Rabbi Shimon Finkelman — Rav Moshe Wolfson

[music] >> Welcome to Inside ArtScroll, where the books that we read and the people that write them come to life. It's a distinct zchus to welcome Rabbi Shimon Finkelman to ArtScroll studios. >> Here you are. >> Shalom aleichem. It's It's great to have you here, Rabbi. Great to see you. And the conversation here is about a book which I didn't know that anyone could write. It's a book that tries to encapsulate the light the life of the Mashgiach, Reb Moshe Wolfson, zt"l, the founder of Emunas Yisrael. Is that a good way to say it? >> Mashgiach of Torah V'Daas. But it does a very beautiful job, and we're here to talk a little bit about the process of writing it, and obviously most more you know, more importantly, the life of the Mashgiach himself. So, so Rabbi Finkelman, bring us into the humble beginnings of Reb Moshe Wolfson, because it seems like even just from reading the book, he was born great. >> He was born perhaps in a to a wonderful family. >> For sure. >> With uh I guess good middos, but he certainly worked on himself very much his whole life, till his last day, to be who he was. >> That's for sure. But it seems like even as a younger bachur, when hasmadah in the United States was probably an a forgotten art, he would he would sit in the Beis Medrash in the What was it? The Palisher Shtiebel? >> Yes. >> And he would learn. They said if you wanted to find him, you'd find him in the Palisher Shtiebel. >> That's That's correct. >> Where did he get those mussagim or those I those concepts from? It wasn't a popular thing. >> Well, he didn't speak much about himself >> Mhm. >> and didn't speak much about his his parents. But the little that he said gives us some idea. His father was a so-called baal habayis. He was a Mashgiach for a matzah bakery. And his father had a choice of working by day or working at night, and he chose the night shift so he would not be rushed in his Shacharis. That's why he chose the night shift, to be able to daven slowly every morning for Shacharis. So, and uh that's one thing he said about his father. He also said that his father every Shabbos by Mim Kamocha in uh in the Kedusha of Shacharis, he would cry. Every morning every Shacharis, and that made a big impression on his son. So, uh >> He cried by Mussaf and when did he >> Yes, yes, I believe so, yeah. >> Like a yearning >> A yearning for Mashiach, yearning for Tzion, yeah. Yeah. So, he had he certainly had wonderful role models to learn from. >> And his mother as well was a a very >> Was a very special lady. Very special lady. We have in the book uh one little incident where um she was cheated by someone and her boss said to her, "What what are you going to do about it?" And she said, "Well, everybody makes mistakes." So, she was also a very special person. >> Now, what did did did Reb Moshe the Mashgiach have have have chinuch experience as a teenager or did it only happen a little bit later in life? >> Well, his Rebbi Muvak was Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz. That's how >> Mr. Mendlowitz. >> The right, Mr. Mendlowitz. He called himself the founder of Mesivta Tifereth Torah V'Daas. He was his He said even though he had many he he had many there were many Rebbes he was close to. He was close to Reb Yaakov Kamenetzky, to Reb Aaron Kotler, zichronam livracha. But he said his main Rebbi was definitely Reb Shraga Feivel. And um Reb Shraga Feivel obviously saw something in him because when he was yet a bochur in his early 20s, and a group of 35 boys came from South America to Tifereth Torah V'Daas who didn't speak English or Yiddish, he chose um Moshe Wolfson, a bochur, to be their Rebbi. That was his first teaching position. And he was successful. In fact, we have baruch Hashem in Eretz Yisrael today, Reb Dovid Weill Agus, was in that first class in 1946. And he said he was a it was fantastic he was fantastic. Somehow he communicated with them with the language barrier. He managed to communicate with them. That's right. That's right. That's right. >> Can we take a step back and before we unpack a little bit more about the Mashgiach himself? Or I think when I know that you've been part of Emunas Yisrael, the shul, the community, the kehilla probably for decades. >> Since it's beginning. >> Since it's inception. What is Emunas Yisrael? >> Emunas Yisrael is a kehilla founded by Rav Wolfson not by choice meaning that Rav Wolfson all his life never sought any position of any sort. He would have been content to be a first grade rebbe which he was and just serve the Ribono shel Olam privately his whole life. But um without going through the whole history he through Hashgacha Protis he became Mashgiach of Torah Vodaas. And from there he became Manhig Ruchni of of Camp Torah Vodaas. In Camp Torah Vodaas he one of his main role was leading the Masmidim program. And he infused them with appreciation for tefillah and Avodas Hashem in general and put a lot of effort into those talmidim. And at some point the talmidim asked Rav Wolfson if they could start a shul because it they bought it bothered them that the davening they were used to in camp [music] was not what they daven what they were used to at back at home back in the city. >> You know it was it was at a higher level of davening in camp. >> You know that that's what Emunas Yisrael slow davening a lot of hislavus a lot of uh hishtapchus hanefesh and they missed it. It was only in the summer for eight weeks. So they asked Rav Wolfson if they could start a shul on Shabbos just on Shabbos and he said go ahead and then gave them the name of Amunas Yisrael. It started as a Shabbos shul, only on Shabbos, and he lived in Williamsburg. He would not leave Williamsburg as long as his mother and mother-in-law were alive. His father and father-in-law already passed away. And as keep it aim, he would not leave Williamsburg. So, for a number of years Amunas Yisrael ran without him being there. Yeah. >> It was just his mahalek. >> His mahalek. Right. He would come for Shabbos once in a while, once in a while. But, um that's how it began. And it just grew and grew to uh it started with maybe 25 bachurim. 25 bachurim. And uh eventually they got married. And baruch Hashem, today in Boro Park, Amunas Yisrael has say probably 300 members, 300 families. Bli ayin hara. It's a large shul. And uh there are branches in Lakewood, Monsey, Yerushalayim, and Beitar. Unbelievable. >> Why did he choose the name Amunas Yisrael? >> Because emunah was uh the theme of his life. Emunah. He spoke about it all the time. B'emunah shleimah, different [music] emunahs, emunah in Hashem, emunah in in the goodness of a Yid, of the shaar that every Yid Hashem loves every Yid. Emunas chachamim. And um And so, he named it Amunas Yisrael, Yisrael after the Baal Shem Tov. He said, "We go in the Chassidus by the derech of the Baal Shem Tov." So, he chose the name Amunas Yisrael. >> Was there a particular Chassidus that he aligned with? >> Uh he was a Skverer Chassid. >> Mhm. >> All his um He's He started out he was close with the Modzhitzer Rebbe. Modzhitzer Rebbe passed away, he became close to the previous Skverer Rebbe, zatzal. And then he became close to the present Skverer Rebbe, who's much younger than he was. But yet, he was he he was shail eitzah by him all the time. And but he was also close That's what was something that was unique about Rav Wolpin was he drank from everybody. He loved every Yid. And he drank from every stripe of Yiddish of Torah Yiddishkeit. He was close to Satmar Rebbe, Lubavitcher Rebbe, Skverer Rebbe, Modzitzer Rebbe, Klausenburger Rebbe. Uh I must have left some one of them out. And I said before Rebbe Yaakov Kamenetsky, he told me when I was a bachur, there was a situation where I needed a good eitzah. He wanted me to speak to Rebbe Yaakov Kamenetsky, and we couldn't it would could not be arranged. So, he he told me what he held, and he said to me, "I like to think that when I give people advice, it's based on what Rebbe Yaakov Kamenetsky taught me." And this is with my brother when he was the mashgiach of the yeshiva, and he was the mashgiach. Yes, so Rebbe Feivel Cohen, when was the first time you met the mashgiach? I was I mean I learned in Torah Vodaas. So, I saw him in the Beis Medrash till I left Torah Vodaas when I was 19. But I continued going to camp Torah Vodaas. >> Mhm. >> And I I really in camp Torah Vodaas, although he was busy with the masmidim, and I was a counselor or division head, but we had a lot to do with with the mashgiach because he was a big believer in color war. He's a very broad-minded person. He felt that that uh if you used the theme of color war, the team themes right, the children could come home with a tremendous amount of Yiddishkeit and yiras Shamayim. And we [music] we, not just I, but uh my my number of friends of mine, when we had to write a speech for banner presentation, we'd go to the mashgiach for advice, for divrei Torah. When we had a grand play for color war, we would go to him sometimes for a story, and he would sit with us and give us stories. He would sometimes come and and and watch the banner presentations. I think I don't think he so much wanted to hear the speech. He wanted to give chizuk to the speakers. So, he came. He'd come to the grand sing. >> And when did you personally get a a shaychus or kesher to him? >> Uh it was a A was in camp. A lot was in camp, and uh and then when the Munkacser shul started and I joined the Munkacser shul, I continued my kashrus with him till he passed away till 2 years ago. He was left there. >> And he was left there at the age of a over 100. >> 100. Yeah, almost 100. >> Did Did the mashgiach wear a streimel? >> Uh no, he did not except the last year of his life, he wore a streimel at home, only at home. Uh it's a footnote in the book. A streimel is a It's the kavod shabbos. It's a dignified uh uh headgear hat for a for a chasidishe yid. But um so every over the course of his long life, he considered putting one on. And again, in his humility, at one point he was shail eitzah by the Rachmastrivka Rebbe shlita of Boro Park to ask him if he should put a streimel on or not. And amazingly, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, who also was a very broad-minded person, told him that he thinks he's his hashpa'ah is much wider because he doesn't wear a streimel and people feel they can relate to him more. So he advised him not to wear a streimel. So he didn't. But he wanted to put one on till the end of his life because he said it's brought down in sefarim that in the next world, a person wears the clothing he wore on Shabbos. And he said he hoped he'll be able to see the tzaddikim he was close with, and they're all going to be wearing streimelach and he's going to be the only one without a streimel. But he knew that at age 99, to put on a streimel would cause a stir, and he and the last thing he wanted was publicity. So he put one on only at home. >> As as somebody who's been a part of Munkacser shul for decades, wh- did it also attract diversity? Like did more modern people come to the shul sometimes? Did people who were visiting Boro Park come to daven there? And if And if yes, did Reb Wolson have a a kosher a zuga a sprach a a language with these people, a shared language? >> He had a sprach with everyone. He was American-born. >> Mhm. >> Spoke a perfect English. In fact, uh a contingent from YU started coming to Monsey shul. They would come to borrow proper Shabbos. And uh at one point, one of those bochurim approached Rav Wolson and asked if he would give them a shiur in Tanya, in sefer Tanya in English. Till then, his I mean his shiurim were all in Yiddish. And he agreed to do it at home once a week. Once a week. His rebbetzin said to him, "If you have extra time, why not give it to the bochurim of Monsey shul?" Which I mean, he gave a lot of time to the bochurim of Monsey shul, but "If you have an hour a week," he said, "I think there'll be a big tayeles from this." And those shiurim were recorded. And eventually, uh Mrs. Warhand, who runs the Monsey shul, made a beautiful book out of those shiurim. No, I'm sorry. That That was the other shiurim he gave in English on Emunah. This is on Tanya. Uh uh uh one of the bochurim, uh Rabbi Zev Reichman, today he's a rav. >> Sure. >> Rabbi Zev Reichman, uh made a book Flames of It's called Flames of Faith. Based on those Tanya shiurim. >> Wow. >> Yeah. Yes, he had he had he could communicate with everyone, with everyone. People All kinds of people would come. All kinds of people. >> Was there a moment in the calendar year that as someone who participated with him mamesh every all the time, you felt like was Rav Wolson's He was in a different place or a different space? >> Well, uh Every Shabbos with him was special. Every Shabbos. He davened three times a day, six days a week. In in Shma Koleinu. He should be He and his rebbetzin should be zocheh to a wonderful uplifting Shabbos. Yes. Yes, he looked he shone on Shabbos. It was just different. But if he had to pick a highlight of the year in the Amud Yisrael, it was the Purim seudah. As uh people would eat the seudah at home with the having in mind to bench in shul. They would come to shul around 8:30 p.m. at the end of Purim, you know, going into Shushan Purim. And uh and the Mashgiach zatzal would lead the Purim seudah till around 1:00 in the morning. Even when he was 99 years old, right, uh 3 months before he was niftar, he led the Purim seudah for 3 hours, 3 hours. He would you know, he always chose niggunim to sing and in between the singing he said amazing divrei Torah. It was it was something special. >> He He was very musical, correct? >> Yes. >> He got that from his time with the Modzitzer Rebbe? >> I think he came already with a uh chush for niggun. Uh one of his closest friends in in Torah Vodaas was Reb Simcha Shenker, alav hashalom. Post In fact, there's a famous Hamavdil Bein Kodesh L'Chol. >> Sure. We sing it. >> Yes. And Reb Simcha Shenker sang the niggun for Reb Volson as as a bochur. Volson said, "I think Hamavdil would fit well to that niggun." Yes, that's how it became >> Did he compose niggunim for the shul? >> He composed niggunim also, yes, yes. >> And they sing them at the Yamim Nora'im? >> Yeah, yeah. Yeah, certain niggunim. Not many. I mean, he Uh but uh he he knew tremendous amount of niggunim, tremendous amount. And he always took uh appro- he's always choosing the right niggun for the right the right moment. >> That's also an art. >> Yes. Yes. Now, I'll say an interesting thing. One Simchas Torah, which is a story in itself, Simchas Torah with Reb Volson was La'eila La'eila. And one Simchas Torah, one of the leading baalei menaganim in the shul was away for Yom Tov. So, Reb Volson designated someone else in his place. The person said uh "What's the Mashgiach's agenda? He meant to say like what what am I what are we going to be singing? He said my only agenda is to do the ratzon Hashem. But even so I was told that he would sit down before Simchas Torah and choose the niggunim that he wanted to sing at that particular time. >> In that hakafah? >> In that in that hakafah or that night or that day. And I think other occasions also he would prepare the niggunim in advance at certain certain occasions. >> I want I want to take a little bit of time and and focus on the actual book itself. How did you put together a book that really incorporates so much of who Rav Avraham was and just so much of his life. It must have been an incredible amount of research. Or did you know it just from being around? >> It I can't say I knew it I knew quite a bit but not nearly not nearly enough for a book of this size. No. I very fortunate have a lot of friends in the Modzitzer world. And I I did a lot of interviews. A lot was written about him. There was a lot from recordings of him. Not just his shiurim which I used but in certain uh talks to the to the shuls to young guys he would talk about his life, spoke about how he went from being a rebbe to a watchmaker when he lost his voice and couldn't speak. >> Right. >> And that's how he became a watchmaker. >> Right. And that's how he became a Mashgiach cuz he couldn't go he couldn't go back to being an elementary school rebbe. It's And um And then I have two very close friends, Rav Baruch Leizer, Rav Baruch Kovitz who are currently writing a Lashon Kodesh biography on the Mashgiach. And we're Baruch Hashem good friends and we made up to exchange information. So I gave them my interviews, they gave me their interviews and that helped a lot. It helped a lot. And uh >> Did you interview the Mashgiach as well? >> Sure. The Mashgiach was extremely helpful, extremely helpful. And I'm very grateful that one of the Mashgiach's daughters read the entire manuscript for accuracy before it went to print. And uh yeah, I spoke to a lot of family members. >> How do you What's your What's the actual process? So, you interview, do you record it? >> Yes. >> And then you go back and you listen? >> Uh if I feel I need to. It's I have it on recording, so I >> Do you take notes while you >> I try to take notes as I'm recording. As I'm You know, you do it usually interview over the phone, so I can take notes as we're talking. >> How did you decide like should it follow his his life's his ages and stages or cuz in the beginning of the book it starts in a different way. How do you figure that out? Like what's the best way to to write a biography cuz I This is not the first book that you've written, Rabbi Frand. Sure. >> Every author has his style. So, but what I like to do in a biography in the first chapter is sort of give an overview of who are we talking about. I don't start with his childhood. I start with giving >> I noticed >> giving a Who is this tzaddik? What makes him special? What What are we going to be reading about? And after that chapter, I go through his life and then after that different uh main points of his life. And the case of Reb Wolpin, Shabbos with the Mashgiach, Purim with There's a whole chapter on Purim with the Mashgiach. Uh his middos is unbelievable middos. He's such a tzaddik, such a good-hearted neshama, such a caring person for everybody, for everyone. Not just for the shul. Um his humility For many years, he referred to himself as the president of Emunas Yisrael, not the Rav. He couldn't bring himself to call himself the Rav. Eventually, he got used to it and even the stationery said the Rav of Emunas Yisrael, but it took him took him a while. He once got up before he went to Florida on doctor's orders in the winter and said, "When the bus driver is leaving, you have to make sure that everything is in order." That's what he said. His humility was real It was real. His humility was real. To me Go ahead. I once when I was in oval for my mother I once I told him that I had seen in Garan Israel that all the avail and who say Kadish stand together next to the Rebbe and say Kadish word for word. He said He said that's an excellent idea. They should do it here, too. I said, "Where should we stand?" He said, "Anywhere. In this shul there's no Rebbe." And he meant it. He really meant it. >> I was blown away by what you wrote that how he was able to be careful with shmiras einayim for the 2 years that he went to Manhattan to be a watchmaker. Share it with us cuz it's it's it's it's a a different It's a It's a different world. >> Well, I knew this from a friend of my Rebbe Uncle Weinberger who told me he was once going to Florida for the first time. And he knew that in Florida with the warm weather shmiras einayim could be in his sight. >> [music] >> And he asked what Wilson like how do I handle this in his sight? And Wilson said to him, "You know, I was a watchmaker for a couple of years when I lost my voice and had to travel by train to Manhattan every day. He said I had two problems. One problem was the shmiras einayim on the train in the street in Manhattan. And my second problem, he said, "My boss, I don't know who was of kind of person he was, he said he had the radio blaring loud all day long and at first it disturbed me very much. So, I came up with an idea. Every morning before leaving for work, I would decide which topic in Torah am I focusing on today. I chose a topic. And as soon as I left the house, I began thinking about that topic. And I went on the train, I didn't notice the people. I walked in the street, I was focused on what I was been about. I sat in my workbench and I didn't hear the radio. He said and he said an amazing thing. He said, "Believe me, I wanted so desperately to go back to Yeshiva, my voice should return. But at the same time, I have to tell you, I grew more in my Yiddishkeit in those two years as a watchmaker than all my years in Yeshiva." >> Wow, that's what he said? It's like the deepest kind of effort that >> And by the way, tell me that I saw this later in life. He would walk down the street and he didn't notice his own talmidim because he trained had trained himself. He'd walk in the street. He would walk from Borough Park to Tarvodas, which is quite a nice walk. And people sometimes wondered why a schmear said, "Hey, why didn't he Why didn't he take a ride or for take a car service or whatever?" And he told people he did it for exercise. And people I And he once told the talmud to say, "No, I I failed to the mashgiach in the street and the mashgiach doesn't answer me." He said, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, but I walk in the street, I I almost don't see people. I'm focused on my thoughts. I don't see people." The next time the talmud said, "Good morning, Rabbi." And he said, "Ah, good morning." He never As soon as he heard him say good morning, he looked at him and responded. >> I feel when I feel like we didn't even scratch the surface about talking about the mashgiach and think anyone that wants to scratch the surface should buy the book. And they should learn the book. It's not enough to read it. It's not It's not a book that you sit on a on a lawn chair and you sip a lemonade. It's a book that has You said this for everything in life inside of it and it shows what a person could become with the real life of Aida. >> I think so. And um Every day with him was was special. And I I think reading about him also was That's a shame. Hopefully it will be a good experience for the reader. He should have a light again again and the source of so many people seeing what this type of person is and what they could become should stand by you and you continue to write many beautiful biographies. >> And may that's luck to you. >> It's kind of hard. >> [music] [music]