For more than half a century the late Rabbi Moshe Cynowitz published essays and articles on prominent rabbis, Roshei Yeshivas and Maggidim, as well as studies on Eastern European Jewish communities, their rabbis, lay leaders, synagogues, Yeshivot and other religious institutions. His writings were based on a large variety of sources, including old rabbinic journals and Jewish newspapers, oral information he gathered on visits to Jewish communities and personal impressions of rabbinic personalities he had known. His beautifully written articles acquainted the reader not only with the life story and personality of the rabbi written about, but also with the latter’s ideas, books, sermons and specific method of study.
Reb Moshe (he didn’t want to use the title “rabbi”) was born in Jedwabna near Lomza. He was known as a child prodigy. Before he reached the age of Bar Mitzva, he was at home in the entire order of Nashim. He studied in Kobrin, Bialystok, Lomza and Mir.
The “Anshe Mishmar” Synagogue in Bialystok boasted a rich rabbinic library. During his stay in that city, Cynowitz went through almost all of its books, gleaning from them historical material about rabbis and communities. Cynowitz also spent some time in Vilna, doing historical research in the famous Straschun Library.
Several years he lived in Germany , studying with Rabbi Chaim Heller in Berlin and teaching at Rabbi Ya’akov Hoffman’s Yeshiva in Frankfurt. In 1933 he settled in the Land of Israel.
Cynowitz began his literary career in the Vilna Yiddish paper Dos Vort. His articles on rabbinic personalities were extremely well received. Leading rabbis encouraged him to continue writing. Rabbi Meir Karelitz – a brother of the Hazon Ish — editor of Dos Vort and chairman of the Vaad HaYeshivot asked him to continue sending articles to the paper. He wrote Cynowitz that though he didn’t know him personally, he had heard much about his great Torah knowledge from former fellow students of Cynowitz, who had studied with him in Lomza, Kobrin and Mir.
Cynowitz published most of his articles on rabbinic personalities and Jewish communities in HaTzofe, the daily newspaper of Mizrachi, which appears in Tel Aviv. He contributed about 500 articles to the daily. His articles were widely read and discussed.
Cynowitz also contributed studies to Jewish communities to various Yizkor books, and published two monumental volumes on the Yeshivot of Volozhin (Etz Hayyim, 1972) and Mir (vol. 1, 1980), respectively.
After the death of his wife, Batya nee Shimshelewitz, he married Dr. Rivka Ruckenstein, a lawyer by profession, who served as legal advisor to Israel’s Ministry of Welfare. Rivka travelled frequently abroad in behalf of the Ministry and Reb Moshe accompanied her on the journeys. Wherever he visited, he plunged into historical research. In 1980 Reb Moshe and his wife visited New York. My wife and I had the pleasure of receiving them in our home. While my wife was showing Rivka around some of the shops in Boro park, I talked at length with Reb Moshe who was a living encyclopedia on rabbis and Yeshivot in the full sense of the word. A genuine product of the Lithuanian Mussar yeshivot, he was a truly modest man!
Reb Moshe had planned to write more volumes about the Yeshivot of Eastern Europe – many years ago Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski had urged him to do so and he regarded Reb Chaim Ozer’s word as a command – and to publish a collection of his printed articles. He was not privileged to do so. He died in 1987. In his will he asked not to be eulogized, lest the speakers exaggerate his good qualities.
Some time ago, at the initiative of Dr. Rivka Ruckenstein-Cynowitz a collection of Reb Moshe’s printed articles was published in Israel. The 500 page Hebrew volume features as the title indicates, articles about ishim (personalities) and Kehillot (communities).
(Continued next week)
The Jewish Press. Friday Oct. 11, 1991, page 36A
Of the circa 70 rabbinical personalities described in the first section of the book only some can be mentioned here: The Sha’agat Aryeh, Ketzot HaHoshen, Netivot, R. Ephraim Zalman Margulies, Rabbi David Luria (in the article we read that the Redal carried with him small tracts of Kinnot for Tish’a Be’av. he would look into them constantly in order to fulfill “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem”). Rabbi David Tevli of Minsk, R. Yaakov Zvi Meklenrug (HaKetav VehaKabbalah), Minhat Hinnukh, R. Aryeh Leib Yellin (Yefe Einayim), R. Raphael Nathan Nata Rabbinovicz (Dikdukei Soferim) Rabbi Yitzhak Schemles, R. Shmuel Salant, R. Avraham of Sochaczew (Avnei Neser), R. Yitzchak Isaac HaLevy Rabinoviwtz (Dorot Rishonim), R. Yosef Engel, R. Meir Arik, R. N. Zvi Finel (Saba of Slobodka); R. Naftali Trop (Yeshiva of Radin) R. Moshe Mordecai Epstein, R. Yeruchum Levovitz, the Rogatchover, R. Shim’on Skip and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzenski.
There is an additional section on rabbinic personalities, who were active in the Hoveve Zion or supporterd political Zionism. Those descrived here include: R. Yitzchak Yaakov Reines, R. Yonathan Eliasberg, R. David Shlmo Slouschz (Odessa), R. Shmuel Ya’akov Rabinowitz (Sopotkin-Liverpool) and R. Abba Y. Borochov.
The section of communities and their rabbis includes articles on Odessa, Brisk, Brody, Bialystok, Grodno, Dvinsk, Gomel, Vilkomir, Vitebsk, Vilna, Lomza, Telshe, Minsk, Ponivez, and Pinsk-Karlin. Among other articles in this section are: “The Big Synagogue of Vilna and its Customs and Leaders” and ” The Yeshivot of Volhynia.”
In one of his articles on Vilna, Cynowitz describes that city’s old synagogues, one of which was the Shul of the Hevra Kaddisha. Built in 1746-1748, it served Vilna Jewry until the end of the “Jerusalem of Lithuania.”
This Shul was not only a place of prayer, but also a Beth HaMidrash. One of the various societies (Chevres) which had their seat there was the Assiri Kodesh (The 10th should be holy”) Society.
“Members of that society counted nine days from Yom Kippur and fasted on the 10th. Thus they would count throughout the year, fasting every 10th day, which they regarded as specially holy for prayer and repentance.”
Continuing to describe the Shul, Cynowitz writes:
“Here they observed Yom Kippur Katan every erev Rosh Hodesh. From all parts of Vilna people used to come here to participate in the Yom Kippur Katan prayers which were said with great ardor. Many of those who attended the Yom Kippur Katan services were fasting. The Maggid of the Hevra Kaddisha preached, admonishing the people. VaYehal was read. There was much crying during the prayers and the recitation of Vidui (confession) just as on Yom Kippur.
Two articles in the section on communities are devoted to the rabbis who officiated in Warsaw, from the last quarter of the last century until the destruction of the community during the Holocaust.
Another article describes the Warsaw Yeshiva Torat Chaim, which was named in memory of Rabbi Chaim of Brisk. In the beginning it was headed jointly by Rabi Zvi Hirsch Glikson, a student of the Avnei Nezer and the son-in-law of Rabbi Chaim of Brisk and his brother -in-law Rabbi Velvel Soloveitchik. After the latter was called to Brisk to take the place of his father, Rabbi Zvi Hirsch remained sole Rosh Yeshiva, serving in that capacity for almost 20 years unitl the end of Jewish Warsaw.
Cynowitz, who attended some lectures by Rabbi Zvi Hirsch in Warsaw as well as in Frankfurt, when Rabbi Zvi Hirsch visited there, characterizes the latter’s method of study. He also writes of the other Ramim of the yeshiva. One of them was Rabbi Zvi Hirsch’s son-in-law Rabbi Meir Finkel, a son of Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir.
The book proper closes with two articles on Rabbi Abraham Y. Hakohen Kook and an essay describing communities competing for famous rabbis and the impressive welcome communities used to accord their newly chosen spiritual leaders.
Cynowitz’s volume is a veritable treasure house of knowledge about the “Tents of the Torah” and pious Jewish life in various parts of Eastern Europe. Here you learn not only about numerous famous Torah personalities, but also about many lesser known worthy people, whose knowledge, noble deeds and love and support for Torah, are perhaps not recorded anywhere else.
An appendix in the book describes the suffering of Dr. Rivka Ruckenstein-Cynowitz in Romania during World War II and the great role she played in the rescue of Jewish children deported to Trasnistria.
The volume also includes a biography of Reb Moshe Cynowitz and articles about his personality by Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neriah and Prof. Shraga Abramson.
The Jewish Press, Friday, October 18, 1991