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HaRav Moshe Yechiel (Halevi) Epstein zt"l: The Ozharover Rebbe
By M. Shapiro
This appreciation of the Ozharover Rebbe was originally published in 1996, 29 years ago.
Part 1
For Part II of this series click here.
"I toiled in order to demonstrate that every single Jew is capable of realizing his true potential in Torah [study]. That despite the plagues afflicting this generation — the deep spiritual darkness, the utter confusion wrought by false ideologies, the intellectual obtuseness — it is still possible to see light and to walk in the path of righteousness" (Excerpt from R. Moshe Yechiel Epstein's introduction to Be'er Moshe on Devorim).
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R. Moshe Yechiel (Halevi) Epstein — known simply as "the Ozharover" — was born in 1890 in Ozharov, a small shtetl in Central Poland. He was the fifth heir to the Ozharover chassidic dynasty, which had originally been founded by Rabbi Yehuda Arye Leib (Halevi) Epstein, a disciple of the Chozeh MiLublin.
By the time of his death in Tel Aviv on 1 Shvat, 5731 (1971), the Ozharover became a renowned Torah luminary who provided spiritual guidance to large numbers of Jews in Poland, the U.S., and Israel. He also made two important contributions to Torah literature: The Aish Das, a 7,000 page encyclopedic synthesis of Torah ideology and chassidic lore, and the Be'er Moshe, a 5,000 page commentary on the Pentateuch and early Prophets (reprinted by Rabbi Tanchum Becker, the present Ozharover Rebbe).
Nowadays, many people refer to the Ozharover as "the Aish Das." Perhaps this is an indicator of the tremendous impact his classic sefer had on the Torah community. Even so, those who merited to come into personal contact with the Ozharover glimpsed a saintly tzaddik whose gadlus extended far beyond his literary accomplishments. Indeed, to focus exclusively on the Ozharover's written works would only be telling half his story — literally — since he only began committing his thoughts to writing halfway through his lifetime, when he was 40 years old.
In order to gain a deeper appreciation of who R' Moshe Yechiel Epstein really was, we must learn more about his personal experiences: the challenges he faced, the trials he experienced, the manner in which he expressed his profound love for his fellow Jews.
As the Ozharover himself wrote in his introduction to Aish Das, "I named the book Aish Das (lit., "Fire of Religion") because it is founded upon [my] three `burning loves' — love for Hashem, love for Torah, and love for one's fellow Jews." These three "burning loves" glowed within his heart since youth, and flared increasingly brighter with each passing year. His story crowds the throat with emotion and inspires us to reach ever higher in our avodas Hashem.
Much of the following information was culled from the sefer Belabat Aish, the biographical account of the Ozharover dynasty authored by R' Tanchum Becker, the current Ozharover Rebbe. We sincerely thank him for his extensive assistance and cooperation.
Letter from the Ozharover Rebbe
The Early Years — Poland at the Turn of the Century
R. Moshe Yechiel was born into a household where Torah and mitzvos were the foundation-stones of life. His righteous parents — R. Avrohom Shlomo and Rebbetzin Reitza Mirel — imparted their profound yiras Shomayim to their beloved son from the cradle.
On his third birthday, R. Moshe Yechiel's father allowed his son to enter his private study for the first time. Seeing the young boy's obvious rapture at being in such close proximity to the holy seforim, R. Avrohom Shlomo quietly left the study and closed the door behind him. The boy's lengthy stay in the study foretold much of R. Moshe Yechiel's future, for over the coming decades, he would spend the large majority of his time in the presence of holy seforim.
From an early age, it became evident that the Ozharover was a child prodigy. With his sharp mind and infallible memory, he analyzed and retained vast stores of knowledge.
Once, a famous Admor asked the young Ozharover the following riddle: "When is Hallel not recited on Rosh Chodesh, and when is it recited on Erev Rosh Chodesh?"
Without a moment's hesitation, the precocious child answered, "The answer to the first question is Rosh Hashanah, and the answer to the second is Chanukah."
The Ozharover was educated by his father and by his illustrious grandfather, Grand Rabbi Leibush. In later years, he recounted that his grandfather taught him that a person's essential task in This World is to master the trait of anivus, humility, and that one's level of Torah erudition grows in direct ratio to the degree that one succeeds in fulfilling this goal.
The Ozharover took this lesson to heart and incorporated the trait of humility into the depths of his being. Throughout his life he did his best to stay out of the limelight, declining invitations to speak in public gatherings or accept rabbinical positions.
An aerial view of modern Ozharov
Once, a certain individual who had brought great hardship upon the Ozharover unexpectedly showed up for shacharis in the Rebbe's shtiebel in the Bronx. The other worshipers looked on eagerly, thinking that now the Rebbe would finally get even with the rude fellow by evicting him from the premises at once. However, to everyone's utter astonishment, the Ozharover humbly approached the man and offered him the coveted honor of leading the services. In time, this "enemy" became one of the Rebbe's most devoted followers.
Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe once said of the Ozharover: "He is the greatest teacher of Torah and humility. The trait of humility is defined and analyzed in great detail in his written works. It seems that he regarded [mastering] this trait his most important task."
During adolescence, the Ozharover would learn for hours on end — once for 20 hours without interruption — while standing up. He continued this custom until his very last years.
This custom reflected the Ozharover's general approach to Torah study. He used to say, "Why did Hashem say, `Let us make Man' (Genesis 1:26)? Because in essence, He said to Man: `You cannot do it alone, as the Sages said, "If Hashem would not help [Man], he would not manage to overcome [his Evil Inclination]" (Kiddushin 30b).
"On the other hand, neither can I, Hashem, do it alone, as the Sages said, "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for fear of Heaven" (Brochos 33b). Thus, we must work together to make Man — you, by way of your efforts, and I, by granting you divine assistance."
The First World War
R. Moshe Yechiel experienced the horrors of the First World War not only on a personal level, but also vicariously for all the inhabitants of Ozharov. Having been appointed the Rabbi of Ozharov at age 22, R. Moshe Yechiel felt personally responsible for the physical welfare of every single Jewish inhabitant in the village. Consequently, he risked his life on numerous occasions by roaming the war torn countryside on horse and wagon in search of food and other provisions for the town folk.
Typical of those years was the sudden search and ransacking of Jewish homes by Russian troops. A gang of soldiers once entered the Ozharover's synagogue, flung open the Aron Hakodesh, and was about to rip through the Torah scrolls with their bayonets. Instinctively, the Ozharover blocked the Torah scrolls with his own body and screamed, "I will not allow you to touch them!"
Under the Ozharover's scathing glare, the burly soldier humbly retreated out of the synagogue and took to his heels.
R. Moshe Yechiel experienced great personal tragedy during this era. Prior to the war the Ozharover lost three of his children to illness. His venerable grandfather passed away during the war, and less than two years later, he lost his father. Only a short time elapsed until his first wife fell deathly ill and passed away at only 29 years of age.
The Ozharover humbly accepted these hardships, but he admitted that they left deep emotional scars which never quite healed.
Title page of a volume of Aish Dos
Coming To America
"Ten years before I came to the U.S.," the Ozharover said, "my grandfather, R. Leibush, prophesied about me. He said, `One of my grandchildren will be forced to travel to America, but I do not know which one.'"
The Ozharover initially opposed the idea of emigrating to the U.S. out of concern for the negative effects such a move might have on his daughters' spiritual development. We must remember that America in the early 1920's was known as the treifah medina. However, circumstances beyond his control forced him to leave Poland and travel to the U.S.
The Ozharover settled in the Bronx on 1532 Hoe Ave. Despite the more casual American lifestyle which surrounded him, he continued studying as devotedly as ever. As R. Moshe Tzvi Bick recounted when he eulogized the Ozharover, "His neighbors were amazed by his diligence. The light in his room remained lit for most of the night, especially on motzei Shabbos, when he did not even lie down to rest. He would just pace back and forth in his room and learn out loud..."
When the Rebbe went "vacationing" in the Catskills, his bungalow became a vibrant center of Torah learning. He himself would spend most of the day pacing back and forth on top of a nearby hill with sefer in hand. His fellow vacationers commented that they felt a great sense of peace when they went to sleep at night, knowing that Torah was being studied without interruption nearby. Appropriately, the hill was dubbed "Mount Sinai."
As the Ozharover's fame grew, thousands flocked to his humble home for Torah study, advice, support, or financial assistance. His heart went out to every Jew, no matter how committed or distant from the ways of the Torah. Venerable scholars who had come to discuss elusive mystical themes waited side by side with simple folk in need of charity.
When a day passed without an opportunity to help the needy, the Rebbe would say with a sigh, "How I yearn to give some tzedaka!" Frequently, the Rebbe would give away his last penny to a desperate soul in need of charity.
As a result of his purity and righteousness, the Ozharover was endowed with awesome spiritual powers. Once, the young child of one of his followers fell deathly ill. A friend of the distraught father saw the Rebbe on Shabbos morning and informed him of the child's grave condition. The Rebbe, whose custom it was to speak only words of Torah on Shabbos, listened gravely to the man, nodded his head to signal that he had understood, but did not utter a word.
Hours later, after delivering the sholosh seudos lecture, the Rebbe suddenly turned to the man and said, "Something great has just happened!" After Shabbos, the man made his way to the hospital and was told the good news that the child's condition had sharply improved in the late afternoon, at exactly the moment the Rebbe had made his odd pronouncement.
The Ozharover would do anything in his power to bring a Jew closer to his heritage. Once, a wealthy Jewish businessman sat down next to him on the train. As they passed a certain bridge, the Rebbe asked the man if he knew the name of the bridge. Upon hearing the name of the structure, the Ozharover launched into a detailed account of the bridge's historical background, size, and cost. The businessman was deeply impressed — finally, a Rabbi who spoke his language! His curiosity aroused, the businessman paid the Rabbi a visit the next time he drove through the Bronx. Many more visits followed...
The Ozharover's legendary lectures during sholosh seudos would always leave his listeners gasping for breath. According to one account, "He would say in about an hour what it would take most speakers to say in at least 7 or 8 hours. He would cite a passage from the Talmud Bavli, then tie it in with a statement from the Talmud Yerushalmi, Zohar, Pesikta, Midrash... going back and forth between these texts with lightning speed."
Another disciple said, "He would close his eyes, place his right hand on his forehead, and begin talking without pause." The Ozharover himself regarded these lectures as having descended "from another world," and regretted that they could not be recorded.
End of Part 1
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