SOLOVEICHIK, MOSHE

SOLOVEICHIK, MOSHE (1879–1941), Orthodox rabbi. The son of a distinguished father, Rabbi Ḥayyim *Soloveichik, and the father of distinguished sons, Rabbi Joseph Dov *Soloveitchik and Rabbi Aaron *Soloveichik, learning was an essential component of his family life. Born in Volozhin and raised in Brest-Litovsk (Brisk), young Moshe studied with his father the talmudic methodology that was the mark of the Soloveichik family. He married the daughter of Rabbi Elihu Feinstein and studied with his father-in-law until his 30^th birthday, when he became the communal rabbi of Rassin in the Kovno Province. He established a kolel there and in 1913 moved to Chaslovitz, where he was a communal rabbi. He was there during World War i and in 1921 was invited to succeed his father as the rabbi of Brisk. He declined and instead became a Talmud teacher at Taḥkemoni Gevo'a in Warsaw, a school at which both Jewish and secular studies were taught. According to his daughter, Rabbi Moshe was disturbed by the increasing secularization of the curriculum and of the students. There were significant tensions between Soloveichik and Professor *Balaban, the distinguished secular history teacher. Thus when in 1929 he was invited to Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in New York to replace the recently deceased Rabbi Shlomo Polachek, the offer was accepted with great enthusiasm. His recruitment by Rabbi Bernard Dov Revel enhanced the prestige of the seminary and Moshe Soloveichik became a supporter of Revel's efforts to build an Orthodox Jewish university. His prestige was also enhanced at riets, where his shi'ur became the gateway to ordination. As Gilbert Klaperman wrote: "To weather Reb Moses Soloveichik's exacting standard and then earn his signature on the semicha was the highest accolade that could come to any student." He had rigorous standards and enforced them, teaching the methodology that had been taught to him by his forebears and the one he had taught to his sons and his students. He died in 1941 and his son Joseph was invited to be his successor as rosh yeshivah. He did not publish much during his lifetime in keeping with family tradition, but his legacy was in his teaching, his sons and his students.

bibliography:

M.D. Sherman, Orthodox Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1996); S.S. Meiselman, The Soloveichik Heritage: A Daughter's Memoir (1995); G. Klaperman, The Story of Yeshiva University (1969).

[Michael Berenbaum (2^nd ed.)]