Twenty-five years ago he was known in the Yeshiva world of Israel as the “Ilui from London”. Now, at the young age of 48, he is regarded as one of the outstanding Torah scholars of the country. His magnum opus “Moadim Uzemanim” is well-known to all serious students of the Torah.
I have known him for many years. I met him on numerous occasions and in different places: in London, Jerusalem, New York. I often recall with pleasure my ‘bumping into him’ in Paris. He was walking in the street with his Tefillin in his hand. “Moishe, what are you doing here?” I asked in surprise. He told me that he had made a brief stop on his way from London to Montreux.
When he was still living in London, he occasionally travelled to Switzerland to visit relatives, to lecture at the Yeshiva Etz Chayyim of Montreux, which had been founded by his uncle, the late Rabbi Elya Botschko, and to be in the company of the late Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg and Rabbi Mordechai Progamansky.
The day we met in Paris we walked for hours through the streets of the French capital talking about a variety of subjects.
Reb Moishe is the scion of a distinguished family. His father traced his descent to the Gaon of Vilna, and Reb Moishe stresses this yichus on the title pages of his publications. His mother is a descendant of Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Eidels (Maharsha), Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (author of Hafla’ah) and Rabbi Ephraim Zalman Margolioth.
He attended an English school and was for ten years a student at the Schneider Yeshiva in London. In 1950 he came to Israel. He studied at the Yeshiva of Hebron, but spent much of his time with the great Torah luminaries of the Holy city, especially with Rabbi Yitzchak Zev (Velvel) Soloveichik of Brisk and Rabbi Dov Berish Weidenfeld of Tchebin, who were greatly impressed with the young man’s deep Talmudic knowledge. He was also an often guest of the Rebbe of Gur and frequently visited the Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak. The latter arranged the shidduch between him and Jaffa, the daughter of Reb Yaakov Shechter.
After his marriage he lived in Jerusalem, serving for many years as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hamatmidim in Meah Shearim.
In 1964 he founded at the request of Rabbi Yecheskel Abramsky a Kollel in Rosh Ha’ayin. Rosh Hay’ayin is a township east of Petach Tikvah. It is inhabited by Yemenites and the Kollel was founded there in order to strengthen and further the religious life of the local population. Five years later, after the Kollel had been firmly established, Reb Moishe felt free to relinquish its active leadership so that he could devote himself to other tasks.
During his lifetime the late Rabbi Aaron Kotler had on many occasions spoken of the necessity of establishing in Rosh Ha’ayin a Yeshiva for Yemenite youngsters. It was with Reb Aaron Kotler’s words in mind, that Reb Moishe established six years ago in Rosh Ha’ayin a yeshiva for boys from the age of 14. The yeshiva is named “Mishkan Moshe” for the late young son of Rabbi Hassan Zekharya, a Yemenite Hacham of Rosh Ha’ayin, who had donated to the yeshiva a plot of land and an unfinished building, and is financially supported by the American Peylim and Rabbi Nethanel Quinn and a group of rabbis and students of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath of New York. Most of the students of Mishkan Moshe are Yemenites, the rest are Moroccans. This year the Yeshiva was enlarged to include a Mesivta for younger students.
Reb Moishe, who carries a library in his head and whose wide knowledge is astonishing, has always been a matmid, but he was never a “bookworm” in the accepted sense of the word. He has always been alert to happenings in the Jewish world and has evinced great interest in Jewish public affairs. In recent years he has increasingly written and spoken out on problems affecting religious Jews. He is outspoken, original and of independent mind. You need not always agree with him, but you cannot but marvel at the way he presents his views and at the force of his arguments.
I have not seen him for years. The last time I had met him was several years ago when he came to New York at the invitation of the American Peylim. He spoke in Boro Park. Many who came to hear him did not know him personally, but knew him from his book, “Moadim Uzemanim.” At the meeting they learned that Reb Moishe wasn’t only a great talmid chacham, but also an excellent and graceful speaker.
On my recent visit to Israel, I thought it was high time to see Reb Moishe again. So, one day we descended from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak and invaded Reb Moishe’s home on Chafetz Chayyim Street. It was indeed an “invasion,” for there were quite a number of us. My wife and two of our children and my friend Moshe Feller, the noted publisher, who had kindly volunteered to drive us to Bnei Brak. While already at Reb Moishe’s home, we phoned Mechel Flam, a nephew, who studies at Ponevez, to join us.
It is a measure of the hospitality of Rebbetzin Jaffa Sternbuch that she wasn’t overwhelmed at all by the sudden invasion. In an instant, everything was ready for the guests and we sat down for a long and friendly talk.
(To be continued)
Jewish Press, January 9, 1976
Tall, a youthful face graced by a blond beard, clear blue eyes, quick of movement, a smile curling around his lips, Reb Moshe had not changed over the years. Only his beard was a little longer and fuller.
He told me of the development of the Yeshiva, he had founded in Rosh HaAyin. It was a Yeshiva for Yemenites. “It is the only place in the country where all Yemenite synagogues customs are fully observed,” Reb Moshe remarked. The Yeshiva had made good progress.
He praised the help he received from the American Pe’lim and from Rabbi Netanel Quinn and his circle of Torah Vodaath rabbis and students.
(After my return to New York, I phoned Rabbi Quinn. He told me that he had been recently in Israel and had visited “Yeshiva Mishkan Moshe”).
In the Yeshiva there were in addition to to Yemenite students, also a number of Moroccans. This created a Halachic problem. The Torah scrolls used by the Yemenites contain certain changes which according to the tradition of other communities, would make the Sefer unfit (pasul) for use. The question therefore arose, whether members of other communities, the Moroccans in our case, fulfilled the duty of “Kriath HaTorah by listening to the reading from a scroll which was unfit according to their traditions. Reb Moshe devoted himself to this problem and he pubiished a book on the laws of the writing of Torah scrolls Tefillin and Mezuzoth.
The book appeared five years ago and I admit that I had not see it before. it wasn’t the only book published in recent years by Rabbi Sternbuch which I wasn’t aware of
I knew of course of his magnum opus “”Moadim Uzemanim,” of which six parts have appeared thus far and which had been printed and reprinted time and again. The first part of this work which contains “Hiddushim” on the laws of the festivals appeared first in 1964, but I had known of it years before. Back in the 1950s Moshe had published a volume in stencil.
One day, it was in the early fifties, we made up to meet in the editorial offices of the daily HaModia” where I then worked. Moishe happened to have with him, the stenciled volume of “Moadim Uzemanim”. It was before Passover and at HaModia we were busy preparing the enlarged festival issue. I leafed through Reb Moshe’s volume. There were quite a number of chapters dealing with Pesach. We chose one of them and put it into the paper. Thus the Agudist daily was the first to print a chapter of “Moadim Uzemani” which in the last decade has become a household word with Yeshiva students through the world.
Talking about Passover, we must make mention of Reb Moshe’s edition of the Passover Haggadah with Hiddushim and comments of his own. The book which was published first in 1962 was several times reprinted.
Another book of his which enjoyed a large circulation was his treatise on the laws of Shemitta. It had three impressions. 10,000 copies were published.
His book on the laws of Jewish family life was a “best seller.” Eight editions, 22,000 copies thus far. Recently a shortened version of the book appeared in English.
His other publications include a volume, the first in a series on the decisions and customs of the Gaon of Vilna and booklets and treatises on contemporary Halakic problems, such as transplants, civil marriages and more.
When I ased Reb Moshe some details about the various editions of his books, he referred me to his wife.
“What’s that, I asked in amazement, “You remember so much and you don’t remember the amounts of the various editions of your books?”
“It isn’t so,’ he answered. My wife is in charge of the printing and sales, and thus she knows all the details.”
Rebbetzin Sternbuch was then engrossed in a talk with my wife– the two had known each other for twenty years since they were roommates after giving birth at Jerusalem’s Shaarei Tzedek–but both later joined our conversation.
Jaffa Sternbuch is a veritable Eshet Chayil. She keeps home, is a co-manager of a large leather business which her late father had established in Tel Aviv — my wife and daughter later visited her there, and saw her in “command” of tens of employees — is the publisher of her husband’s books and is a well known and much wanted lecturer on family laws.
Reb Moshe, of course, in addition to serving as head of “Mishkan Moshe” and devoting himself to his publications, is often called upon to give Shiurim or lectures on contemporary problems in various Yeshivas and localities.
We left Rabbi Sternbuch late in the evening. When I carried a bundle of his new books to the car outside, I had a feeling that on my next visit to him, I would take home a fresh pack of newly published books, for his pen, like his mind is never at rest.
The Jewish Press, Friday, January 16,1976.