He shrugged his shoulders and made a helpless movement with his hands.
“What is there to write about me? What could I tell you? I am only a “poshute” (plain) Jew.”
If we would not have seen him before the unassuming tone of his words and his sincere modesty could have deceived us.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein regards himself as a ‘poshute’ Jew who has nothing extraordinary to tell about himself — but tens of thousands of his fellow Jews do not share this opinion.
There are many rabbis in the United States. Many occupy important positions as spiritual leaders and instructors- but only a few among them are regarded as great enough in knowledge and authority to be able to offer advice and render decisions of practical religious law. Rabbi Feinstein is one of them
From far and near, from throughout the States as well as from abroad, the inquiries are addressed to him. Some of the inquiries stem from the use of modern instruments and appliances. Others relate to problems of family life, marriage and divorce in which only competent and authoritative rabbis are permitted to rule.”
“How many inquiries do you receive each week?” we asked.
“I wish I could answer all of them” he answered with a smile.
He really answers all of them. The difficult ones and the more difficult ones. His replies are unusually not very short. Sometimes they are even very long. He spares neither effort nor time to explain and to elucidate to the inquirer all the aspects of the problem. Some of his many replies have been published. They fill four handsome volumes and carry the title “Iggerot Moshe”, the “Letters of Moshe”. The title is characteristic of the modesty of the man. His replies are neither decisions nor rules, but “letters” in which he offers his views and opinions.
His responsa cover different fields of Jewish religious law, yet through all of them shines his desire to help the inquirer and to find a solution to which he would be able to adjust himself.
We remarked on his tendency to “ease the Law”. “Isn’t it our duty to help the inquirer as much as we can,” he answered meekly.
Rabbi Feinstein regards himself as a “poshute” Jew and is very reluctant to dress himself in the cloak of authority. Yet there was a time when he carried proudly and demonstratively the title of rabbi and regarded it as his solemn duty to proclaim openly his authority.
For a period of fifteen years from 1921 until 1935 he was rabbi in Luban, Russia. It was during this period that the Soviet regime began to embark on its drives against organized religions. Many synagogues, Jewish slaughter houses and religious schools were ordered closed. Rabbis and other Jewish religious functionaries were special targets of the anti-religious campaigns. In Eastern Europe, the rabbi’s house belonged to the community. After the revolution all assets of the community were declared property of the state and as a consequence thereof rabbis were driven from their homes. In the beginning of the nineteen thirties many rabbis were arrested throughout Russia. A short time later the regime made a concerted effort to bring about the abdication of Jewish religious leaders. For some time rabbis were subjected to excessive taxation. Non-payment of the taxes mean arrest or deportation. Many rabbis who were not able to raise the money for the payment of the taxes resigned from their posts.
Rabbi Feinstein did not resign. He told the leaders of his community to pay all his salary as taxes to the authorities and he and his family subsisted meagerly on aid they received from abroad.
“How could we resign. It was our duty to serve as example to our communities. We were called upon to show our communities that we were ready to serve them even if it meant hardship and danger.”
It was while he was speaking of this period in his life, that we could perceive a faint trace of pride in his voice.
“In the place where there is no man, try to be a man.”
It was in times of persecution that rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who regards himself as a poshute Jew, carried proudly his rabbinical authority.
In 1935 Rabbi Feinstein and his family were allowed to emigrate. They stayed temporarily in Riga and then came to these shores. Here in New York Rabbi Feinstein developed the Yeshiva nd Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim into on of the greatest and most important in America. He serves not only as its spiritual leader and guide but also devotes much of his time to mobilize funds for it upkeep — and in addition thereto offers his “opinions” and “view” on Jewish religious law to the many inquirers who to him from far and near.
While we were conversing with him, he was called several times to the phone. Were these inquiries addressed to him? Were these calls in connection with his spiritual leadership of the Yeshiva or with some of the many other public affairs in which he participates. We did not ask. We just felt that we were robbing the man of his precious time.
When we parted from him. he shrugged again his shoulders and made a helpless movement with his hands: “What is there to write about me? What could I tell you? I am only a Poshute Jew.”
The Jewish Press Friday, July 27, 1962