Rav Moshe Greenwald of Chust

Early years

Rav Moshe Greenwald zt"l, known as the Arugas Habosem, ranked among the foremost rabbonim of Hungary in the late 1800s. Born in Hungary in 1853, he was the oldest son of Rav Amram Greenwald, who lived from 1831 to 1870 and was counted among the Ksav Sofer's leading talmidim. Rav Amram had no desire to enter the rabbanus, and his marriage was made on that very condition.

In his youth Rav Moshe learned in Tzehlim (Deutschkreutz, today in Austria) at the yeshiva of Rav Menachem Katz, a talmid of the Chasam Sofer, and also with his grandfather, Rav Yosef Greenwald. When he turned sixteen he went to Pressburg to study with the Ksav Sofer. There he learned alongside his close friend Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, who later served as rav of the Eida HaChareidis in Yerushalayim. Rav Moshe belonged to a circle of the Ksav Sofer's talmidim who adopted Chassidic practices.

After his father passed away, supporting the family became Moshe's responsibility, and he had to work in the timber business. He nevertheless continued learning with great determination. It was around then that he married a relative, Zissel Gestetner.

Torah and leadership

Rav Moshe started delivering shiurim at a yeshiva in Csorna. At age twenty-six he accepted his first rabbinic position, becoming rav and av beis din of Humenné (Homonna in Hungarian, today in Slovakia), and he founded a yeshiva there. He was named rav of Kisvárda (Kleinwardein) in 1887. In 1893 he arrived in Chust (Huszt), at that time part of Hungary and now in western Ukraine, and there too he headed a yeshiva.

Many of Hungary's greatest rabbonim, the Maharam Schick above all, had served as rav of Chust. Rav Moshe filled the post left by Rav Yoel Tzvi Rata, who died that year. Under him the yeshiva of Chust grew into one of the biggest in Hungarian Jewry. Among his favorite talmidim was Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, who went on to found Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. A good many Hungarian rabbonim of the twentieth century learned under him, and students arrived from outside Hungary, including from the United States.

Rav Moshe's family was not Chassidic and kept the way of the Chasam Sofer. Yet from his youth he became a chassid, traveling to the Rebbes of Belz and Sighet, and from then on he was careful to wear a shtreimel. He was a talmid of the second Belzer Rebbe, Rav Yehoshua Rokeach. Chassidim descended from him formed a well-known community, called Pupa (Papa) for the city where his son, Rav Yaakov Yechezkiya, was Rebbe.

Like his own teachers, he waged war against the Reform movement and against any departure from Orthodox Jewish tradition. His teshuvos speak sharply against moving the chazzan from his place at the lectern to a platform in the middle of the shul. He also instructed that his son take care to give his own son the first haircut (upsherin) at age three, and not earlier, as is the custom.

Teachings and seforim

Rav Moshe wrote prolifically, but his fame rests mainly on his responsa, Arugas Habosem, which deals with a broad range of halachic questions. He avoided pilpul and counseled his talmidim to gain both breadth and depth in their study of Torah and Gemara.

Later years and passing

Rav Moshe passed away on 7 Av 5671 (1911) in Farád, Hungary.