Moshe Shmuel Shapiro

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Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro in 2003

Moshe Shmuel Shapiro (1917–2006) was a

Rosh Yeshiva and important rabbinic figure in Israel
.

Early life and education

Moshe Shmuel Shapiro's father, Aryeh Shapira, was the son of

Dayan of Białystok, Poland, Moshe Shmuel was born in the city of Minsk
, Belarus, where his family had escaped the horrors of World War I.

After the war, the Shapira family returned to Białystok where Shapiro studied in the local

Yeshivas Mir
, attests to the special relationship which existed between Shapiro and Rav Elchonon. Even after Shapiro left Baranovich, he continued corresponding with Rav Elchonon.

In the summer of 1936, Shapiro moved to

Yerucham Levovitz. Shapiro joined students older than himself in sleeping arrangements, despite his young age compared to them. He developed a friendship with such Torah scholars as Yonah Karpilov of Minsk (who was murdered in the Holocaust) and Aryeh Leib Malin. In 1937, Shapiro reached the age of army conscription
and made the decision to move to Palestine rather than serve in the Polish armed forces.

In Israel

In Israel, Shapiro attended Yeshivas Lomza in Petah Tikva, where Yechezkel Levenstein recognized his potential. During his time in Lomza, Elazar Shach was the main Talmudic lecturer, while Moshe Shmuel and Rav Shmuel Rozovsky delivered other specialized lectures in Talmud studies. During this time, Shapiro was the teacher of many rabbis, including Chaim Kanievsky.

When Shapiro's first cousin, the

Brisker methods. He was given special access to writings from his cousin and his uncle, Chaim Soloveitchik, which he incorporated into his own understandings of various Gemara sugyas. Shapiro was the main editor of the works of the Brisker Rov on Kodashim
.

Shapiro was granted

Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer
.

During this period he also became very close to the Chazon Ish

Ramle
, the town where his yeshiva was located, for a short time before resigning because it took away too much time from running his Yeshiva.

Shapiro consulted with the Chazon Ish and the Brisker Rov on all yeshiva matters. In 1953, on the day of the death of the Karelitz, Shapiro held a two-hour conversation in Torah with the aging sage.

In 1968, Shapiro was repeatedly asked to join the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah by the Beis Yisrael, the Gerrer Rebbe, and Yechezkel Sarna. Eventually he acceded to their request when the latter paid him a personal visit.

Works

From the year 1963 until the year of his death, Shapiro published many Talmudic works on the Orders of

Ri Migash
with his own footnotes.

References

Sources

External links