Posted to Something Jewish on
Lubavitch Archives

From Days Gone By: Torah Giants Converse

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, one of the leading Poskim in postwar United States, and Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin, Rov of Crown Heights, have a scholarly conversation in 770, 1974.

Like Lubavitch Archives and enjoy daily historical pictures: www.facebook.com/LubavitchArchives.

Related Articles

35 Comments

  • Such Memorize

    I never new that R’ Moshe made his way to 770!
    Does anyone know of any incounters he had with the Rebbe?

  • 45 yr in the hood

    i remember that afternoon very well
    REB MOSHE WAS MESADER KEDUSHIN FOR HIS
    SECTARY REB AVRHAM SHMULE LEVINE
    AFTERWARDS HE WENT IN TO THE MERKOTH OFFICE AND PUT ON HIS BIG YARMUKA /HAT
    IT S A HAT THAT LETVISH KEDOLIM WORE
    I SAW REB BENYOMIN OPEN THE DOOR TO GANDEDAN HATCTIN REB MOSHE FIXD HIS PAYS WALK IN WITH REB LAIB BEHIND HIM AND THEY ALL WENT IN TO THE REBAS OFFICE .
    WOW THAT WAS A SITE

  • who will be the zeidies of our children...

    we need more people like these 2 Torah giants. I had contact with both of them during very trying times. They were so sensitive, caring and devoted.

  • SD TO COMMENT # 4

    TO HAVE MADE SUCH A DEMEANING AND DISRESPECTFUL (OMITTING HIS TITLE OF RAV ) STATEMENT, I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT YOU EITHER NEVER EVEN KNEW THE ROV, OR YOU LOST A DIN-TORAH BY HIM. HIS KNOWLEDGE AND PROFICIENCY IN DALED CHELKEI SHULCHAN ORUCH AND POSKIM WAS ABOVE AND BEYOND.HIS INSIGHT AND SHREWDNESS IN THE FIFTH CHELEK OF SHULCHAN ORUCH WAS UNPARALELLED. TO THOSE THAT KNEW HIM, HE IMBIBED IN US A TRUE AND VALUABLE APPROACH IN APPLYING COMMON SENSE TO OUR LIVES. ZY”A.

    • MTL

      If you look at the end of Line 6, you will see the title “REB”.
      Please read things carefully before jumping to condemn a fellow Yid.

  • to SD

    Yes you are correct. This however is common behavior toward many Rabbonim DO YOU DEFEND THEM AS WELL?

    • insider

      When Reb Z. S. was very ill in the hospital, in his last days, he was practically in a coma, a call came in from mazkirus, the Rebbe had a shaile to ask Reb Z.S.

      if i am not mistaken the shaile was;
      A pregnant women, 3 doctors , 3 opinions,
      1 says: must abort, as mothers life is in danger
      2nd one says, its a sofeik if mothers life is in danger or not.
      3rd one says, for sure no danger.
      What should be done?
      (this is from memory as it was than told to me by someone who was in the hospital room visiting at the time)

      The shaile was said out loud to Reb ZS, he nodded his head slightly, signaling that he heard the shaile, but didnt respond. he passed away a few days later.

  • 1612

    Rav Dworkin z”l as Morah D’asra of CH graciously desired that Rav Moshe z”l should have that honor of Seder Kiddushin.

    • Citizen Berel

      CrownHeights.info has made it!

      Your not a website until you have misnagdishe trolls.

      This is a very special day.

    • Ezra

      Really, “wed”? Have you ever even tried studying Avnei Nezer, by the first Sochatchover Rebbe? Or the writings of the Rogatchover Gaon, a Kapuster chassid? Or those of, yibadlu lechayim tovim, R. Yitzchok Raitport or R. Avrohom Gerlitzky, both Lubavitcher chassidim?

      (On the other hand, if the kind of “toireh” you’re talking about is the kind that leads you to mock entire segments of Klal Yisroel – why, then, you’re correct: none of the above, nor indeed any genuine talmid chochom, has that kind of “toireh.”)

    • K

      They have tremendous anovah like their father ztz”l.

      But what zchus is it for the chuppah that caused these giants to have bittul Torah to travel so far while the world’s light of Torah grew dim?

  • SoCal shliach

    I know for a fact that besides “regular” halochos incl. hilchos nida etc. Rav ZS zt”l was a boki nifla in areas that even big Rabonim at the time weren’t.
    When there was a big controversy in Williamsburg re nikur the pupa ruv and the satmerer Rabonim came to RZS
    Re mikvaos, he was a tremendous boki. Well before the style was to be proficient in these practical halochos.
    Re all shchita inyonim he was very very proficient.

    Those who know, know. Those who want machlokess. Will always find
    He was also a tremendously chassidish bittuldik yid.

  • ID the picture

    the picture here is of them standing in the Merkos office, on the eastern wall, right near the swinging half door.

  • MonseyYid

    I was personally Meshamesh Bakoidesh Rabbi Dworkin when he was ill in Beth Israel Hospital as a number of Kollel Yungerlite such as myself volunteered to help. He was definitely a very competent Rov full of dignity and a Talmid Chochom of repute. Not only was he revered in Lubavitch circles but indeed by non-Chabad Chassidishe Rabbonim too such as the Alter Pupa Rov and the Alter Margaretener Rov with whom Rabbi Dworkin shared a mutual admiration even during the years of tension which prevailed between Crown Heights and Williamsburg. To talk disrespectfully about any Yid after his Petira falls under Cheirem Hakadmonim,never mind a Rov of such respect.

  • to monsey yid

    TELL THEM! how shameful is it to write disrespectful remarks about rabbanim for political reasons or because they lost a din torah.

  • Anonymous

    i heard a story, that in lubavitch the Rebbe Rashab walked into one of the classrooms where Reb Yehoshua Arsh was Magid Shiur, and wanted to farher (test) the boys, the Magid Shiur pointed on R’ ZS (he was then 14 years old), to answer the the questions…

  • to money yid

    shtait in posuk Moishe yedaber vD” ya’anenu be kol…ie be kol Torah not nice meiselach or pshetalach

    • Milhouse

      What are you talking about? Reb Zalmen Shimon was not about maiselach or pshetlach, he was a master of PASKENING HALOCHO.

  • A student of Rabbi Dworkin

    As a Talmud in the the Kolel under the leadership of Rabbi Dvorkin, he taught all of us the principal concepts of Chabad BY HIS ACTIONS. Always on time, making sure that we were on time because in his words – we were being paid by tzedaka money. Let me tell you a story. It was Erev Pesach and I went in to sell my chometz and the Rav mentioned to me that he thinks the person learning near me doesn’t have money. He asked me to call that person over. I did as I was asked and the Rav asked me to start by the door in case he needed translating. The Rav asked the yungerman if he had enough money for Pesach and the man answered he will make do. Rabbi Dworkin opened a draw and pulled out an envelope and handed it to the young man. He told him that people give him money just for cases like this and he should please take it and have a nice yom tov. Our rabbonim can take a lesson from this and learn something from this story. How in tune Rabbi Dworkin was with the Kolel. How he cared about each person and HELPED the. He wasn’t busy fighting or playing politics. He was doing his job as Rav and Rosh Kolel.

  • to student

    splendid ..but what shaichus to parshas HaToireh vis avis Rav Moshe ztl does he have? a kolshehu…maybe…that’s all

  • elchanan geisinsky

    If memory serves right,I think it was RZS who
    battled with all the other poskim and was finally victorious in implementing that cholov yisroel equipment
    should be pre-heated to 212 degrees.

    The old timers all know that RZS was highly esteemed by the Torah greats of his generation.

    How old are you,wed?
    Elchanan Geisinsky

  • elchanan geisinsky

    Something I heard from R’ Yisroel Labkowski zgz
    As a bochur ,the Rebbe told him to get smicha from R’
    Moshe Feinstein z”l.He went, but was told that RMF had stopped giving smicha to bochrim outside his yeshiva.
    Upon hearing that the Rebbe had sent him ,RMF made an exception. They talked in learning in sugyos hashas and very little in Yoreh Deah.Needless to say,
    RMF gave him a nicely worded smicha.They spoke a little about the Rebbe .RMF said that before the nesius he spoke to the Rebbe several times in learning and (paraphrasing) held the Rebbe in esteem.After the nesius they had to stop due to lack of time.
    By the way,did you know that when R.Gustman was rosh yeshiva , RMF once said a shiur in770?

  • Zurich

    My father o”h was with rav moshe at the shiur. It was for the chanukas habayis of 770. Rav moshe was under pressure not to say a shiur for lubavitch. My father heard him say that “if yidden want to learn torah, I am going.” A real oihev yisroel.