev , Rav Dovid had a felt that it was not in keeping with the rosh minhag to give cake to everyone. He would yeshivah’s honor. The person suspected that explain that if it was bashert that a person the rosh yeshivah would give him a hard should have to accept tzedakah from an- time, but he decided it had to be done. One other Yid during the year, he should fulfill day, that person told the rosh yeshivah, ‘Af- that obligation by taking cake from him and ter Mincha, we are going over the bridge to then he would be absolved. Bencraft to buy a hat.’ “‘Okay,’ the rosh yeshivah answered Emunah With Rav Levi Krupenia and Rav . agreeably. Rav Dovid possessed an emunah pe- “The person was so happy that the rosh shutah that was a throwback to generations

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 59 gone by. His great-nephew, Rabbi Dov So- I would have to repeat the question again rotzkin, said, “With Rav Dovid, everything after Maariv. Why, then, did he insist that was ‘the Ribono Shel Olam’ or the ‘ratzon I start asking before Maariv?” Rav Dovid Hashem.’” answered, “I wanted to ask Hashem for si- Reb Dov related, “Rav Dovid was very yata diShmaya during the brocha of Atah close with Rav Meir Zlotowitz. The Zlotow- Chonein. That is why I wanted you to begin itzes and the Feinsteins would sometimes asking before Maariv…” go away together for a few days. Once, they His neighbor, Reb Moshe Rosenbaum, went to Niagara Falls, where they went on did a lot of work with teens who were the Maid of the Mist, the storied boat that struggling with Yiddishkeit. He would of- With Rav Yitzchok Dovid Frankel. takes tourists as close to the falls as pos- ten bring these kids to the rosh yeshivah, sible. The spray from the falls is so strong and Rav Dovid was always so kind and that the passengers are given ponchos to understanding. Once, the parents of a cer- wear. Rabbi Zlotowitz wanted to take a pic- tain boy with whom he had a rapport of- ture, but he asked Rav Dovid, ‘Is the rosh fered him a substantial amount of money if yeshivah okay if I take a picture like this?’ he would go to the boy’s yeshivah in New Rav Dovid’s answer? ‘Why would I care? Jersey once a week and give him chizuk. We are being photographed every second!’” Reb Moshe came to Rav Dovid and asked, Rav Dovid was once giving a shiur “Rebbi, do I look at this as parnassah or and said, “People often come to me with a mitzvah?” Rav Dovid, with the purity of shaalos. For example, they will ask if they emunah, answered, “Moshe, the only rea- are allowed to open a business in close son you have such hatzlacha with these proximity to a similar business owned by a kids is because you are moser nefesh.” The fellow Yid. They always ask if they ‘could.’ implication was that as soon as he would In reality, they should ask if they ‘should.’ If stop being moser nefesh, he would be as the answer is ‘you shouldn’t,’ Hashem will inept as everyone else. send your parnassah in a different way.” Mrs. Yampolsky related, “People would Rav Dovid had such a pure, uncompli- often come to the rosh yeshivah to ask for cated emunah that he sometimes had dif- his advice on what to do with their children ficulty understanding why people would who were struggling with Yiddishkeit or had come to him with the types of shaalos that showed the opposite. It was before Maariv when a Yid came to the rosh yeshivah requesting a few minutes of his time after Maariv to ask a complicated shaalah. Rav Dovid urged him, “Start asking me now. There is still a minute before Maariv.” Sure enough, after Maariv, he had to finish asking the ques- tion, and in truth, in order to present it prop- erly, he had to repeat whatever he had said before Maariv. He asked the rosh yeshivah, “The rosh yeshivah probably realized that

With Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

60 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 hesped, “We learned how to treat Zaidy from Bub- by. She never asked him where he was going. She never asked him who he was helping. The only thing she wanted to know was when he was coming home, so she wouldn’t have to worry. That aban- was her gift to Klal Yisroel.” doned His son, Rav Mordechai, asked mechi- shemiras lah from Rav Dovid for not honoring him hamitzvos. sufficiently. “I was jealous of the people Rav Dovid who were able to take care of their parents loved every and honor them. My father, however, was child no matter totally independent and never asked me for what. Once, a fa- a favor. He didn’t take anything from me ther came to him and and it was difficult to give himkavod .” said, ‘My son causes That was for himself, but when it came me so much grief that to giving to family, there was no end to I am having a very hard what Rav Dovid would do. During the last time loving him.’ Rav few years of his life, when travel became Dovid replied, ‘Yitzchok difficult, he stopped going to Lakewood loved Eisav and Rivka also for weddings. Once, not that long ago, the loved Eisav!’” youngest child of one of his nephews was Rabbi Shlomo Fishelis said getting married in Lakewood. Rav Dovid in his hesped, “How can I be said, “I have to go. How will the chosson maspid my grandfather, rebbi, feel about the fact that I went to the wed- rov and gadol hador? Can I talk dings of every one of his siblings but not about his gadlus baTorah? How his?” He went. can I be a judge of that? There is He would attend the bar mitzvahs of one thing that I can say we saw: the grandchildren of his nieces and neph- When you watched him daven, it ews. “I remember when my grandson’s bar didn’t matter if it was in public, in mitzvah was being held in Flatbush,” said yeshivah or in private. When he had Reb Aryeh Don Greher. “That day, there to daven at home, it was the exact was a terrible snowstorm and it was very same Shemoneh Esrei. When he said hard to travel. The rosh yeshivah and reb- Kinnos on Tisha B’Av, the last kinnah betzin made a point of calling to tell us that was said exactly the same way as the we shouldn’t worry and they were coming first one.” even if it was snowing. They had such a His son, Rav Mordechai Feinstein, sense of familial loyalty.” related, “My father had one objec- When relatives came over, Rav Dovid, tive and one objective only – to do the who cherished every second, had time. He ratzon Hashem. He was always care- would sit with them and would gladly let ful about tefillah b’tzibbur, but when them take pictures with him. If a picture With Rav Yeruchem Olshin, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler and Rav Yitzchok he was sick and was unable to daven had to be retaken, he had all the patience Feigelstock at the Yeshiva Darchei Torah groundbreaking. with a , it didn’t bother him. He in the world. didn’t have an ‘agenda’ to daven with a In the last years, when he was weaker minyan. He had an ‘agenda’ to do the and the family had to limit his access to ratzon Hashem, what Hashem wanted petitioners, that didn’t apply to relatives, from him. This past Yom Kippur, when because they had instructions from the rosh the doctors told him he must drink, he yeshivah that if it was family, they must be drank, without a trace of agitation or permitted entry. sadness. He lived with Hashem, and He showed such love for his grand- if that was Hashem’s will, then that children. He would hold them on his lap, was his will, too. listen to them and make them realize how much he loved them. That said, however, Family he didn’t just shmooze with his grandchil- Rav Dovid was the ultimate dren. His grandson, Rabbi Shlomo Fishelis, family man. When it came to his once tried to understand his grandfather’s wife, children, grandchildren, conduct and asked him about the famous nephews and great-nephews on story told about the , who was both sides, Rav Dovid went visited by his sister whom he had not seen out of his way to show his in years. The Gaon greeted her and then With Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. love and caring. excused himself, saying that he has to go Firstly, his relationship learn. “Where was the chesed in that?” with the rebbetzin and his grandson asked. Rav Dovid answered, she with him was a liv- “Your family has to know that you love ing example of shalom them and you will do anything for them if beineyhem, Shechinah they need it, but stam to shmooze?!” beineihem. It was His grandson related, “Once, a grand- pure and uncom- son was born in Eretz Yisroel and the next plicated. Rabbi day a great-grandson was born in New Shlomo Fish- York. Someone asked the rosh yeshivah elis, their if he would be going to Eretz Yisroel for grandson, the bris. He answered, ‘I have a bris here said in of a great-grandson.’ The person replied, his ‘There you have a grandson and here it is a great-grandson.’ The rosh yeshivah an- swered, ‘When people ask me who is the closest grandchild to me, my answer is: the one who is currently on my lap.’ That is how each grandchild and relative felt when they were with him. They felt the closeness. He exuded

62 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 ahavah.” East Side. I told him the entire story and he said with complete certainty, ‘You have The Power of His nothing to worry about!’ He then suggested Tefillah and His that I say the posuk of ‘Al tirah mipachad pisom’ three times a day after davening and Brachos to make sure that I didn’t say it while Kad- Rav Dovid was such a pashtan. He dish was being recited. I was still so terri- lived his life with such simplicity and with fied, and I knew how dire my situation was, such normalcy, and did everything in his so I told the rosh yeshivah, ‘This is a very power to just blend in and be “one of the serious case…’ He looked at me uncompre- crowd.” It is thus difficult for some to as- hendingly and repeated himself, ‘You have sociate him with the power of tefillah and nothing to worry about!’ remarkable koach habrachos, an ability to “Amazingly, nearly everyone involved give brachos that were fulfilled. The fact, in that incident suffered repercussions, but however, was that he had that ability. Just until this day, many years later, I am still as when he rendered a p’sak halacha, it was not worrying…” done with strength and conviction, and you Rabbi Ari Spiegel shared the follow- could “take it to the bank,” so too, when he ing story: Reb Yisroel,* a Yid in Lakewood gave a brocha and told a person that they whose daughter was, boruch Hashem, en- would have a yeshuah, they could “take it gaged to be married. Sadly, he didn’t have to the bank.” In his last years, word slowly the funds to pay for the wedding, and he ar- leaked out that Rav Dovid’s brachos were ranged to take a very substantial loan from extremely potent and people would come a gemach. One day, Reb Yisroel walked from far and wide seeking help. into yeshivah with a devastated look on Reb Yisroel* remembers, “I once found his face. A friend asked him what had hap- myself in a terribly stressful situation. I pened, and he explained that the gemach was involved in a certain incident where had backed out on giving him the loan. many of the others involved were in seri- They had planned on receiving repayment ous legal trouble. Although I knew that I monies on a different loan and passing that had personally done nothing wrong, I also money to him, but that repayment had been knew that I could easily find myself in real delayed. “Reb Yisroel,” the friend advised, legal trouble. I didn’t know what to do. A “you need a brocha from an adam gadol. friend told me, ‘You need a real neis. I think Who did you learn under when you were you should go to Rav Dovid Feinstein.’ I younger?” had no connection with Rav Dovid, but I Reb Yisroel answered, “Rav Dovid With Rav Dovid Hofstedter. got in touch with people who were close to Feinstein.” him and they took me down to the Lower “Good,” the friend urged. “I want you to

With Reb Reuven Schron.

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 63 have never before been in this building. When I left kollel to go to work, my rosh yeshivah told me that I should always make sure to daven with a minyan. I just finished a lucrative business deal and I was go seeking a minyan for Minchah. I went on- t o line and was directed here. I guess you will the be the recipient of my maser.” Lower Another story: Reb Avigdor* was hav- East Side ing a difficult time finding a shidduch for and get a bro- his daughter. Someone suggested that he cha from him.” go together with her to get a brocha from “Do you re- Rav Dovid. He went and there was a line alize,” Reb Yis- of people waiting. When it was his turn, roel retorted, “that he told the rosh yeshivah the reason for his it costs about $25 in visit and the rosh yeshivah exclaimed, “A gas and tolls to travel to shidduch bekarov!” That was it. His daugh- the Lower East Side and ter was disappointed. “We shlepped all the Rav Dovid is a man of few way here just to get a two-second brocha? At a Torah Umesorah of Chizuk in Deal, NJ. words? What is the point?” Nothing else?” She urged her father to get The friend, however, did on line again. Rav Dovid saw him and not relent. Ultimately, Reb asked, “What is the problem?” Yisroel went. He walked into Reb Avigdor said, “My daughter says MTJ a minute before Mincha. that we came so far but the rosh yeshivah He went right over to Rav Dov- only said two words!” id, greeted him, and told him, Rav Dovid smiled and told the daughter “Mazel tov, my daughter is a kal- the posuk that Yosef Hatzaddik said about lah, but I have a major problem. I Paroh’s dream: The very fact that the dream have no money to pay for the wed- repeated itself means that Hashem will has- ding.” ten its coming. “It will come quick!” “No money?” Rav Dovid prod- That night, the phone rang, a shidduch ded. “You should ask the next person was redd, and she got engaged to that boy. you meet to help you with the cha- There was a Yid who had been blessed sunah.” with several daughters but no sons. Finally, The chazzan then pronounced, he had a boy, but the child was born with a “Ashrei,” and Mincha began. While medical problem and passed away soon af- Mincha was starting, Reb Yisroel ter birth. A few days later, this Yid was at a looked around the bais medrash of Torah Umesorah dinner, where he met Rav MTJ. It wasn’t a large crowd and he Dovid and asked for a brocha for a son. The didn’t see anyone who he thought rosh yeshivah told him, “You know that this would be capable of providing the and this mohel is here at the dinner. Go to many thousands of dollars that he him and reserve him for nine months from needed. Suddenly, just as Shemoneh now.” His wife had a baby boy nine months At this year’s Shuvu dinner. Esrei began, he noticed a man run into later. the bais medrash holding a briefcase Reb Binyomin* frantically called Rab- and starting to daven. After Mincha, bi Shmuel Spiegel, a rebbi in MTJ and a Reb Yisroel approached that man and rov on the Lower East Side. His wife was said, “Shalom Aleichem. I want to let having complications in childbirth and the you know that my daughter is a kallah doctors said the situation was not good. and I don’t have money.” “Please,” Reb Binyomin begged, “run to The man looked at him in amaze- Rav Dovid for me.” ment. “Do I know you?” he asked. Rav Shmuel ran and the rosh yeshivah “No,” Reb Yisroel answered. said, “Refuah sheleimah!” A few hours “How much do you need?” the later, the situation was still dire and Reb man questioned further. Binyomin called Rav Shmuel again. Rav “$20,000,” Reb Yisroel said. Shmuel ran back to Rav Dovid and Rav “You are asking me, a perfect Dovid said, “I told you she should have a stranger, for $20,000?” refuah sheleimah and there is nothing to “Don’t blame me!” Reb worry about!” Yisroel responded, pointing to His brocha was fulfilled. the rosh yeshivah. “I am just On Simchas Torah, many people buy doing what the rosh yeshi- certain kibbudim as a zechus - Kol Ha- vah told me to do. He said I nearim for children, Chosson Torah to be- With Rav Avrohom Chaim Levin. should ask the next person come a chosson, etc. In MTJ, people started I meet!” realizing that when others bought these kib- “Are you serious?” budim and then went to Rav Dovid for a exclaimed the strang- brocha, the brachos were fulfilled, so they er. began to sell for more and more money. “Absolutely!” One Yid in particular was having a hard “I will have time. He had been married for a number you know,” the of years but had not yet been blessed with man with the children. briefcase “That man,” Reb Moshe Rosenbaum said, related, “decided to buy Kol Hanearim. “that I The price, however, kept on rising, and it was soon out of his price range. His friends encouraged him to keep on bidding, telling him that they would help him. He bought the at an exorbitant price and af- terwards went to the rosh yeshivah for a brocha. How astounded

(Continued on Page 67)

64 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 Best Friend, Rebbi and Gadol Hador - Life Lessons Learned from Rav Dovid Feinstein

Being menachem avel the Zlotowitz family.

With Rav Meir Zlotowitz.

By Sandy Eller Dovid would visit each other’s our house and they would be sit- While Klal Yisroel mourns the homes, take bein hazemanim trips ting in our dining room, and we loss of a renowned posek well- together and speak on the phone would all come in and say hello and known for his brilliance as a talmid practically every day, giving the then we all had to leave,” recalled chochom and revered as a gadol ha- Zlotowitz family a rare and price- daughter Tzivie Munk. “That was dor, recollections of those who had less window into the life of the rosh very special growing up, knowing a personal relationship with Rav yeshivah. that the rosh yeshivah was in our Dovid Feinstein zt”l are reflecting “You always knew when my house, and if we needed him, my on another facet of his life, that of father-in-law was on the phone with father would connect us.” a warm individual whose gadlus in Rav Dovid,” observed son-in-law Mrs. Munk was in high school With Rabbi Yehuda Munk and his son. chesed and ahavas habriyos mir- Rabbi Yehuda Munk. “You walked when she realized that someone had rored his passion for Torah. in, and whether it was in the house, accidentally put a fleishige utensil That lesson, like so many others, always thinking about another. His Rav Dovid shared a unique the car, the bungalow or wherever into the milchige dishwasher. She made its way down the branches of greatness was that even though he bond with Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz you were, you picked up on it right turned to her father to clarify the the Zlotowitz family tree, and years was a gadol hador, he was also our z”l, a friendship forged decades ago away. You could see the glow on his halacha, but instead of answering, later, the Munks planned a special father’s best friend and you could and one that that the Zlotowitz chil- face, the joy, the laughter, and, at Rabbi Zlotowitz dialed the phone Chol Hamoed trip for their children have a normal conversation with dren cherish as a priceless yerusha the same time, the reverence. That and handed it to his daughter. to visit with Rav Dovid. him.” from their father. His time spent as a mix of both friendship and awe “I remember saying, ‘Daddy, “We had each one of them ask The Zlotowitzes paid a special bochur at Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusa- doesn’t often go together.” I am not talking to Rav Dovid,’ a question, something that was on visit to Rav Dovid when each of the lem had Rabbi Zlotowitz becoming Even from their youngest days, but my father’s answer gave me a their level,” said Rabbi Munk. “The boys put on tefillinfor the first time, extremely close with both then-rosh the Zlotowitz children always un- sense of chashivus, telling me, ‘You answers the rosh yeshivah gave with Shacharis followed by a spe- yeshivah Rav Moshe Feinstein and derstood that their father’s relation- are going to be a wife soon and a were so down to earth and taught cial celebration. his oldest son, Rav Dovid. More ship with Rav Dovid was both a mother in Klal Yisroel and you have them an incredible lesson that we “We went to the local pizza shop than just attending each other’s privilege and an honor. to get used to asking shaalos,’” said can connect to this kind of gadlus, and had breakfast,” observed Ba- simchos, Rabbi Zlotowitz and Rav “The Feinsteins would come to Mrs. Munk. because Rav Dovid was so on the ruch Zlotowitz. “The gadol hador level with everyone.” came with us and he had breakfast Rav Dovid’s humility, genuine with us.” warmth and ability to connect with Years later, Baruch approached people were an ingrained part of his Rav Dovid with a question regard- persona. Chaim Zlotowitz remem- ing another simcha. Realizing that bered a time when he and his wife, he had named his newborn daughter Shira, were living in Eretz Yisroel during the week, while it was his fa- and Rav Dovid and his wife, Reb- ther’s minhag to do so on Shabbos, betzin Malka, came for a visit, stay- he wondered if he should also be ing at Rabbi Zlotowitz’s apartment making a for his baby girl. in Yerushalayim. “Rav Dovid said to me, ‘You “My father asked me to be there made a tikkun? You got brachos?’ to help them get settled, and I came When I told him that I had, he with my oldest son, Nosson Zvi, in asked me why I wanted to make a the stroller,” related Chaim Zlotow- Kiddush. I said that it would be an itz. “As I was about to leave, I opportunity to get more brachos. asked Rav Dovid if I could take a He responded with a smile, ‘In that picture of him with Nosson and Rav case, why not make it in Madison Dovid agreed without hesitation.” Square Garden?’” Moving the stroller next to Rav Other interactions with Rav Dovid, Chaim prepared to snap a Dovid provided additional teach- photo, but Rav Dovid had other ing moments. Tzivie Munk remem- ideas. bered being at a simcha and going “He said, ‘That’s not a good to say hello to the Feinsteins, who With Rav Meir Zlotowitz and family members. picture to take. Give him to me. I’ll were seated with her mother. Seeing hold him for the picture,’” recollect- that Rav Dovid and his wife were ed Chaim. “That was Rav Dovid, eating while her mother was not,

66 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 way he treated her, waited for her, even at the in-law’s call was the one he had been put MTJ dinner - he always made sure that she on hold for, yet Rav Dovid said nothing was taken care of first.” to him!” said Ira. “It teaches a level of Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and his wife, Ra- confidentiality that he didn’t say, ‘I just chel, spent many a bein hazemanim with the spoke to your son-in-law.’” Feinsteins, traveling to the Grand Canyon, In addition to his sensitivity and Mount Washington, Niagara Falls, Wash- approachability, Rav Dovid was well- ington D.C. and the Catskills, among other known for his ability to pasken complex places. shaalos. When oat shemura matzah first “When we drove, Rav Dovid would sit became available, Rav Moshe Heine- in the car and say the whole Tehillim,” noted mann approached Rav Dovid to discuss Mrs. Zlotowitz. “We didn’t have Google Maps its viability for use at the Sedorim, and if we needed directions. He would take out a he was able to render a p’sak in a matter At Niagara Falls. map and look it up. Rav Dovid had a photo- of minutes. Rav Dovid later explained graphic memory and a breadth of knowledge that after reading about oats some four that was incredible, and he liked going places decades earlier, he understood the po- she went to rectify the situation, accidentally and seeing things.” tential problems that could arise with forgetting to bring back one small item. Those trips led to displays of Rav Dov- their usage on Pesach and had discussed “The rosh yeshivah looked at me and said, id’s erudition on more than one occasion. A the matter in depth with his father, Rav ‘Don’t you think your mother needs a fork?’” Rav Dovid with Chaim Zlotowitz’s son, visit to the Boeing factory in Seattle had Rav Moshe, giving him the ability to clarify as mentioned in the article. said Mrs. Munk. “I asked Rav Dovid for a Dovid quickly understanding the workings of the situation. brocha that my children should have more a jet propulsion engine, giving him the ability “Rav Dovid was very savvy in a lot of eryone at the office knew that even if my hus- kibbud av v’eim than I had just displayed, and to conduct an in-depth discussion on the topic areas of medicine, giving advice on medical band was really into something, if Rav Dovid he didn’t answer me, something that had nev- with the stunned tour guide. A visit to Albany shaalos when he could and sending someone said no, then it was no, because he saw the er happened before, and I didn’t really know had Rav Dovid correcting a tour guide on the to a specialist if he felt they needed further whole picture and maybe it wasn’t the right what to think.” year of the New York State Capitol building’s guidance,” noted Mrs. Zlotowitz. “Other pos- time or something might be misconstrued.” Twenty minutes later, feeling somewhat construction. Convinced that he was right, the kim would send people to Rav Dovid when Soft-spoken and a man of few words, unsettled by the encounter, Mrs. Munk was tour guide went into the archives to pinpoint they didn’t have the knowledge, understand- Rav Dovid’s heart came out with every smile told that the rosh yeshivah wanted to speak the actual date, only to discover that it was he ing or sensitivity to give a p’sak, and when and he was known as a mumcheh in chesed, with her. who had been mistaken, with Rav Dovid ex- you went to him, you knew you were going someone who was always careful of other’s “He explained that he couldn’t give me plaining that he knew the building’s history to a big talmid chochom and getting a good feelings, and whose simple modesty belied a brocha for kibbud av v’eim from my chil- from a book he had read in grade school. answer, a real answer, based on knowledge.” his stature as a gadol hador. Having always dren, because kibbud av v’eim is something Rav Dovid taught the Zlotowitzes by ex- While he was a member of Agudas Yisro- had Rav Dovid as a constant in their lives, the that you give your parents, and when your ample about the importance of privacy. Ira el’s Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah and a member Zlotowitzes feel enriched by the special rela- children see it, they give it back to you,” said Zlotowitz recalled an Erev Shabbos when of Torah Umesorah’s Vaad Roshei Yeshiva, tionship their own father shared with the rosh Mrs. Munk. “There were so many lessons his father was enjoying his weekly call with Rav Dovid sat on only one board outside of yeshivah. here, and it was incredible that a gadol made Rav Dovid. Zlotowitz was placed on hold for MTJ, that of the Mesorah Heritage Founda- “My father would tell us that Rav Dovid time for me and called me back to give me an a few minutes while the rosh yeshivah took tion, whose mission of harbotzas haTorah was his rebbi, his best friend, and yet still, the explanation.” another call before continuing their conversa- resonated strongly with him. He guided and posek hador,” recalled Ira Zlotowitz. “Maybe The honor that Rav Dovid accorded his tion. It was several days later when a Zlotow- encouraged Rabbi Zlotowitz from ArtScroll’s there is a lesson for all of us here to build wife was remarkable, teaching volumes about itz son-in-law shared that he had contacted earliest days, reviewing manuscripts and of- those relationships and be close to our roshei shalom bayis, observed Ira Zlotowitz. Rav Dovid recently to ask a shaalah. fering comments, his opinion the final word yeshivah and our gedolim, making them a “Rav Dovid always made sure the reb- “My father commented that it was inter- on every important decision. part of our lives, inspiring us and teaching us betzin was taken care of, holding the door for esting that Rav Dovid hadn’t even told him “My husband did not move one iota on valuable lessons that we can pass down to our her when she went in and out of the car and about their phone call, and as the discussion anything in ArtScroll without a haskamah own children.” helping her put on her coat,” said Ira. “The continued, my father realized that my brother- from Rav Dovid,” said Mrs. Zlotowitz. “Ev-

(Continued from Page 64) ‘it is a greater tragedy when an old person is niftar, because when an old person dies, he was when the rosh yeshivah repeatedly said, ‘You don’t need my brachos!’ Later, he takes with him his Torah, his gaonus, he related that what he hadn’t known was his zechusim, his power of p’sak and his eh- that by that time, his wife was already ex- rlichkeit. The tragedy is that we don’t have pecting. those [maalos] anymore!” One last story that illustrates not only Yehi zichro boruch. Rav Dovid’s koach habrocha, but also how careful a person must be when it comes to Special thanks to Reb Aryeh Don Gre- the feelings of others: There was a Yid whose her, Rav Boruch Moskowitz, Rav Simcha daughter was a kallah when her brother Bunim Cohen, Rav Menachem Savitz, took ill with a terminal illness. The father Rabbi Dov Sorotzkin, Rabbi Ari Spiegel, was considering pushing off the wedding Rabbi Avrohom Biderman, Rabbi Yaakov and went to consult with Rav Dovid about Hamburger, Reb Shimon Gifter, Reb Moshe what to do. Rav Dovid answered, “Ask the Rosenbaum and Mrs. Chana Yampolsky for kallah.” He went to ask his daughter and their assistance in the preparation of this she did not want to delay the wedding. The article. Yid listened and they made the wedding on The family requests that anyone with time. Sadly, the son passed away not long stories or divrei Torah from the rosh yeshi- after the wedding. Fast forward five years and the daughter was still not blessed with vah should email them to Rabbidovidfein- children. Her father returned to Rav Dovid [email protected]. for a brocha and was startled when Rav Dovid told him, “It is your fault. Yes, you listened and made her wedding on the original date, but in your heart, you had a hakpadah.” Rav Dovid advised him to gather a bais din of distinguished Yidden so that his daughter could ask mechilah from her father. Within a year, she was blessed with a child. Perhaps it is appropriate to close with the words of Rav Chaim Ganzweig, who said, “Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that it is the way of the world for people to be- come very sad when a young person pass- es away, but when an old person passes away, they say, ‘This is the way of the world.’ However, Rav Moshe continued,

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 67 Our Rebbi Who Gave Us a Sense of Security By Rabbi Zvi Belsky

Just over two years ago, a painful issue was regularly turned to Rav Dovid for piskei hala- brought to the rosh yeshiva, Rav Dovid Fein- cha, guidance and comfort, just like families stein zt”l. A young couple had given up hope and rabbonim across the world did. And with on ever having healthy children. Their first two his few words, he breathed hope and happiness children, a boy and girl, were both born seri- into our hearts. My father would affection- ously ill, and the couple was broken and un- ately call Rav Dovid “beno bechoro shel Rav willing to go on. The young couple’s rov tried Moshe zt”l (the firstborn son of our rebbi, Rav with all his heart to speak words of encourage- Moshe.” And when my father recovered from ment to them, but they were too defeated and his illness, he had great hakoras hatov for the crushed to listen. They had simply given up. guidance Rav Dovid gave our family. The rov pleaded with Rabbi Avrohom Klein, a Ah rov darft aleh mohl zuchen machen close talmid of Rav Dovid, to ask his rebbi for leichter fahr Yidden. A rov has to always look his advice and blessing. to lighten the load of his fellow Jews. The rosh yeshiva responded, “Go tell the Open a and look for an expression of young husband and wife that they have to ask emotional pain and anguish in the Shemoneh mechilah and make amends to somebody. At Esrei. You’ll only find it in one place: “Hashi- some point in their lives, they hurt someone, vah shofteinu kevorishonah veyo’atzeinu ke- and the pain they caused that person is block- vatchilah vehaseir mimenu yagon va’anacha ing the flow of heavenly blessing to them.” - Hashem, bring back our great Torah leaders Rabbi Klein didn’t personally know the and guides to us, and thereby remove our an- With the author’s father, Rav Chaim . couple and was embarrassed to confront them. guish and sorrow.” However, the rosh yeshiva had instructed him Ah rov darft lib hubben Yidden, un aleh in feeding her family the sweetest fruit. meeting with active discussion by all those to give them a message and he had no choice mohl zuchen machen leichter fahr Yidden. Ah rov darft lib hubben Yidden, un aleh present, the rosh yeshiva did not say a single but to do what his rebbi told him to do. Upon Rav Dovid dressed like a simple Jew, spoke mohl zuchen machen leichter fahr Yidden. word?” hearing Rav Dovid’s directive, the young cou- with simplicity and humility, and didn’t draw Years ago, there was an unstable man who “Because I wasn’t asked,” was the rosh ye- ple tried their best to recall, but they couldn’t attention to himself. The yeshiva once invited a had run his family’s money into the ground shiva’s answer. immediately identify who they needed to apol- philanthropist to attend a special shiur that the through irresponsible business dealings. His His humility was legendary. ogize to. They promised to try their best to cor- rosh yeshiva gave. The fellow sat in the back entire life was falling apart. Rav Dovid was On a rare occasion, someone sitting with rect any wrongdoing. during the shiur and wasn’t able to get a good aware of the situation, and after putting safe- the rosh yeshiva spoke disrespectfully to him, Rabbi Klein and the couple didn’t see each look at the rosh yeshiva’s face. After the shiur, guards in place, he lent the family one hundred and he just sat quietly without responding. other for the next 15 months. This past March, the fellow passed Rav Dovid, not realizing thousand dollars to help them reestablish. The But the rosh yeshiva was unable to hide his they met at a wedding. They told him the great who he was, because the rosh yeshiva seemed family was able to pay the money back over brilliance from the world. When his family left news that they had just given birth to a healthy so simple. He was expecting to see someone time. Russia, he was eight years old and he knew baby boy. They explained that after he had with rabbinic garb and appearance. While carrying himself with incredible Tanach by heart. The townsfolk had a little given them the rosh yeshiva’s message, they The rosh yeshiva’s first office at Mesivta simplicity, his guidance came with quiet and game they’d play with him. They would start thought long and hard about what Rav Dovid Tifereth Jerusalem was a small desk in a stor- unbending yashrus, conviction and confi- a posuk and challenge him to finish it by heart. said. The husband then recalled a time when age closet behind rows of cases of soda cans. dence. Rav Dovid was never swayed by public They would then give him a kopek, a small he had indeed caused great pain to another per- And up until 10 years ago, the soda machine opinion, and no matter how hard people tried, coin. When his collection of kopeks added up, son. He thought that they had already made up, was stocked by the rosh yeshiva himself. He they could never convince him to take a posi- he purchased his first watch with the money. but he realized that the person never said the believed that in between meals, when the tion he didn’t hold of. He gave great nachas to his parents when he words, “I am mochel you.” He immediately kitchen was closed, the young boys had to The rosh yeshiva was famously a man of explained to them how he had earned the mon- called the person, expressed his sincerest re- have the ability to purchase a cold drink. And very few words. He told a talmid that his bar ey to purchase the watch. morse, asked mechilah, and was forgiven. The if something needed to be done, he would do mitzvah parsha was Shelach, which teaches Throughout the many decades in MTJ, person who had been hurt couldn’t believe that it. Rav Dovid was over 80 when his talmidim us the story of the meraglim, the spies who people knew that one thing would always re- it was his heartache that had caused them to requested that someone else stock the soda ma- spoke ill of Eretz Yisroel and brought about main the same: Rav Dovid would be quietly suffer. chine, and he acquiesced. But he wouldn’t ask great suffering to Klal Yisroel. His father, Rav toiling in learning at his place in the bais me- Last Friday, we lost a gadol whom our unless someone else offered. The rosh yeshiva Moshe, told him that one’s bar mitzvah parsha drash. community had come to rely on for direction, insisted that the price of a can of soda remain provides a hint to their special personal mis- His gigantic heart and mind were filled guidance, comfort, and security. We all knew the same fifty cents. As long as we break even, sion on this world. From the age of thirteen, with pekudei Hashem yeshorim mesamchei that even if our day-to-day questions didn’t go he would say, we have to provide the service Rav Dovid accepted upon himself to limit his lev. A joyful, deep, and loving Torah, and all to Rav Dovid, nonetheless, 145 East Broadway to the talmidim. speech. that overflowed into the hearts of all who came on the Lower East Side was always an address The rosh yeshiva filled the soda machine Rav Dovid once attended a meeting to ad- into contact with him. for our most difficult and painful problems. with love, devotion and yiras Shomayim. Ma- dress some important issues facing the com- Before he had his office, people would call Rav Dovid was a source of devar Hashem, chen leichter fahr Yidden, making it easier for munity. After the two-hour meeting, someone him on the yeshiva’s payphone. Rav Dovid guidance, peace of mind, security, assurance, fellow Jews. asked the rosh yeshiva the following question: would be called out of the bais medrash to and conviction to Klal Yisroel. Until eight years ago, Rav Dovid was the “Why is it,” he asked, “that for a full two-hour field questions in the public telephone booth. In the early 1960s, the rosh yeshiva’s fa- gabbai who called out the aliyos in the MTJ ther, Rav Moshe, told his talmid, Rabbi Yonah bais medrash. When asked why he doesn’t Gewirtz of Silver Spring, what is required to give the job to someone else, he said that he be a rov. Rav Moshe said, “Tzu zein ah rov doesn’t want to bother anyone. A talmid asked bei Yidden darft men hubben ah sach ahavas him to please allow another person to fill that Yisroel, men darft lib hubben Yidden. Un mehn role, and since then, there has been another darft aleh mohl zuchen machen leichter fahr gabbai in MTJ. Yidden. Uber tzu machen leichter fahr Yidden For many years, the rosh yeshiva would go darft men kennen gut lernen.” To be a rov for shopping every week in , but first, he Jews, one must have an abundance of love for would go to the local Lower East Side grocery Jews. And one has to always look to lighten store to purchase any items they stocked. Only their load. But in order to lighten their load, after patronizing the neighborhood establish- one must be a great talmid chochom. Because ment would he go to the big supermarket in anyone can give the best guidance they can Brooklyn. He did not want the local grocer to think of, but only a person who carries Toras lose out on his parnossah. Hashem in his heart can open eyes and bring Once, around ten years ago, the rosh yeshi- clarity to people’s most distressing problems. va was standing at the fruit section in the su- This is exactly what Rav Dovid was to us. permarket and a lady was trying to find a good A giant, brilliant and sparkling source of com- cantaloupe. The rosh yeshiva noticed that she fort, backbone, warmth, and pride. Who can had chosen an unripe melon. He gently told ever replace this loss? her, “Don’t take that one. It isn’t ready yet.” When my father, Rav Chaim Yisroel Bel- He then explained to her how to tell if a canta- sky zt”l, suffered a traumatic medical incident, loupe is ready to eat. To this day, that woman Rav Dovid smiles with satisfaction upon receiving a check of $501,000 from Shlomo his life was hanging in the balance. Our family probably has no idea who gave her that lesson Yehuda Rechnitz for the French Children’s Rescue Fund.

68 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 The rosh yeshiva was closely con- every step. When Rav Dovid spoke, his nected to Chinuch Atzmai and served as word was law. the yoshev rosh of the hanhalah. More When they flew to Los Angeles, they than thirty years ago, the rosh yeshiva and left New York in the morning, spent a full rebbetzin’s son, Moshe Shmuale Yaakov, day working in the Los Angeles commu- passed away, and they dedicated a Chi- nity, and took the red-eye back that night. nuch Atzmai school in his memory. Every The rosh yeshiva, at the age of 88, didn’t day after Mincha in MTJ, someone went sleep for a moment. He learned the entire around the bais medrash collecting money flight. Upon landing in New York, he in- for Chinuch Atzmai. At the wedding of a sisted on going to shul to daven with a family member or a close talmid, a collec- minyan. tion for Chinuch Atzmai would be made Along the way, the rosh yeshiva im- as well. Later on, a young granddaughter, parted many great lessons to the baalei the mother of two young children, passed batim. Reuven Wolf relates that the rosh away, and the family began to raise funds yeshiva told him that maaser is for sim- to help pay for the costs of busing children ple earners. A person who has significant to Chinuch Atzmai schools. means should give a chomesh, twenty In early 2016, the rosh yeshiva became percent of his earnings, to tzedakah. The aware of a sudden uptick of immigration to rosh yeshiva went so far as to say that if a Eretz Yisroel by French Jews. The immi- person doesn’t put a significant amount of gration tripled over a period of three years. money in savings, he cannot stand behind Most of these immigrants had been send- the directive of Chazal not to give more ing their children to frum kiruv schools in than a chomesh, because Chazal wanted a France. Unfortunately, in Eretz Yisroel, person to save for a rainy day, and if they they were being directed to schools with spend or invest all their income, they no very little, if any, Yiddishkeit. The rosh ye- longer have the cap of chomesh. shiva held that there is no excuse to allow The rosh yeshiva and Mr. Wolf devel- this to happen. All that was needed was to oped an instant friendship. Once, the rosh raise money to fund programs that would yeshiva and Mr. Wolf were speaking about integrate these families into frum com- the great number of kollel yungeleit in the The author and his son with Rav Dovid. munities. The rosh yeshiva declared that world today. The rosh yeshiva quoted the in the past, in similar situations, we failed posuk, “Ha’elef lecha Shlomo umasayim to raise the appropriate funds and now we Always with his trademark simplicity, hu- rosh yeshiva was late because an urgent Klal lenotrim es piryo,” explaining that out of can be mesakein that. The rosh yeshiva mility, truthfulness, and absolute clarity. Yisroel matter needed his attention, he would 1,200 people, 200 of them should be dedi- called Mr. Reuven Wolf and Mr. Reuven Ah rov darft aleh mohl zuchen machen apologize for keeping Mayer waiting. cated to limud haTorah. That amounts to Schron and asked them to lead the effort. leichter fahr Yidden. Uber tzu machen leichter First, they learned through the whole Tan- one-sixth of the total population, and the fahr Yidden darft men kennen gut lernen. To ach. Then they learned the whole Shisha Sidrei The French Children’s Fund was born. The rosh yeshiva’s charge was clear: nonreligious Jews are included in the cal- be a rov for Jews, one has to always look to Mishnah together. Then they started learning culation of the five-sixths, said Rav Dovid. lighten their load. But in order to make it easier Gemara. When they started learning Gemara, Close your gemara and even your sid- A rov once brought a fellow who had for Jews, one must be a great talmid chochom. the rosh yeshiva told Mayer that he can’t prom- dur if necessary. Do not rest until we can just gotten a tremendous inheritance from Reb Reuven Wolf recalls driving with the ise that they will be able to finish the whole provide a good chinuch for these children. his father who passed away. They had a rosh yeshiva on a fundraising trip in Deal, Shas together. They learned ten masechtos and The rosh yeshiva even paskened that if it question regarding the halachic accept- NJ. A Sephardic yungerman knocked on the made a after each one. When the rosh comes down to it, one can be mechallel ability of keeping a portion of the funds. car window. His father had a brain tumor, he yeshiva became very weak at the end of his Shabbos to save the children from being The rosh yeshiva told the fellow, “What’s explained, and the doctor was recommending life, the learning had to continue, so the rosh absorbed into a non-religious school. And the problem? You’ll anyway give a cho- surgery. However, the surgery carried a risk of yeshiva learned Ein Yaakov, a lighter limud, if you can be mechallel Shabbos, said the death, and even if successful, it would result with Mayer until a few days before his petirah. rosh yeshiva, you can certainly be mechal- mesh to tzedakah, so let these funds be in permanent damage to some of his senses. When the rosh yeshiva returned from the lel your wallet! from the twenty percent.” The rov said that Should they go ahead with it? Rav Dovid re- hospital after his first hospitalization, one of During the next year and a half, the the fellow almost fainted, but that was the sponded with calm, clear guidance and the the first things he did was call Mayer to thank rosh yeshiva traveled across the country expectation the rosh yeshiva had from peo- window closed. him for all the arrangements he made. The rosh to raise funds for this cause. Wherever he ple who were blessed with an abundance A young boy was born with no intestines. yeshiva had been on a respirator for a week or went, the whole community prepared like of wealth. His ability to eat and digest food would be zero, more before that, but he only thought of mak- it was a Yom Tov. And it was. People came Mr. Wolf is the rosh hakahal of the the doctors explained. They recommended that ing a phone call to say thank you. to hear, to see and just to spend a few min- Novominsker kehillah. When the No- the parents leave the baby in the hospital and Last Tuesday, when the rosh yeshiva was utes in the presence of the rosh yeshiva. vominsker Rebbe was niftar last year, Mr. go home, a veiled suggestion that the baby has taken by ambulance to the hospital, Mayer ar- The love and respect for the rosh yeshiva Wolf was asked to be maspid. He called no reason to live. There is no possible way to rived as the ambulance was ready to leave. The were a sight to see. And while he always Rav Dovid for guidance. The rosh yeshiva raise this child, they said. The baby’s parents rosh yeshiva looked at him and lovingly waved tried to hide, people were drawn to him. spent a half hour with him. The rosh yeshi- called Rav Dovid, who told them not to listen to Mayer like a father to his beloved son. May- The rosh yeshiva traveled to Toronto, va told him to speak about what the rebbe to the doctors. At the age of three, after many er was zoche to be present in the hospital at the , Los Angeles, Lakewood and meant to him personally, and that there is rare surgeries, this precious boy had a bris and time of the petirah. Deal for whirlwind visits. Each visit was no replacement for the great rebbe. The the rosh yeshiva was the sandek. The boy lived Mayer had arranged for male nurses to be a full day of parlor meetings in eight to ten rebbe took responsibility for Klal Yisroel another seven years and was a beautiful, won- with the rosh yeshiva the last few weeks. The different houses. and spoke up to defend and protect us. And derful, charming child who inspired everyone rosh yeshiva and his family made a deep im- The rosh yeshiva became exception- there is no one left like him. who knew him. Only because the rosh yeshiva pact on them in the short time they served him. ally close to the baalei batim in charge of We feel even more lost now without insisted and guided them every step of the way. After the rosh yeshiva passed away, Mayer the fund and his guidance was sought at the rosh yeshiva. Mayer Berkovits was the rosh yeshiva’s received the following messages from them daily chavrusah for the past 18 years. How did (excerpted for brevity): tremendous. May Hashem give you and the inspired to live up to what the rosh yeshiva he come to have the awesome zechus to learn “Mayer, I can only imagine how much you Feinstein family comfort and peace during this would expect of each and every one of us, one with the rosh yeshiva? When he first came to are crying at the passing of the rabbi. You gen- difficult time. Charles.” day at a time. the yeshiva as a 17-year-old, Mrs. Yampolsky, uinely loved and cared for the rabbi like he was In the rosh yeshiva’s final years, the trickle Oh, and you might want to consider run- who works in the yeshiva office, introduced your biological father. May Hashem reward of people making their way to the Lower East ning right now to MTJ to buy a can of soda him to the rosh yeshiva. The rosh yeshiva you for your commitment, love and dedication. Side for guidance turned into a torrent, and the from the machine. You might be fortunate personally arranged all of Mayer’s chavru- Dwight.” rosh yeshiva was giving brachos and guidance enough to get one of the last cans stocked in sos for that year. The next summer, when the “Good evening, Mayer. With so much sad- talmidim were away in camp, the rosh yeshiva ness in my heart, I text you after I was informed to so many worried and distraught people. that machine while the rosh yeshiva was still told Mayer, “I can’t arrange a chavrusah for of the passing of the rabbi, your father, etc. As And now we are bereft. alive. You’ll get to warm your soul with the you, because the talmidim are away, so let us you know, I was not with him for months or The menahel of MTJ, Rabbi Yissochor cool drink and take in the Torah and yiras learn together.” And since then, they never years. Nevertheless, I was honored to have Ginsberg, relates that during Shacharis on the Shomayim that fills the air in that building. And stopped. When the rosh yeshiva was away for served him. Such a humble man, kindhearted, morning of the levayah, he wondered if they it’ll only cost you fifty cents. a few days with the rebbetzin, he would bor- pleasant smile. Such a great loss, but his work should say Tachanun. He reflexively turned to row a cell phone and call Mayer to learn on and legacy live on for all to cherish. Dwight.” his left to present his query to the rosh yeshiva, Special thanks to Rabbi Yonah Gewirtz, the phone. When Mayer protested that the rosh “Good evening, Mayer. I just received the but sadly, the rosh yeshiva was not there. The Rabbi Yissochor Ginsberg, Rabbi Avrohom yeshiva should take some much-needed vaca- news of the rabbi’s passing. I’m sorry for your light had been dimmed. Klein, Reuven Wolf, Shaya Ostrov and Mayer tion, the rosh yeshiva responded, “There is no loss. I give my deepest condolences to you We can no longer turn to be warmed by Berkovitz for their help in preparing this ap- such thing as missing a day of learning.” If the and to the entire Feinstein family. His loss is Rav Dovid’s therapeutic glow, but we can be preciation.

26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020 69 At the levayah in Yerushalayim.

el Feinstein, who has assumed the position Thousands of mourners walked behind The Levayah of rosh yeshivah at the yeshivah, that he the aron, which was carried in a Hatzolah Rav Dovid passed away late Friday af- generation understands what we have lost. should have siyata diShmaya and be mat- ambulance as it slowly left the Lower East ternoon, Erev Shabbos Parshas Vayeira. There is a lot to cry about – the gaonus, the zliach. Then, in a voice punctuated with Side for the airport. The levayah was scheduled for Sunday p’sak halacha, the middos tovos!” sobs, Rav Ganzweig said, “I beg you to be The aron was flown to Eretz Yisroel, morning in front of MTJ. Despite the Rav Dovid’s brother-in-law, Rav mevatel the gezeirah, the terrible gezeirah! where a levayah was held on Monday af- worldwide pandemic, it was clear that Yid- Moshe D. Tendler, then gave a hesped via There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ternoon at the Shamgar Funeral Home in den felt that they had to be there to give him Zoom from his home in Monsey. bnos Yisroel who just want to be Yiddishe Yerushalayim. Hespeidim were delivered a kavod acharon. Thousands upon thou- Rav Chaim Ganzweig, mashgiach of mammes! We live in uncertain times. We by Rav Dovid’s cousins, Rav Chaim Fein- sands of masked Yidden flocked to the ye- MTJ, then delivered a hesped. Towards the need tremendous rachamei Shomayim. I stein and Rav Dovid Feinstein, sons of Rav shivah and its environs. The levayah began end of the hesped, he begged the rosh ye- beg of you – you took so many zechusim Dovid’s cousin, Rav Michel Feinstein, and with Rav Dovid’s son-in-law, Rav Shmuel shivah to be a meilitz yosher on behalf of with you! I am sure you have a koach!” by Rabbi Chaim Dov Radinsky, a nephew, Fishelis, reciting Tehillim, followed by a the entire Lower East Side and especially The next hesped was delivered by Rav and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a grandson. hesped. Then, Rav Dovid’s brother, Rav the yeshivah. “Be a meilitz yosher on be- Shmuel Kamenetsky, followed by Rav From there, thousands accompanied Reuven Feinstein, rosh yeshivah of Ye- half of the rebbetzin because ‘yours and Dovid’s grandson, Rabbi Shlomo Fishelis. the aron to Har Hamenuchos, where Rav shiva of Staten Island spoke. Rav Reuven ours are hers.’” He asked the rosh yeshivah The final hesped was delivered by Rav Dovid was buried near his father, Rav described the profundity of the loss. “Our to be a meilitz yosher for his son, Rav Ber- Dovid’s son, Rav Mordechai Feinstein. Moshe.

At the levayah in .

70 26 Cheshvan 5781 | November 13, 2020