Moshe Feinstein

• Born: March 3, 1895
• Birthplace: Uzda, near Minsk, Russian Empire (now in Belarus)
• Died: March 23, 1986
• Place of death: New York, New York

Russian-born rabbi, religious leader, and theologian

With his extensive knowledge of the Torah, the Talmud, and halacha, Feinstein served Orthodox Judaism as a posek (authority) on the law, giving opinions on a broad spectrum of issues.

Area of achievement: Religion and theology

Early Life

Moshe Feinstein (MOH-sheh FIN-stin) was born in Uzda, near Minsk, in the Russian Empire, on March 3, 1895. His parents were Rabbi David Feinstein and Feige Gittel. Moshe Feinstein’s father was particularly concerned about providing the best possible Jewish education for his son. Therefore, Feinstein received his first education from his father and from tutors. Even before Feinstein was of elementary school age, his father had taught him all of the Chumash, or Torah (Pentateuch, or first five books of the Old Testament). In order for him to receive more personal attention, his father arranged to subsidize a teacher, so that the group of students taught by the teacher could be limited to five instead of the customary ten. At the age of twelve, Feinstein began attending yeshivas, or schools, first at Slutzk and later at Shklov. At the schools he had the opportunity to study with Rabbi Isser Zelman Meltzer and Pesach Prushkin. In 1916, Feinstein was ordained a rabbi, and in 1921 he became the rabbi of Luban, Russia. In 1922, he married Sima Kustenovich. While living in Luban, the couple had three children, Faye Gittel, Shifra, and David; a fourth child, Reuven, was born in the United States. The ever-increasing anti-Jewish sentiment of the communist government convinced Feinstein that his family would be safer elsewhere. After several years of working to obtain papers to immigrate to the United States, Feinstein and his family finally received authorization to do so in 1937.

Life’s Work

Upon arriving in the United States, the family first settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where Feinstein held a position as a lecturer on the Talmud (writings composing Jewish civil and religious law) at the yeshiva of Rabbi Yehudah Levenberg. However, Feinstein was not really content in Cleveland, and after a short period of time he moved, with the help of Rabbi Israel Rosenberg, to New York City’s lower East Side. In 1938, upon the death of Rabbi Yoseph Adler, the leader of the Mesvita Tiferet Jerusalem yeshiva located on the lower East Side, Feinstein was chosen to replace him as head of the yeshiva. Feinstein held the position for almost fifty years. He also established a branch of the yeshiva in Staten Island, New York.

Feinstein was intensely dedicated to his work as a teacher, a scholar, and a student of the Talmud and of halacha (Jewish religious law). He was a follower of Orthodox Judaism, but within the confines of Orthodox doctrine he espoused a tolerant and liberal attitude. Feinstein possessed an extensive and in-depth knowledge of Judaism, was an expert on both the Torah and the Talmud, and had an exceptional ability to analyze questions related to Jewish law and religion. As a result, by the mid-1940’s, he was regarded as a major American authority on the Talmud. During the 1950’s, his reputation as an authority on the Jewish religion continued to grow, and he was viewed as one of the most significant scholars of halacha in the world. Feinstein did not shy away from giving opinions on controversial issues in the fields of science, technology, and medicine. He wrote almost two thousand responses, expressing his opinion on a wide variety of issues in respect to Jewish law. These were collected in his Igrot Moshe (1959) series. He also wrote commentaries on the Talmud and collected them in his Dibrot Moshe (1983).

In addition to his scholarly work and role as a posek (authority) on Jewish texts and law, Feinstein played an active role in the organizations of the American Jewish community. He served as chairman of Moetzet Gedolei Ha-Torah of the Agudath Israel of America from 1960 until the time of his death. He was president of the Union of American Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada. Feinstein was also a member of the Rabbinical Administrative Board of Torah u’ Mesorah, National Society of Hebrew Day Schools. As a leader both in the American Jewish community and in worldwide Judaism, Feinstein took a particular interest in developments in Israel and played an important role in 1953 in the founding of, and later in the direction of, the Chinuch Atzmai, an alternative school system in Israel for the children of Orthodox Jews. Feinstein died at the age of ninety-one on March 23, 1986, in New York City. His funeral brought out almost 150,000 mourners. His body was taken to Israel for burial.

Significance

Feinstein was so revered and admired by the Jewish community that he was often called “the Great One of the generation.” He was highly respected even by those who disagreed with his opinions. Feinstein adjucated all questions presented to him, from those as personal as should a blind man be allowed to take his guide dog into the synagogue to those as controversial as medical ethics. Feinstein’s application of his knowledge of Jewish law to questions arising from new scientific discoveries and technological and medical advancements gave Judaism a significant impact on the modern world.

Bibliography

Finkelman, Shimon, and Nosson Scherman. Reb Moshe: The Life and Ideals of Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Mesorah, 1986. Good biography of Feinstein. Recounts his life and examines his beliefs and guiding principles.

Raphael, Marc Lee. Judaism in America. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. Good for an overview of Judaism and for understanding the milieu in which Feinstein worked. Includes glossary and selected further readings.

Zemer, Moshe, and Justice Haim Cohen. Evolving Halakhak: A Progressive Approach to Traditional Jewish Law. Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights, 2003. A thorough investigation of Jewish law. Chapter 27 presents a critique of Feinstein’s rulings.