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{{Infobox Person
| name = Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
| image = Reb Moshe Feinstein.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
| birth_date = {{birth date|1895|3|3}}
| birth_place = Uzda, [[Belarus]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1986|3|23|1895|3|3}}
| death_place = [[New York, NY]]
| death_cause =
| resting_place = [[Har HaMenuchot]], [[Israel]]
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|31.8|N|35.1833333|E}}
| nationality =
| other_names = ''Reb'' Moshe
| known_for = Being near-universally accepted by [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[Jew]]s as the ultimate arbitor of [[halakha]] during the later portion of his life.
| employer = [[Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem]]
| occupation = [[Rabbi]], [[Posek]]
| religion = [[Haredi Judaism]]
| spouse =
| children = 4 [[David Feinstein]] [[Reuven Feinstein]] Sifra Tendler Rebbitzen Shisgal
| signature =
| footnotes =
}}
[[Rabbi]] '''Moshe Feinstein''' ([[March 3]], [[1895]]–[[March 23]], [[1986]]) was a [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian]] [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[rabbi]], scholar and [[Posek]], who was world renowned for his expertise in [[halakha]] and was the ''de facto'' supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of [[North America]]. In the Orthodox world, it is universal to refer to him simply as ''"[[Reb]] Moshe."''

==Biography==
Rabbi Feinstein was born, according to the [[Hebrew calendar]], on the 7th day of [[Adar]], 5655 (traditionally the date of birth of the Biblical [[Moses|Moshe]]) in [[Uzda]], near [[Minsk]], [[Belarus]], then part of the [[Russian empire]].

The son of Rabbi David Feinstein, rabbi of Uzdan, Moshe studied with his father and also in the [[yeshiva]]s of [[Slutsk]], [[Shklov]] and [[Amstislav]], before being appointed rabbi of [[Lubań, Belarus|Lubań]] where he served for sixteen years. Under increasing pressure from the [[Soviet Union|Soviet regime]], he moved with his family to [[New York City]] in [[1936]] where he lived for the rest of his life.

Settling on the [[Lower East Side, Manhattan|Lower East Side]], he became the [[rosh yeshiva]] of [[Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem]]. He later established a branch of the yeshiva in [[Staten Island, New York]], now headed by his son Rabbi [[Reuven Feinstein]]. Moshe's son Rabbi [[David Feinstein]] heads the [[Manhattan]] branch.

He was president of the [[Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada]] and chaired the [[Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah]] of [[Agudath Israel of America]] from the 1960's until his death. Rabbi Feinstein also took an active leadership role in Israel’s [[Chinuch Atzmai]].

Rabbi [[Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky]] ("the Steipler"), Rabbi [[Yonasan Steif]], Rabbi [[Elyah Lopian]], Rabbi [[Aharon Kotler]], Rabbi [[Yaakov Kamenetsky]] and Rabbi [[Yosef Shalom Elyashiv]] all revered Rabbi Feinstein and declared him to be the ''Godol Hador'' (greatest Torah sage of the generation), although several of them were far older than he. He was universally recognized as the preeminent sage of his generation, and people from around the world called upon him to answer their most complicated halachic questions.

Rabbi Feinstein participated in the [[Rabbis' march]] on Washington on October 6, 1943.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}

== Notable decisions ==

Owing to his prominence as a [[posek|decisor]] of Jewish law, Rabbi Feinstein issued a number of innovative or controversial decisions. He ruled as an independent posek and through [[beit din]] (Jewish rabbinic court) judgments. Soon after arriving in the United States, he established a reputation for handling business and labor disputes. For instance, he wrote about strikes, seniority, and fair competition. Later, he served as the chief halakhic authority for the [[Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists]], which suited his growing involvement with [[medical ethics]] cases. In the medical arena, he fiercely opposed the early, unsuccessful heart transplants and, over time, he seems to have shifted toward acceptance of [[brain death]] criteria. On such matters, he consulted with various scientific experts, including his son-in-law [[Moshe Dovid Tendler]].

As a leader of American Orthodoxy, moreover, Rabbi Feinstein issued opinions that clearly distanced his community from [[Conservative Judaism]] and [[Reform Judaism|Reform]].<ref>For example, see Roth, Joel. ''The Halakhic Process: A Systematic Analysis'', JTS: 1986, pp.71ff. Robinson (2001). </ref> Nevertheless, he faced intense opposition within Orthodoxy on several controversial decisions, such as rulings on [[artificial insemination]] and [[eruv]]. Indeed, on the former, Rabbi Feinstein may be read as having reversed or seriously qualified his position. In the case of his position not to prohibit [[Jewish law and history on smoking|cigarette smoking]], Orthodox rabbinic authorities overruled, in effect, his decision after his death. He made noteworthy decisions on the following topics:

* [[Artificial insemination]] from a non-Jewish donor (EH I:10,71, II:11, IV:32.5) <ref> Cohen, A. in JHCS</ref>
* [[Cosmetic surgery]] (HM II:66)<ref>Halperin (2006)</ref>
* [[Bat Mitzvah]] for girls (OH I:104 (1956), OH II:97 (1959), OH IV:36)<ref>See esp. Joseph (1995)</ref>
* [[Brain death]] as an indication of death under Jewish law (YD IV:54)<ref name = "Tendler1996">Feinstein & Tendler (1996)</ref>
* [[Cheating]] for the N.Y. [[Regents]] exams (HM II:30)
* [[Classical music]] in religious settings (YD II:111)
* Commemorating the [[Holocaust]], Yom ha-Shoah (YD IV:57.11)
* [[Conservative Judaism]], including its clergy and schools (e.g., YD II:106-107)<ref>Roth (1989), op. cit. on YD 139. </ref>
* [[Donating blood]] for pay (HM I:103)
* [[Education]] of girls (e.g., YD II:109, YD II:113 YD III:87.2)<ref>Joseph (1995)</ref>
* [[Euthanasia|End-of-life]] medical care<ref name = "Tendler1996" />
* [[Eruv]] projects in New York City
* Financial ethics (HM II:29)) <ref> Tzedakah and Tzedek: Halachic & Ethical Financial Requirements Pertaining to Charitable Organizations by Daniel Feldman [http://ocweb.org/webdata/uploads/1019591851_FileName_tzedakahandtzedek.doc]</ref>
* Hazardous medical operations<ref name = "Tendler1996" />
* [[Heart transplantation]] (YD 2:174.3)<ref name = "Tendler1996" />
* [[Labor union]] and related employment privileges (e.g., HM I:59)
* [[Mehitza]] (esp. OH I:39) <ref>Baruch Litvin, The Sanctity of the Synagogue, 1962</ref>
* [[Psychiatry|Psychiatric care]] (YD II:57)
* Separation of [[Siamese twins]] <ref>[http://www.jlaw.com/Articles/ravmoshe.html Tendler excerpt on Jlaw.com]</ref>
* Shaking hands between men and women (OH I:113, EH I:56)
* Smoking [[marijuana]] (YD III:35)
* [[Tay-Sachs]] fetus [[abortion]], esp. in debate with Rabbi [[Eliezer Waldenberg]] <ref>E.g., see Sinclair, Daniel. ''Jewish Biomedical Law'' 2004</ref>
* [[Tobacco smoking|Smoking cigarettes]] <ref>See RCA decision and, earlier, RCA Roundtable. (Statement by progressive Orthodox Rabbis Saul Berman, Reuven Bulka, Daniel Landes and Jeffrey Woolf.) “Proposal on smoking” (unpublished) July 1991.</ref>
* [[Veal]] raised in factory conditions (HM I:103)
''Note: Responsa in Igrot Moshe are cited in parentheses''

==Death==
Rabbi Feinstein died on the [[23 March]] [[1986]] (13th of Adar II, 5746 on the Hebrew calendar). It has been pointed out that the 5746th verse in the Torah reads, "And it came to pass after Moshe had finished writing down the words of this Torah in a book to the very end." ([[Deuteronomy]] 31:24). This is taken by some as a fitting epitaph for him.
[[Image:RavMosheKever.jpg|thumb|right|Rabbi Feinstein's Grave]]
At the time he was regarded as Orthodoxy's foremost rabbinic scholar and [[Posek|halachic decisor]]. His funeral in [[Israel]] was said to be the largest among Jews since the [[Mishna]]ic era, with an estimated attendance of 300,000 people. Among the eulogizers in America were Rabbis [[Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman]], [[David Lipschutz]], [[Shraga Moshe Kalmanowitz]], [[Nissan Alpert]], [[Moshe David Tendler]], [[Michel Barenbaum]] and [[Mordechai Tendler]]. The [[Moshe Teitelbaum (Satmar)|Satmar Rebbe]] and Rabbi Feinstein's son Rabbi Reuven also spoke.

In Israel, Rabbis [[Elazar Menachem Shach]], [[Dovid Povarsky]], [[Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss]], [[Yehuda Tzadkah]], Rabbi Feinstein's son [[Reuven Feinstein|Reuven]] and Rabbi Feinsteins's nephew Rabbi Michel Feinstein, all tearfully expressed grief over what they termed a massive loss to the generation.

Rabbi Feinstein was held in such great esteem that Rabbi [[Shlomo Zalman Auerbach]], who was himself regarded as a Torah giant, [[Talmid Chacham]] and [[Posek]], refused to eulogize him, saying "Who am I to eulogize him? I studied his [[Sefer|sefarim]]; I was his ''talmid'' (student)."

Rabbi Feinstein was buried on [[Har HaMenuchot]] near his teacher, Rabbi [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]]; his friend, Rabbi [[Aharon Kotler]]; his son-in-law Rabbi Moshe Shisgal and in proximity to the [[Belz (Hasidic dynasty)|Belzer]] [[Rebbe]].

==Prominent students==

Rabbi Feinstein invested much time molding some of his select students to become leaders in [[Rabbinics]] and [[Halacha]]. Those students, over the years, spent countless hours a day serving as apprentices to their great Rabbi. Most are considered authorities in many areas of practical [[Halacha]] and [[Rabbinic]] and [[Talmudic]] academics. Some of those students are:

*Rabbi [[Nissan Alpert]], ([[New York, NY]])
*Rabbi [[Avrohom Blumenkrantz]], ([[Far Rockaway, New York|Far Rockaway, NY]])
*Rabbi [[Elimelech Bluth]], ([[Brooklyn, NY]])
*Rabbi [[David Feinstein]], (New York), his son and foremost disciple
*Rabbi [[Aaron Felder]], ([[Philadelphia, PA]])
*Rabbi [[Chaim Ganzsweig]], ([[Los Angeles, CA]] and New York)
*Rabbi [[Efraim Greenblatt]], ([[Memphis, TN]])
*Dayan [[Gershon Lopian]], ([[Edgware]])
*Rabbi [[Hershel Reichman]], (New York, NY)
*Rabbi [[Joseph Rottenberg]], ([[Baltimore, MD]])
*Rabbi [[Mordechai Tendler]], ([[New Hempstead, New York|New Hempstead, NY]])
*Rabbi [[Moshe Dovid Tendler|Moshe David Tendler]], (New York, NY)
*Rabbi [[Chaim Ozer Chait]], ([[Richmond, VA]])

==Works==

Rabbi Feinstein's greatest renown stemmed from a lifetime of responding to halachic queries posed by Jews in America and worldwide. He wrote about two thousand [[responsa]] on a huge range of issues that affect Jewish practice in the modern era. Some responsa may be found in his Talmudic commentary (''Dibros Moshe''), some circulate informally, and 1,883 responsa were published in ''Igrot Moshe.'' Among Rabbi Feinstein's works:

*''Igros Moshe''; (Epistles of Moshe), a classic eight-volume work of [[Halachic]] responsa.
*''Dibros Moshe'' (Moshe's Words), an eleven-volume work of [[Talmud]]ic novellae.
*''Darash Moshe'' (Moshe Expounds, a reference to [[Leviticus]] 10:16), novellae on the [[Torah]] (published posthumously).

Some of Rabbi Feinstein's early works, including a commentary on the [[Jerusalem Talmud|Talmud Yerushalmi]], were destroyed by the Soviet authorities.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book
| last = Eidensohn
| first = Daniel
| title = {{lang|he|יד משה: מפתח לכל ח׳ חלקים של שו״ת אגרות משה מאת משה פיינשטיין}}
| year = 2000
| publisher = D. Eidensohn
| location = [[Jerusalem, Israel]]
| language = [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]
| oclc = 51317225
}}
* Ellenson, David. "Two Responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein." ''Chronicle of Hebrew Union College'', Volume LII, Nos. 1 and 2, Fall 2000-2001.
*{{cite book
| last = Feinstein
| first = Moshe
| authorlink = Moshe Feinstein
| coauthors = [[Moshe David Tendler]]
| title = Responsa of Rav Moshe Feinstein: translation and commentary
| other = [translated and annotated] by Moshe Dovid Tendler
| year = 1996
| publisher = KTAV Publishing House
| location = [[Hoboken, NJ]]
| isbn = 0881254444
| oclc = 34476198
| id = {{LCCN|96|0|11212}}
}}
* Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Rabbi Nosson Scherman. ''Reb Moshe: The Life and Ideals of HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein''. Brooklyn, NY: ArtScroll Mesorah, 1986. ISBN 0-89906-480-9.
* {{cite book
| last = Halperin
| first = Mordechai
| authorlink = Mordechai Halperin
| editor = Noam Zohar
| title = Quality of life in Jewish bioethics
| year = 2006
| publisher = Lexington Books
| location = [[Lanham, MD]]
| isbn = 0739114468
| oclc = 62078279
| id = {{LCCN|2005|0|29443}}
| chapter = The Theological and Halakhic Legitimacy of Medical Therapy and Enhancement
}}
*{{cite paper
| first = Norma Baumel
| last = Joseph
| title = Separate Spheres: Women in the Responsa of Rabbi Moses Feinstein
| publisher = [[Concordia University]]
| date = 1995
| format = Thesis (Ph. D.)
}}
*{{cite web
|url = http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/rabbis/feinstein.htm
|title = Rav Moshe Feinstein
|accessdate = 2007-10-10
|work = Great Leaders of our People
|publisher = [[Orthodox Union]]
}}
* _________. "Jewish education for women: Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's map of America." American Jewish history, 1995
* Rackman, Emanuel. "Halachic progress: Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's ''Igrot Moshe'' on ''Even ha-Ezer''" in Judaism 12 (1964), 365-373
*Robinson, Ira. "Because of our many sins: The contemporary Jewish world as reflected in the responsa of Moses Feinstein" 2001
* Rosner, Fred. "Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's Influence on Medical Halacha" ''[[Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society]]''. No. XX, 1990
* __________. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein on the treatment of the terminally ill." ''Judaism''. Spring 37(2):188-98. 1988
* Warshofsky, Mark E. "Responsa and the Art of Writing: Three Examples from the Teshuvot of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein," in An American Rabbinate: A Festschrift for Walter Jacob Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom Press, 2001 ([http://www.huc.edu/faculty/faculty/washofsky/responsaandtheartofwriting.pdf Download in PDF format])

==External Link==
* Igros Moshe is available for free online at [http://hebrewbooks.org hebrewbooks.org]. Type אגרות משה into the sefer box for pdfs of all eight volumes.



{{Persondata
|NAME = Feinstein, Moshe
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Reb Moshe
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Great Orthodox Jewish Rabbi of the 20th century
|DATE OF BIRTH = [[March 3]], [[1895]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH = Uzda, [[Belarus]]
|DATE OF DEATH = [[March 23]], [[1986]]
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[New York, NY]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feinstein, Moshe}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths|Feinstein, Moshe]]
[[Category:Rosh yeshivas|Feinstein, Moshe]]
[[Category:Haredi rabbis in the United States|Feinstein, Moshe]]
[[Category:Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah]]
[[Category:Later Acharonim]]

[[he:משה פיינשטיין]]
[[ru:Файнштейн, Моше]]
[[yi:משה פיינשטיין]]

Moshe Feinstein - Revision history

HG: /* Notable decisions */ red link