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Memory Lane: The Debrecener Rav

Memory Lane: The Debrecener Rav

Beginning in the 1940’s—until his passing Boro Park was graced by the wisdom and the Torah knowledge of this quintessential Hungarian Rav who keenly understood the new generation, and adapted to the new realities of America, while remaining steadfastly tethered to his upbringing amongst the great men of Hungary. 

Rav Moshe was born on Hoshana Rabbah of the year 1914 in the town of Neuhäusel, Slovakia His father was Rav Avraham Stern who authored Gapei Aish on Mishnayos, Shulachan Aish on Shulchan Aruch, and Melitzei Aish which is a collection of short biographies of Gedolim, in order of the yahrtzeit calendar. He himself was descended from generations of Rabbanim who spent their days and nights deeply immersed in Torah—and raised in the Hungarian town of Makava. He learned in great Hungarian yeshivos of Unsdorf, later under Rav Moshe Greenwald, the Arugas Habosem of Chust, and later under Rav Simcha Bunim Sofer, author of Shevet Sofer who led the venerated Pressburg Yeshiva. 


He married the daughter of Rav Yosef Meir Tigerman, the Rav of Neuhäusel who was known far and wide as a great tzaddik, a great lamdan and ba’al darshan, and this is where the young couple settled. Incredibly, a yungerman of such caliber was forced to stand in a shop to earn a living, but the business soon fell apart since he was always learning. But it was this great diligence that compelled his father-in-law, and the leaders of the community to hire him at this very young age as a dayan in the town. Immediately, he threw himself into the work of building yiddishkeit in the town. 

This was the home of Torah, Yiras Shamayim, and askanus into which the Debrecener Rav was born. As noted, his father was a close talmid of Rav Moshe Grunwald, the Arugas Habosem, who was niftar two years previously, in 1912. Thus he named his fifth child for his great rebbi. 

From an early age, his kishron and hasmadah stood out—as well as an aura of holiness and middos tovos. He would be mechadesh chiddushim on a caliber far beyond his years. At the very early age of Bar mitzvah, he left home for a the yeshiva of Surány, about 100 km from home. It was headed by Rav Meir Leib Frei, author of Shevet Mishor—who took the young bachur under his wings. He was a descendant of the Chasam Sofer, and the yeshiva which had an enrollment of 300, attracted the elite bachurim from throughout Hungary. Rav Frei was killed in the Holocaust, along with the rest of Surany’s Jews, Hy”d. even after leaving the yeshiva, he corresponded in learning with the Rav. 


Then he entered the great yeshiva in Pressburg, which was led by Rav Akiva Sofer, author of Cheshev Sofer—the last of the family to lead this yeshiva—and his kesher with the Rosh Yeshiva would outlast the terrible war that was about to overtake the continent. Here his hasmadah truly shone—learning nearly round the clock. He stood out as one of the lions of the yeshiva. He learned semicha under his father and grandfather, and when his father needed to leave town, he knew that he could count on his son Moshe (then all of 19) to pasken shailos in his absence. 

Rav Moshe was already designated as the future of Rav of Debrecen even before his marriage, and he assisted his grandfather in law in the Rabbanus of the town—and a career of writing teshuvos was begun there. Every time, a question came up, Rav Moshe would author a responsa.

Dark clouds were gathering over Europe, and this blissful existence would soon be shattered—and the Jews of Debrecen soon began to feel the terrible, dormant anti-Semitism of their neighbors. This brought about a new harsh reality; and many of the shailos that came to him during those years reflected the terrible tzaros that they were living through. 

His writings from that time are a window into the suffering of his people, which he lived through. Fortunately he would survive this terrible saga, and continue his glorious career. 

To be continued….


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