Yechiel Michel Feinstein
Encyclopedia
Yechiel Michel Feinstein (27 June 1906 – 17 May 2003) was a Haredi
rabbi
and rosh yeshiva
in Israel
and the United States
.
, Lithuania
, a town near Minsk
, Belarus
, then part of the Russian empire
. He was orphaned of his father at the age of seven and went to live with and learn from his grandfather, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, the Rav of Stravin, Byelorussia. It was there that Yechiel Michel developed a close relationship with his uncles, Rabbi Mordechai Feinstein and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
.
From a young age, he was recognized as a prodigy
. He was sent to Slutsk
after his bar mitzvah to study under Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
.
When the Bolsheviks revolted, the yeshiva
was forced to flee from Lithuania
to Kletsk
, Poland
. During his three years in Kletsk, Yechiel Michel attended the famed Talmud
ic lectures of Rabbi Meltzer and his son-in-law, Rabbi Aharon Kotler
. Then he transferred to the Mir yeshiva
, where he became a leading student of Rabbi Yeruchom Lebovitz and learned together with Rabbi Yechiel Michel Schlesinger, future rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah in Jerusalem, and Rabbi Yonah Karpilow of Minsk, who was killed in the Holocaust and whose Yonas Eilem was published posthumously. At this time, Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz
and Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin
also studied in the Mir yeshiva. Despite being surrounding by such luminaries in Torah
, R' Yechiel Michel was nonetheless thought of as "the genius of the yeshiva".
At the behest of his former teacher, Rabbi Meltzer, Rabbi Feinstein traveled to Brisk
to study under the illustrious Brisker Rov. It did not take long for Rabbi Feinstein to earn his reputation as the genius in the Brisk yeshiva as well. However, during this time, he became eligible for conscription into the army, so he traveled to Grodno to obtain fake medical forms from a doctor and en route, consulted with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan
(the Chofetz Chaim) in Radin
about evading the army. Upon their meeting, the Chofetz Chaim was impressed by R' Yechiel Michel's broad knowledge of Nezikin
, Nashim
, and Kodoshim. Feinstein stayed in Grodno for half a year, where he learned from Rabbi Shimon Shkop
. He afterwards returned to Brisk to continue studying under the Brisker Rov, spending the summer months and the month of Elul
at the Mir yeshivas. When World War II broke out, he traveled to Vilna with other students from the Mir to hear lectures from the Brisker Rav. Whilist in Vilna, Rabbi Feinstein was lavishly praised by the leading posek
of the generation, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky.
From Vilna he joined the Mir Yeshiva in exile in Japan
, while helping other refugees escape the horrors of the Holocaust
. Eventually, he arrived in the United States
in 1941 with Rabbi Aharon Kotler. While the latter opened a yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey (Beth Medrash Govoha
), Rabbi Feinstein served as Mashgiach at HaRav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik Heichal Rabbeinu Chayim Halevi in Boston. Less than a year later, his uncle, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, summoned him to serve at his side as the head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem
in the Lower East Side, Manhattan
. During this time, he gained fame for his Talmudic lectures. He was appointed a member of the Agudas HaRabbonim and assisted the Vaad Hatzolah in rescuing Jews and aiding the war refugees in Europe.
. He immediately reunited with his former teacher the Brisker Rav in Jerusalem, and married the Brisker Rav's daughter, Lifsha, in August of that year. Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer officiated at the wedding. Following his marriage, he continued serving in the capacity of rosh yeshiva in America until 1952, when he and his family immigrated
to Israel
and he established Yeshivas Beis Yehuda in Tel Aviv
. He consulted regularly with the Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak on important issues.
In 1973, the death of one of his daughters prompted Rabbi Feinstein to move to Bnei Brak. In 1984, he inaugurated a new yeshiva building where he lectured to unmarried and married students, as well as gave shiurim in his home.
He died on Saturday night, 17 May 2003 (16 Iyar
5763) and was eulogized in both Bnei Brak and Jerusalem before being laid to rest at Har HaMenuchos near the grave of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik. He was survived by his wife, sons Rabbi Chaim Feinstein and Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, both rosh yeshivas at Beis Yehuda, and Rabbi Avrohom Feinstein, and a son-in-law, Rabbi Tzvi Kaplan, a rosh yeshiva in Jerusalem. His wife Lifsha died in October 2008.
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
He was born to Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Feinstein in the town of UzdaUzda
Uzda -History:The town was first mentioned in 1450. From 1938 it had the status of "urban-type settlement" and received its town status in 1999.-Geography:...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, a town near Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, then part of the Russian empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He was orphaned of his father at the age of seven and went to live with and learn from his grandfather, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, the Rav of Stravin, Byelorussia. It was there that Yechiel Michel developed a close relationship with his uncles, Rabbi Mordechai Feinstein and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America during his lifetime...
.
From a young age, he was recognized as a prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
. He was sent to Slutsk
Slutsk
Slutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).-Geography:The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.-History:...
after his bar mitzvah to study under Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel" - the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....
.
When the Bolsheviks revolted, the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
was forced to flee from Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
to Kletsk
Kletsk
Kletsk is a city in the Minsk voblast of Belarus, located on the Lan river. , it had ca. 10,000 inhabitants.- History :The town was founded in 11th century by the Dregovichs, who erected a large fort and a tribal centre there...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. During his three years in Kletsk, Yechiel Michel attended the famed Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic lectures of Rabbi Meltzer and his son-in-law, Rabbi Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States, where he built Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.- Early life :...
. Then he transferred to the Mir yeshiva
Mir yeshiva (Poland)
The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...
, where he became a leading student of Rabbi Yeruchom Lebovitz and learned together with Rabbi Yechiel Michel Schlesinger, future rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah in Jerusalem, and Rabbi Yonah Karpilow of Minsk, who was killed in the Holocaust and whose Yonas Eilem was published posthumously. At this time, Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz
Chaim Shmuelevitz
Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz, , was a member of the faculty of the Mirrer Yeshiva for more than 40 years, in Poland, Shanghai and Jerusalem, serving as Rosh yeshiva during its sojourn in Shanghai from 1941 to 1947, and again in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Jerusalem from 1965 to 1979...
and Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin
Aryeh Leib Malin
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin was a Rabbi, Talmudist, and Mussarist in both Europe and America.-Biography:Rabbi Malin was born in Białystok. In his early years, Reb Leib learned in Grodno under Rabbi Shimon Shkop. Later, he learned by Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman and Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz...
also studied in the Mir yeshiva. Despite being surrounding by such luminaries in Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, R' Yechiel Michel was nonetheless thought of as "the genius of the yeshiva".
At the behest of his former teacher, Rabbi Meltzer, Rabbi Feinstein traveled to Brisk
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
to study under the illustrious Brisker Rov. It did not take long for Rabbi Feinstein to earn his reputation as the genius in the Brisk yeshiva as well. However, during this time, he became eligible for conscription into the army, so he traveled to Grodno to obtain fake medical forms from a doctor and en route, consulted with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Poupko , known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life...
(the Chofetz Chaim) in Radin
Radin
Radin is a Persian name, which means a chivalrous man.Radin is an American surname, and may refer to:* Dean Radin , researcher and author* Joshua Radin , American songwriter...
about evading the army. Upon their meeting, the Chofetz Chaim was impressed by R' Yechiel Michel's broad knowledge of Nezikin
Nezikin
For Jewish law on damages, see Damages Nezikin or Seder Nezikin is the fourth Order of the Mishna...
, Nashim
Nashim
Nashim is the third order of the Mishnah , containing the laws related to women and family life...
, and Kodoshim. Feinstein stayed in Grodno for half a year, where he learned from Rabbi Shimon Shkop
Shimon Shkop
Shimon Yehuda Hakohen Shkop was a rosh yeshiva in the Yeshiva Shaar Hatorah and in the Telshe yeshiva and a renowned Talmudic scholar. He was born in Torez in 1860. At the age of twelve he went to study in the Mir yeshiva, and at fifteen he went to Volozhin yeshiva where he studied six years...
. He afterwards returned to Brisk to continue studying under the Brisker Rov, spending the summer months and the month of Elul
Elul
Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
at the Mir yeshivas. When World War II broke out, he traveled to Vilna with other students from the Mir to hear lectures from the Brisker Rav. Whilist in Vilna, Rabbi Feinstein was lavishly praised by the leading posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
of the generation, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky.
From Vilna he joined the Mir Yeshiva in exile in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, while helping other refugees escape the horrors of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. Eventually, he arrived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1941 with Rabbi Aharon Kotler. While the latter opened a yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey (Beth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha is a Haredi yeshiva located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. It is commonly known as BMG, or Lakewood Yeshiva....
), Rabbi Feinstein served as Mashgiach at HaRav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik Heichal Rabbeinu Chayim Halevi in Boston. Less than a year later, his uncle, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, summoned him to serve at his side as the head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem
Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem
Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem, is one of the oldest existent yeshivot in New York City, and is renowned for being the institution led by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein.-Location:The yeshiva has two campuses....
in the Lower East Side, Manhattan
Lower East Side, Manhattan
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. During this time, he gained fame for his Talmudic lectures. He was appointed a member of the Agudas HaRabbonim and assisted the Vaad Hatzolah in rescuing Jews and aiding the war refugees in Europe.
Israel
In 1946, Rabbi Feinstein visited PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. He immediately reunited with his former teacher the Brisker Rav in Jerusalem, and married the Brisker Rav's daughter, Lifsha, in August of that year. Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer officiated at the wedding. Following his marriage, he continued serving in the capacity of rosh yeshiva in America until 1952, when he and his family immigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and he established Yeshivas Beis Yehuda in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. He consulted regularly with the Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak on important issues.
In 1973, the death of one of his daughters prompted Rabbi Feinstein to move to Bnei Brak. In 1984, he inaugurated a new yeshiva building where he lectured to unmarried and married students, as well as gave shiurim in his home.
He died on Saturday night, 17 May 2003 (16 Iyar
Iyar
Iyar is the eighth month of the civil year and the second month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. The name is Babylonian in origin. It is a spring month of 29 days. Iyar usually falls in April–June on the Gregorian calendar.In the Hebrew Bible, before the Babylonian Exile, the...
5763) and was eulogized in both Bnei Brak and Jerusalem before being laid to rest at Har HaMenuchos near the grave of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik. He was survived by his wife, sons Rabbi Chaim Feinstein and Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, both rosh yeshivas at Beis Yehuda, and Rabbi Avrohom Feinstein, and a son-in-law, Rabbi Tzvi Kaplan, a rosh yeshiva in Jerusalem. His wife Lifsha died in October 2008.