Legendary Educator and Mashpia’s Yahrtzeit Marked

Temimim in Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Antwerp, Belgium, held an uplifting farbrengen marking the Yahrtzeit of noted Mashpia Rabbi Moshe Weber, OBM.

The farbrengen was arranged by his step-great-grandson, Shneur Zalman Weber, who is a Shliach in the Yeshiva.

In a surprise to all present, a special guest showed up to the Farbrengen – the Menahel of the Satmar Talmud Torah in Antwerp, Rabbi Yaakov Gruman, who was a friend and admirer of Rabbi Weber, OBM.

R’ Moshe Weber was born in 1914, the son of a major rabbi in Jerusalem.  He was orphaned from his father at two years old, and his mother enrolled him to learn in yeshivat Torat Emet in Jerusalem.  In 1946, the Rebbe Rayatz appointed him to be mashpia in the yeshiva, where he taught and advised student for many years.  Among R’ Moshe’s many merits is the establishment of the first permanent tefilin stand at the kotel after the Six-day war.  R’ Moshe tended to the tefilin stand by himself, with only occasional help from other Chabad chasidim (it was later taken over by Chabad Headquarters).

R’ Moshe was known to many ba’alei tshuva and others who enjoyed his hospitality for Shabbat and festival meals in his modest home in Meah Shearim.  Unfortunately, he and his wife were childless, but they had many “spiritual” children.  R’ Moshe could not be limited to one yeshiva, he opened himself to all streams and to all Jews.  He was well known in Meah Shearim as the “go-to” person if an individual Jew or Jewess, non-observant, wandered into the neighborhood looking for hospitality.  He was also a talmid-chacham, well versed in Talmud, chasidus and poskim, and exceedingly humble.  He authored a volume of novellae on Chumash, by the name of Yarim Moshe.

Many are the students and beneficiaries of this humble but wise man, who constantly sacrificed himself for others and bestowed kindness on others.  His talmid muvhak was R’ Ido Weber, who still lives in Meah Shearim and writes and teaches from R’ Moshe’s teachings.  R’ Moshe passed away in the year 2000.  May his memory be blessed!

 

2 Comments

  • Kalman (Mitzvah Tank)

    I stayed in his house many times. Rabbi Benyomin Klein’s sister lived down the street on rechov Hungarian. He was a very special holy man MAMISH

  • very special indeed

    Reb Moshe a.h was also very close with another great man Reb Uriel Zimmer a.h. Sadly neither one had children of their own.
    They were both also friends with Reb Zalman Blesofsky a.h.