Moreinu Horav Moshe Dov Ber Rivkin zt”l

 

Moreinu Horav Moshe Dov Ber Rivkin zt”l

5652/1891–5736/1976

 

Horav Moshe Dov Ber Rivkin was born to R’ Ben Tzion and Esther Rivkin on 21 Kislev 1891, ian Zintsi, Ukraine. R’ Ben Tzion was the Rav of the town and, was considered an expert in Shas Bavli, Yerushalmi, Shulchan Aruch and sifrei Kabbalah. Many gedolim corresponded with him in halachah issues. From a very young age, Rav Moshe Dov Ber was known to be an illui. He began learning gemara at age 5.

Rav Rivkin was a chassid of Chabad and most particularly, he was a beloved chasid of the “Rashab” (1860-1920). In his early years, he learned in Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch, and he later followed the Rashab to Rostov where he learned with him privately and was one of the very few people that the rebbe wanted to have with him in the weeks before his petirah. During these last days, the Rebbe Rashab talked to the young Rav Rivkin in Torah and their discussions became the basis for Rav Rivkin’s first sefer, Ashkavta D’Rebbi.

While yet unmarried, Rav Rivkin was invited to become Rosh Yeshiva in Tomchei Temimim. He soon married Nacha Heber of Kalisch, later a noted mechaneches, and immigrated to Eretz Yisrael where he was a founder of Yeshiva Toras Emes and developed a close connection with such luminaries as Horav Avraham Yitzchak Kook zt”l and Horav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld zt”l.

In 1928, he was invited to join the faculty of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, a prominent Litvish yeshivah in Brooklyn, NY. He served there as a Rosh Yeshiva for nearly half a century, from 1928–1976. During his time at Torah Vodaath, he gave smicha to many hundreds of talmidim. He had close personal relationships with the gedolim of the age including R’ Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, R Yaakov Kaminetzky, zt”l, Rav Yitzchak Hutner, zt”l, Rav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik zt”l and others.

Through his years, Rav Rivkin published extensively in Torah journals and also collected a selection of his chidushim in his sefer, Teferes Tzion. Rav Rivkin not only taught Torah in the bais medrash, he was also role model to his talmidim in how to use Torah as a guide for life. When he was seen shopping for Shabbos, it was a lesson in itself.

Rav Rivkin’s devotion to his talmidim was unparalleled and was returned in force. Rav Rivkin’s talmidim were bound to him with such love and commitment that when he was hospitalized in his last weeks, they stayed in shifts near his hospital bed day and night. Doctors were amazed at the attachment the talmidim felt for their Rebbi, recompense for his dedication to them throughout his life. Rav Rivkin, zt”l was niftar on 18 MarCheshvon 1976.