CHASSIDUS for NON-CHASSIDIM

A PORTRAIT OF MOSHE “GABBAI”

A look at the life of this quintessential Polish Chassid demonstrates the enduring legacy and universal message of the Tov.

By Rabbi Mayer Schiller

eb Moshe Indeed, even the study of the move- Moshe “Gabbai,” we must understand ben Chaim ment’s works in the original cannot that Chassidic groups were and are Peretz Weiss serve as a substitute for having wit- extraordinarily diverse. The paths in (1896-1973), nessed the towering divine service of God’s service which each demanded universally known as Moshe “Gabbai” Chassidic baalei avodah [masters of often differed on fundamentals. This or MosheR “Batlan,” was twice a sur- serving God] of past generations. was especially so when the groups vivor. He was a physical survivor, Before meeting the unique figure of were separated geographically. The being among a small number passion and creativity which of Polish who emerged the and his from the First World War and disciples released into the . In a deeper world took many and, at sense, though, he was a spiri- times, contradictory forms. tual survivor; one of the last of “Reb” Moshe, (a respectful a “vanishing breed.” Moshe term used about him — was a prototypical Chassid, a though never to his face, for Chassidishe Yid of the old the outer trappings of respect school whose every word and were viewed with much dis- deed was the living embodi- dain in the Chassidic circles of ment of the Baal Shem Tov’s his youth) was a Polish holy path. From him young Chassid. This was a particular Chassidim on three continents, type, in no way to be con- spanning the century, would fused with Lithuanian, imbibe the ideas and practices Hungarian, Galician or of their predecessors. Aca d e m i c Ukrainian Chassidim. Moshe theories and scholarly works Gabbai was not your typical about “Hasidism,” with their “Polisher,” but the Chassidic ivory tower detachment, are orientation of that land incapable of capturing what it formed the core of his sensi- means to live as a Chassid. bilities and certainly of his style throughout his life. Rabbi Schiller, author and lecturer, is a He was born in 1896 in maggid shiur at Yeshivah University A rare photo of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Twersky, the Skvera Lodz, a teeming metropolis High School. for whom Moshe Weiss served as “Gabbai.” overflowing with thousands of

JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999 Chassidim and their . This was a It was a grueling regimen. Entire The shtiebel was a unique institution. milieu in which learning, pri- days — of the 12-16 hour variety — Literally it means “room” or “home.” marily and Codes, was seen as would be devoted to learning a few It was occasionally small enough to the first and most necessary ingredient paragraphs in the Shulchan Aruch. qualify as the former. It was always for a Chassid. (“What is Chassidus? It They were studied first in the Tur with the latter. Large segments of the is Abaye and Rova and chesed [i.e. the Beis Yosef commentary, then in Chassid’s life were played out within its Talmudic study and doing kind deeds Shulchan Aruch with Shach and Taz walls. It was there he prayed three for Jews].” This was a somewhat flip- and finally, Pri Megodim. The key was times daily. Prayers were often fol- pant, somewhat reductionist, but review and the forceful, oft-repeated lowed by a “l’chaim,” schnapps and unmistakably Polish Chassidic refrain.) cr y of “Noch a mol! ” [One more time!] cake. This was offered to commemo- Thus, prior to becoming a bar mitz- would inevitably follow the conclusion rate the passing of some righteous per-

vah, the young Moshe was entrusted of all units of study. son, about whom tales would be told by his father, Reb Chaim Peretz, to the Polish Chassidim did not, generally, while partaking of the Spartan repast. care of the latter’s father-in-law, Reb establish yeshivos. It was in the Throughout the day the shtiebel was Pesach Poltiska. Reb Pesachya, as he shtieblach [small, intimate houses of alive with Torah. The very young was called, was an expert in Yoreh worship and study] of the land where would sit side by side with aged schol- Deah and it was in this difficult field the young sat under the tutelage of ars. There were no forms of hierarchy that he spent many marathon sessions elders immersing themselves in the among the learners. They all drank with his grandson. intricacies of Talmud day and night. the same tea throughout the day and

JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999 would eat the same herring, potatoes and trust in God, devotion of one’s Talmudic study and Chassidus. It was or noodles at night. There were no energies to intense Torah study and under his tutelage that Reb Moshe pews or theater seats in the shtiebel. prayer, humility, joy, love of all Jews, acquired an affinity for the Chassidus Long tables and benches were the only and faith in a tzaddik. of Rizhin (with its emphasis on the furniture. Candles lit for prayers or to Throughout his life Reb Moshe tzaddik’s cosmic significance) and the commemorate a tzaddik’s passing would make mention of the Alexander firm sense that sipurei tzaddikim [tales bathed the shtiebel in the silent myster- Rebbe’s greatness, although the latter of rebbes] were not matters to be tri- ies of their flickering illuminations. passed away in 1910 when the young fled with. Reb Gamliel was always In the shtiebel, the major events of Chassid was barely a bar mitzvah. careful to relate a Chassidic tale exactly life were celebrated — bris, Bar Sho r tly after the outbreak of the as he’d heard it with no embellish- Mitzvah, as well as Shalosh Seudos and First World War and its draft, Mos h e ments of fact. In addition, he would Melevah Malkah. And when national was forced to flee the Lodz of his not “tell over” any sipur [tale] which or world news was deemed of signifi- youth. He lived for a brief time in he hadn’t heard from either rebbes or cance to the Jewish community, the where he became attached to elder Chassidim. shtiebel would become the place where the second reb b e of his youth, Reb Years later, when Moshe would sit this news was discussed and analyzed. Shmuel Slo n i m e r . It was there that he at a Melevah Malkah or yahrzeit seu- The atmosphere in Polisher immersed himself in the unique dah [meal in honor of a yahrzeit] and shtieblach was relaxed, almost brash. rhythms of Karlin-Stolin Ch a s s i d u s , of relate a tale, one was struck with his Any outer piety which departed from which Slonim is a derivat i v e. He sat precision of detail. More significantly, communal norms was mocked. long hours among the elder Ch a s s i d i m though, one couldn’t help but be (“How do you know a Jew is doing at their festive gatherings and absorbed overwhelmed with the reverence in his teshuvah? If you see him doing it, you the joy, the songs, the tales and the epi- voice and gesture, the aura of holy know he isn’t; if you don’t, there is a grammatic genius of this Lithuanian quiet which would envelope his listen- possibility he is!” they would say.) Chassidus which creatively fused pas- ers as the sipur would unfold. The Jew sitting next to you need not sion and lucidity. In his later years, Among the illustrious talmidim know of the intensity of your prayer or Reb Moshe spoke constantly of Reb attending the Kishinev yeshivah in the any aspect of piety. The only overt Shmuel Slonimer. His refrain was, early ’20s were the future Rebbes of form of service in Poland was the “Slonim was all heart. And even when Ribnitz (Reb Chaim Zanvil study of Talmud. it was necessary to think deeply, it was Abramowitz) and Skulen (Reb Eliezer If the shtiebel was the Chassid’s spiri- a tifkeit mit hartz” [depth with heart]. Zusya Portugal). Reb Moshe was a tual home, his spiritual father was not chavrusa [study partner] of both of there. The apple of his eye, the rebbe, ventually the them for a long time. The level of generally lived elsewhere. The Chassid upheavals of war Kishinev was most demanding. Few would frequently journey over long caused the young emerged from it without a thorough distances to spend Shabbos or Yom Chassid to continue knowledge of Shas and Shulchan Tov in his rebbe’s company. This jour- his wanderings.E He fled to Russia Aruch. ney itself was part of a process of spiri- wh e r e his travels brought him for a In 1920 Reb Moshe was married in tual transformation, for on the way he brief time to the town of Skv era. Th e Kishinev to Susha Schlachter, the would meet other Chassidim with the Skv era Rebbe at that time was “Reb daughter of a Bialer Chassid. Shortly same destination. Thus united, they Dovi d ’l” whose power ful silence and thereafter he began to give shiurim in would study Torah, tell stories or sing fear of Hea v en wer e matched by his the yeshivah in Gemara and Yoreh till late into the night as they traveled limitless love for Klal Yi s ra e l . It was to Deah. Despite the depth of his pre- as preparation for the awe-inspiring be with Reb Dovi d ’l’s son and grand- sentations, he always devoted some meeting with the tzaddik. son that Moshe would forge extraordi - time daily to the study of Chumash This pure air of Torah and Chassidus na r y bonds in later life. At the Skve r a with Rashi’s commentary. During the of Polish Jewry was all the young Reb b e ’s advice, Moshe journeyed on to week of Parshas Yisro, Gemaras were Moshe breathed during his formative Kishinev to attend the world-ren ow n e d always closed. The entire week was years. While his son was yet a child, yeshivah there. devoted to in-depth study of that fun- Reb Chaim Peretz took him along The Kishinev yeshivah had gone damental sidra (in which the giving of whenever he would visit his rebbe, Reb through several periods of growth and the Torah is related) with the entire Yisrael Yitzchok Yerachmiel, the noted decline in its existence. It flourished commentaries of Rashi, Or HaChaim second Rebbe of Alexander. The immediately after the First World War. and Ramban. Rebbe’s foremost work, Yismach At its head was Reb Gamliel, a In Kishinev, Reb Moshe once again Yisrael, is a classic which emphasizes Tschortkover Chassid. He fused bekius came into contact with the Skvera all the basic tenets of Chassidus – faith and amkus [breadth and depth] in his dynasty. The surviving children of

JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999 Reb Dovid’l Skvera had fled there in was far from naïve, and not every “M y zei d a was a Ch a s s i d , my father was the winter of 1920. Reb Itzikel rebbe who crossed his path received his a Ch a s s i d and I am a Ch a s s i d .” Th i s Twersky, the Rebbe’s first born from loyalty — yet all the customs and refrain summed up the man. his second marriage, was the Skvera statements of those who did were for- After the war, Reb Moshe accompa- Rebbe of Kishinev. Reb Yaakov ever meaningful to him. nied the Skvera Rebbe as the latter Yoseph, his younger brother, also lived After the Shtefineshter’s passing, the made his way across Europe, with there. It was at this time that Reb next rebbe who would be the object of America as their destination. In Moshe made the acquaintance of this Reb Moshe’s loyalty and love was to Antwerp, though, a tragedy intervened saintly prodigy who would eventually transcend all those who came before, which caused Reb Moshe to be sepa- become the most world-renowned of and even a few who were still to fol- rated from his Rebbe for many years all Skvera Rebbes. low. Reb Yaakov Yosef Twersky had to come. The incident was never spo- It was from Kishinev that Reb moved from Kishinev to Kolarash in ken about by him in later years and to Moshe would journey to a rebbe who 1927 and begun his service as rebbe this day is somewhat shrouded in leg- in many ways was very different from there. In the winter of 1933-’34 he end and conflicting reports. These are those rebbes of Poland and Lithuania settled in Yassy, a major Rumanian the bare bones of the story: Reb whom he had known previously. Reb metropolis. Reb Moshe had moved Moshe’s only son Chaim was a teenag- Avraham Matisyahu of Shtefineshter in there in order to accept the position er at the time. He fell off a trolley and Rumania had succeeded his father, which would forever give him one of hit his head. His situation deteriorat- Reb Menachem Nachum, in 1869. his nicknames — Gabbai. From that ed rapidly. His brain was irreparably The young rebbe was only 20 at the winter till 1948, Reb Moshe was the damaged. The Rebbe’s travel date to time. Over the following 64 years, he Skvera Rebbe’s loyal attendant. He America arrived. Reb Moshe would was to become the most popular rebbe took care of the needs of the Rebbe have to stay behind to care for his son. in Rumania. The first Shtefineshter and his family and deeply involved Apparently there was some form of was a son of Reb Yisrael of Rizhin. himself in the process of greeting, con- treatment or doctor there who held Unlike their counterparts to the north, soling and, in many cases, educating out the possibility of recovery. the Rebbes of Rizhin were most pri- the Jews who flocked to the Rebbe’s Antwerp became Reb Moshe’s home. vate when it came to their Torah learn- door. And flock they did from all seg- It was there that he made the ing, but quite public with their great ments of Rumanian Jewry, even those acquaintance of Belzer Chassidim who love of every Jew. This became mani- who were far removed from a Torah had a shtiebel in the city. In the early fest during their endless hours of pri- life. Undaunted, the Rebbe, schooled ’50s, Reb Moshe joined them on sev- vate counseling and frequent miracu- in the Torah asceticism of his father’s eral trips to where the Belzer lous assistance to suffering Jews of home and Reb Moshe, scholar and Rov, Reb Aharon had settled. Thus, every type. The Rizhiner Rebbe was a “Chassidishe amkan,” managed to when his aged in-laws and daughter very private person but his record of engage all who came to their door on asked him to settle in in the wonders spread far and wide. Tens of whatever level was appropriate. There mid-’50s, he did so. After all, the thousands flocked to his doorstep. were many baalei teshuvah who Belzer Rov would be there. Besides, Indeed, secular historians note that emerged from this period, and even he continued the custom he had after his passing in 1933 the town’s those incapable of carrying through begun a few years before of writing economy never recovered. the process to its conclusion would daily to the Skvera Rebbe. The latter carry the impression of the loving had by this time (1956) moved out of eb Moshe was rebbe and his loyal gabbai throughout New York City and founded the all- in Shtefinesht on their lives. Chassidic village of New Square. every Yom Tov. Yassy was particularly hard hit by the In Israel, Reb Moshe assumed the His stays there wa r ’s savag e r y. In one historic pogrom role he would have the rest of his life wouldR extend for weeks as, immersed over 12,000 Jews wer e killed. Yet , — spreading Torah to one and all and in Torah and prayer, he attempted to despite the precariousness of the situa- teaching Chassidus to the next genera- absorb a bit of the holiness which tion and the Reb b e ’s eventual deporta - tion as he had received it from his emanated from the Rebbe. Faith, love tion (he was one of the few who sur- rebbes. He followed the Belzer Rov and nonverbal instruction were the vi v ed the infamous “death train”) Reb until the latter’s passing in 1957 and means of teaching in Rizhin. Moshe remained a Ch a s s i d : jo y, faith, thereafter returned to his Polish roots, Above all else, Reb Moshe was a hu m i l i t y , study and prayer wer e the attaching himself to the Gerer Rebbe. believer. Once he decided that a rebbe center of his existence and he brou g h t This was an extraordinary period in was worthy of his devotion, nothing this indefatigable spirit to all those his life. He was regarded as one of the was ever to be called into question ar ound him. Time and again, then old generation of Chassidim in , thereafter. It should be noted that he and in later years, he would proc l a i m , and Slonim. The younger genera-

JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999 tion flocked to his side. He was ready from the oldest baalei batim to chil- and comfort were just not in his at any time of day or night to learn. dren from cheder, always with the same vocabulary. I never saw him down or All masechtos in Shas were familiar to enthusiasm and fire. Every word had defeated. He was always there to him. And on Shabbosim and Yomim to be translated and understood. Of learn, tell a story or playfully insult Tovim he’d dazzle the next generation course, during the tisch itself all the you. His only negativism was to insti- with tales of the old Chassidim and the above activities ceased. Reb Moshe sat tutional authority of which he was vast array of rebbes he’d known. at the opposite end of the table from highly skeptical. If you were wealthy, Finally in the early ’60s, with the the Rebbe and viewed every second of a rosh kehillah or rosh yeshivah you’d passing of the elderly folk of his this holy event as demanding his undi- have to prove to him that the position immediate family and his son institu- vided awe and attention. I can still see had not gone to your head before he’d tionalized and no longer able to recog- him Friday night, after the conclusion be willing to call you a “parach.” nize him, he set out on the last of his of the tisch, even at 2:00 in the morn- His faith in the Skv era Rebbe was pilgrimages. He went to America or, ing, gathering anyone who was inter- absolute. He davened with the Reb b e ’s better stated, to New Square, where ested to his side to learn yet “noch a minyan th r ee times a day. He accom- the spirit of the old country still lived. mol.” panied the Rebbe on all trips out of Mechal Direnfeld, an electrician New Squ a r e. On the bitter day of 2 whose charity and good deeds knew e was a never- Nisan, 5728 (1968), he mourned the no bounds, provided Reb Moshe and ending whirl of passing of the Rebbe upon whom he his rebbetzin with a modest apartment energy and based so much of his life. Imm e d i a t e l y , in his basement. His true home, enthusiasm. he transferred his loyalty to the though, was in the yeshivah, shul and MeetingH him on the street was an Rebbe’s only son, the current Rebbe. the Skvera Rebbe’s hoyf [courtyard]. It experience. He’d slap you on the back Thus Reb Moshe spanned three gener- was there that he shaped the minds or on top of your hat, careful to crush ations of devotion to Skvera Rebbes and hearts of so many in New Square. it in the process. Everyone was beginning with his Shabbos spent in It was in New Square that I encoun- referred to in the rough and tumble Skvera in the Ukraine of WWI. tered Reb Moshe during my first visits egalitarian parlance of Polish Over the years, I was convinced that there in 1964. A window into what Chassidim as “chonyuck” [disheveled], Reb Moshe had lived through so much this man was may be gleaned from his or a “parach” [a speck of dust]. At because he was destined to welcome Shabbos schedule: Although he most times the slap on the back would be Mashiach. Sadly it was not to be. He assuredly ate and slept, these activities accompanied with an exhortation to passed away on Shabbos, the 22nd of were fairly minor items on a day “vax a Chassid” [may you grow to be a Teves, 5733 (1973). The funeral was devoted to the study of Chumash with Chassid] or “vax a layt” [grow to on Motzei Shabbos on a bitter cold the commentary of Rashi and the Or become a decent fellow]. Invariably evening. At its conclusion, many HaChaim. He never missed nor came he’d invite you to some yahrzeit seudah returned to shul for a very lonely late to the Rebbe’s tisch, as far as I can to mark the passing of a rebbe. Melevah Malkah. recall. At the time of candle-lighting, His Mel a va h Mal k a h s over the yea r s His smile and laugh are with me to he was already in shul with a group wer e largely attended by older men this day, as well as his defiant and joy- gathered around him, immersed in whose weekdays wer e devoted to earning ous proclamation, “Ich bin a Chassid!” study. This lasted about an hour until a living. Reb Moshe was their favorite as To the degree that thousands of others davening began. After davening, dur- well. Together with them he’d “sh e c h t a around the world and their disciples of ing the 10-15 minutes that it took for he r r i n g ” and store it in oil for weeks on all ages can in some small way say the the congregation to file by the Reb b e end in order to get it to ideal herring same, we have Reb Moshe “Gabbai” in order to wish him a good Sha b b o s , “qu a l i t y .” His basic Mel e va h Mal k a h z”l to thank. once again a group gathered arou n d menu never deviated — old ch a l l a h , her- For the modern Jew whose cultural Reb Moshe and a few more “Or ring and tea. Occasionally the menu context is much different than Reb HaC h a i m s ” would be learnt. No mat- expanded to include cooked fish. Th e Moshe’s, the task as we view his life is ter how quickly you ’d finish your meal, or der of events never varied. Bet we e n to look beyond externals. It is to look by the time you ’d get back to the sh u l songs, Reb Moshe would relate tales and at the man’s essence. There we discov- for the Reb b e ’s ti s c h , Reb Moshe would sayings of reb b e s . Afterwa r ds, the entire er the lasting legacy of the Baal Shem once again be there. Sur ro u n d e d by gr oup would dance in circle. Dep e n d i n g Tov. There we find faith and joy in anywhere from 2-30 disciples, he’d on how things went, the Melaveh the face of all adversity; we find cama- work his way through the most com- Malkah could last anywhere from a raderie capable of carrying us through plex Or HaChaims. Again and again, half hour to two or three. It didn’t life’s confusions; we find Torah as the throughout Shabbos, this process was matter how many people were there or final healer of souls and ultimately we repeated. He learned with everyone, what time of night it was. Popularity find a loving, personal God.

JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999