Moshe Sofer (II)

Rabbi Moshe Sofer HY"D
Dayan of Erlau
Yeshiva	Yeshivas Chassam Sofer - Erlau
Ended	1944
Predecessor	Rabbi Shimon Sofer (II)
Successor	Rabbi Yochanan Sofer
Personal details
Birth name	Moshe Schreiber
Born	10 May 1885 Erlau, Hungary
Died	12 June 1944 (21 Sivan 5704) Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland
Nationality	Hungarian
Denomination	Orthodox Judaism
Dynasty	Erlau (Hasidic Dynasty), Chassam Sofer
Parents	Rabbi Shimon Sofer (II) and Malkah Esther Spitzer
Spouse	Tushene Schoenfeld
Children	Avraham Shmuel Binyamin, Yochanan, Chava Rivka, Leah, Gitel Tobia, Reizel,
Occupation	Rabbi, Dayan

Rabbi Moshe Sofer (II) (1885–1944) (Hungarian; Moses Schreiber) was a prominent Orthodox Jewish (Charedi) Rabbi in the early 20th century. He was Dayan of Erlau, Hungary and author of a Halachic responsa Sefer named Yad Sofer.

He was the son of Rabbi Shimon Sofer (II) (Hisorerus Tshuva), grandson of Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (Ksav Sofer) and great grandson of Rabbi Moshe Sofer (Chasam Sofer).

He was the father of Rabbi Yochanan Sofer, current Rebbe of Erlau.

He perished at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.

Early life

Rabbi Moshe was born on 10, May 1885 to his father Rabbi Shimon (Chief Rabbi of Erlau) and mother Malkah Esther Spitzer. Malkah was the daughter of Gitel Schreiber (daughter of the Chasam Sofer) and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Spitzer (1811–1893), Rabbi of Schiffschul, Vienna (author of Tikun Shlomo).

In his adolescent years, Moshe learned at the yeshiva of Rabbi Avraham Greenberg in Kežmarok, Hungary. He later learned at the Pressburg Yeshiva under the auspices of Rabbi Akiva Sofer (author of Daas Sofer).

The young Moshe soon became known as a Torah genius and would engage in written halachic responsa with great Rabbis such as Rabbi Sholom Mordechai Schwadron of Berezhany, Rabbi Yitzchak Glick of Tolcsva (author of Yad Yitzchak) and Rabbi Nethanel Fried of Balmazújváros (author of Pnei Meivin).^[1]

At the Yeshiva, Rabbi Akiva Sofer once pointed out Moshe to a visitor, affectionately saying "This is our Rosh Yeshiva".^[2]

Rabbi Mordechai Leib Winkler (1845–1932) of Mad (author of Levushei Mordechai) wrote that Sofer was baki (fluent) in Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi, Rishonim and Acharonim.^[3]

Rabbi Moshe received Semicha from various Rabbi’s prior to his marriage.

Married life

Rabbi Moshe married Tushene (heb; טושענע) (circa 1886-1944), the daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yochanan Schoenfeld (1848–1913), Rabbi of Érmihályfalva.

For a few years, Sofer engaged in business, but was ultimately appointed to the preside as Dayan on the Beth Din of the Erlau Orthodox congregation. His father, Rabbi Shimon requested that he be retested by three rabbis and ordained Semicha once again before joining the Beth Din. Something Rabbi Moshe did with ease.

Rabbi Moshe was offered many prestigious Rabbinical positions, but turned them down in order to be with father and to invest his time in publishing the Torah commentaries of his illustrious family.

Rabbi Moshe edited and published the works of the Chassam Sofer, Ksav Sofer ^[4] and Sofer Mahir (authorder by Rabbi Yitzchak Leib Sofer of Drohobych, son of Ksav Sofer) ^[5] and authored many of his own works on the Torah, most of which were lost during the war.

As his father aged, Rabbi Moshe became more active in communal matters and served as the active Rav and dayan of Erlau alongside his father. He also supervised the Cheder and Yeshiva.

Children

Rabbi Moshe and Tushene Sofer had six children; Avraham Shmuel Binyamin, Yochanan, Chava Rivka, Leah, Gitel Tobia and Reizel.

Avraham Shmuel Binyamin was a Torah genius and studied at the Yeshiva of Rabbi Yosef Asher Pollack (1888 – 1944) (author of She'eris Yosef Asher), in Verpelét, Hungary.^[6]

He also studied at the Yeshiva of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Roller (1868–1947) (author of Be'er Chaim Mordechai) in Piatra Neamţ, Romania from whom he received Semicha.^[7]

Yochanan also studied at the Verpelét Yeshiva, later became Rabbi of Erlau and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chassam Sofer in Budapest and Eger. He re-founded the Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel and is now Rebbe of the Erlau Hasidic Dynasty.

Chava Rivka, Leah, Gitel Tobia and Reizel all were unmarried and perished in the Holocaust.

Death and legacy

In 1944, Rabbi Moshe and his family were deported to Auschwitz by the Nazis (with the exception of his son Avraham Shmuel Binyamin) together with the Jews of Erlau.

On 12 June 1944 (21 Sivan 5704) Rabbi Moshe, his wife, daughters and his father Rabbi Shimon were murdered by the Nazis.^[8][9][10]

He was survived by his sons, Avraham Shmuel Binyamin and Yochanan.

After World War II, Avraham Shmuel Binyamin and Yochanan reunited in Budapest. There they re-established the Yeshivas Chassam Sofer together with Rabbi Moshe Stern (1914–1997) of Debrecen (author of Be'er Moshe).^[11]

In 1947, the brothers moved to Eger (Erlau) and re-established the Kehilla and Yeshiva there. Though Rabbi Avraham Shmuel was older than Rabbi Yochanan, he preferred that Rabbi Yochanan assume Rabbinical position, giving him and the Yeshiva full support, both personally and monetarily. Rabbi Avraham Shmuel engaged in business, but spent much of his time in the Yeshiva studying with the students.

Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin died in 1948, unmarried, due to an illness. He was buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Eger, near the grave of his grandmother Malkah Esther Sofer.

Rabbi Yochanan, the sole survivor of Rabbi Moshe's family, married Miram Pall (Daughter of Yaakov Pall, descendant of the Chassam Sofer's sister). They had three children in Eger; Moshe (1947), Yaakov (1948) and Avraham Shmuel Binyomin Sofer (1949). After emigrating to Israel in 1950, they had four more children; Shimon (1951), Akiva Menachem (1953), Zalman(1954) and Aharon (1959).

Rabbi Yochanan refounded the Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel, and over the years established a network of Synagogues in Israel and the USA naming them “Kehillot Yad Sofer” after his father.

Today, Rabbi Yochanan leads a respectable community in Israel retaining the name Erlau. He is a presiding member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and a key leader and Posek of the Charedi population in Israel.

Written works

Rabbi Moshe authored many Torah commentaries, most of which were lost during the Holocaust.

Remaining today is his responsa on the Shulchan Aruch named Yad Sofer (Hand of the Scribe). This responsa was published by his son, Rabbi Yochanan, who added his own commentary and notations named Itur Sofrim (Ornament of the Scribes). These sefarim were printed in 1949 in Budapest at Gewirtz Brothers Printery.^[12]

References