A synagogue in Slutsk
The Rav of Luban
In 1920 he became rav of Luban. In Luban there was a group of men called the Chevra Shas. They would divide among themselves the entire Shas yearly, to be completed each Chanukah. In his sefer Drash Moshe many of Reb Moshe's droshos at these occasions are printed there.
In those years, the Bolsheviks — later Communists — threw Russia into a civil war and later took over. Reb Moshe continued to serve as rov, undeterred and miraculously unharmed.
In 1921 he married the daughter of the shochet and mohel of Luban. Rebbetzin Sima (Kastonowitz) remained Reb Moshe's faithful partner for the next 64 years. She bore him five children: three boys and two girls.
The oldest, Pesach Chaim, died as an infant, of a whooping cough. About a certain piece in his sefer Dibros Moshe Reb Moshe says: "Said at the seudas bris of my son Pesach Chaim who was taken from us due to our many sins on the fifth of Elul 5686/1926 and who will be returned to us at the time of techiyas hameisim."
Reb Moshe continued to serve in Luban until his departure to the U.S. in 1936.
Meanwhile, conditions worsened in Communist Russia. Chadorim and shuls were closed down. Many rabbonim were sent to Siberia. Others resigned due to the Communist pressures. Every time a rov resigned the Soviets would publicize the news in all the media, saying that "another black hat rabbi has seen the true light." As a result Reb Moshe would not resign since he held that this would cause a public chilul Hashem and thus it was forbidden for him to resign even at the risk of death.
Around 1930, Reb Moshe was forced to give up his home due to an exorbitant clergy tax and other harassments. Reb Moshe, the Rebbetzin a'h and their young children, along with the Rebbetzin's parents, were forced to live in the last remaining shul in Luban. It was known as the Schneider's Shul. Reb Moshe however continued his diligence in Torah study. In later years he used to say that during this period, he learned to study Torah amid all distractions. He also continued all this time writing his chidushei Torah.
In 1936 the government took over the Schneider's Shul. Ignoring the risk involved, the old shoemaker of Luban took the family into his home. About this Yid the Rebbetzin said, "He was fluent in all of Shas. During the time we lived in the shul I would see the two of them learning through the night."
The accommodations of the shoemaker were not much at all. The Feinsteins lived in the kitchen. They slept behind planks from the barn which were erected near the stove as makeshift walls.
Leaving for America
Though the pressure was growing, Reb Moshe was still very hesitant about leaving Russia. Since he was the only practicing rav in the area, he felt an obligation to stay and guide the Jews there. He only sought to immigrate after it became clear that there was no alternative.
Time after time Reb Moshe's applications for a visa were rejected. Once he even disguised himself as a peasant and slipped into Moscow to try to procure a visa, but was unsuccessful. While in Moscow he spent whatever time that was not needed for his mission in the local beis midrash studying Torah. There he blended in with the other local Jews.
One night while studying he became so engrossed that he didn't realize the late hour. When he finally looked up at the clock it was way past midnight. Realizing that it was too late to return to his lodging for fear that he may wake someone, he decided to spend the night in the beis midrash.
The next morning Reb Moshe was greeted with incredible news. The previous night the secret police raided the homes in the district in search of those who had gained illegal entry to the city. By not returning to his lodging he had escaped discovery and certain arrest.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. efforts went underway to free Reb Moshe and his family. Reb Moshe's sister, Rebbetzin Chana Small of Chicago, Rebbetzin Sima's brother Rav Nechemia Katz of Toledo, Ohio, and their sister Rebbetzin Zlata Levovitz from New York, all worked to help the Feinsteins to freedom.
With the help of Hashem yisborach, after much effort (and thanks to many U.S. Congressmen) on Rosh Chodesh Elul 1936, the Feinstein family bid the Jews of Luban a sad farewell. Many dear ones remained behind, including Reb Moshe's in-laws, who were later killed by the Nazis ym'sh. His brother Reb Mordechai, ravad of Shklov, was taken from his Shavuos yom tov table and sent to Siberia where he died. Many others were also left behind. Reb Moshe also left behind many manuscripts.
First they went to Moscow to pick up exit visas. Then they continued their way through Riga in Latvia. In Riga, Reb Moshe was invited to succeed the Rogatchover Gaon as Rav of Dvinsk. Reb Moshe declined and continued on his way to the U.S.
He finally arrived in the United States in Shvat 1937. In the New York harbor he was met by a number of prominent rabbonim who had come to welcome the forty year old gaon of Luban.
Soon after he arrived, Reb Moshe was invited to deliver a number of shiurim in the New York area. However, although he impressed all by his genius, it still did not win him a position teaching Torah. One yeshiva did offer him a respectable position, however, he declined fearing that a certain member of the hanholo would resent his appointment as an infringement on his own position.
Opportunities to serve as a rov were also difficult to find. Reb Moshe still did not let his spirits be broken by the bleak forecasts of others. He was determined to earn his parnossoh in the field of Torah and chinuch.
Approximately a year later he was called to serve as rosh yeshiva of Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. For next 49 years he served in that capacity officially, and unofficially as the poseik hador.
MTJ-Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem
What is a Gaon?
HaGaon Rav Avrohom Pam related that he once had the opportunity to be present at a matzo bakery when Reb Moshe was there. Rav Pam figured that he had perhaps an opportunity to learn some chidush in halocho — after all, Reb Moshe was an ish halocho, and from observing his actions one was able to learn a din or many dinim.
However, Rav Pam said that he could hardly keep his eyes on him. Like a dart, he ran with such speed from the rolling of the dough to the oven to the cleaning of the sticks to the packaging — back and forth. Rav Pam concluded by saying that a gaon is not merely one who has a supernatural mind. A gaon is one who is blessed with a full array of superhuman kochos.
Cherishing Each Moment
Reb Moshe would never be seen walking (aside from on Shabbos or when he was with the Rebbetzin o'h). He was always running. Yet his running was not because he was rushing, for he wasn't late at all. Rather it was out of enthusiasm and vigor to perform a mitzva.
Reb Moshe wouldn't let a second be wasted. HaRav Avrohom Chinitz zt'l, a rav in east New York many years ago who grew up with Reb Moshe, remembers that Reb Moshe's hasmodoh even as a child was unbelievable. He was never found outside the beis hamedrash. When boys would see him in the street — obviously going to or coming from the beis hamedrash — they would invite him to join in their games. Reb Moshe would give them a warm smile, but the next thing they knew he was at his destination.
Reb Chaim Volozhiner once said that people think that the vast knowledge of the Vilna Gaon was unbelievable. The truth however is that the toil in Torah of the Gaon was more unbelievable. Similarly it may be said of Reb Moshe. As much as his breadth of Torah knowledge was mind boggling, his yegiya and ameilus were even more so.
Those who saw Reb Moshe in his later years will never forget how he utilized every second. During the breaks in krias haTorah it was amazing how many perakim of mishnayos he would learn. Right after the oleh finished his last brocho, Reb Moshe could be seen sitting totally engrossed in the mishnayos. When the next oleh would begin Borchu, in a flash he would rise. Then will full concentration he was engrossed in the Torah reading. When he took off his tefillin, he also learned mishnayos.
After Reb Moshe fell ill, the doctor ordered him to take a rest during the day. Reb Moshe was very sad about this. He felt that it interrupted his day, which began before 4:30 a.m. and went straight till nearly midnight. However, for the benefit of his health he would lay down for the bare minimum of time: half an hour. Even then, he put a sefer novi at his bedside. As soon as the half hour was up, he quickly got out of bed, and while putting on his shoes he would open the novi to the right place. Then he would hurry to the sink to wash his hands. Over the sink there was a shelf on which he would place the open novi. While holding the place with his chin, he washed. After he washed he would walk with his eyes in the sefer, making his way to the table.
The catastrophe of losing a second of time from Torah learning was, to Reb Moshe, the difference between a talmid chochom and an am ho'oretz. Once a talmid of the Yeshiva of Staten Island had a problem which had to be discussed with the Rosh Hayeshiva. He approached Reb Moshe asking, "Perhaps the Rosh Hayeshiva has some time..."
"Time?" Reb Moshe exclaimed. "What do you mean? I have to learn Torah or else I'll be an am ho'oretz!"
Toras Chaim
To Reb Moshe every bit of Torah was a bit of life. He would learn with vigor for hours and hours on end as though pills of life were being injected into him. It didn't make a difference if it was a gemora he had already learned hundreds of times before. He would learn it like a first time. He said every word aloud, carefully and diligently, in the singsong of gemora learning. If he were reading a posuk in Chumash he would read it carefully with the trop and the correct pronunciation, also out loud. It was Toras chaim — it was his life.
HaRav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt'l once pointed out to some young bnei Torah: "Do you know he said why Reb Moshe is greater than us (implying himself)? Because when he learns he never sits leaning on the back of the chair."
Reb Moshe held that the bit of relaxation one has by leaning back on a chair also relieves his mind somewhat. This he considered bitul Torah. Since the learner is not exerting himself to his fullest, he reduces the quality of the learning. For this reason, he made sure in both of his yeshivos to have only tables and no shtenders.
When Reb Moshe learned he became so involved, with such intense concentration, that he was totally oblivious to his surroundings and to the passage of time. In his later years when he was feeling weak and needed constant attention to his health, his devoted rebbetzin would have to interrupt him after some time to tell him to pick his head up and relax for a couple of minutes.
End of Part 1
