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.
