Hamodia: Hespedim Recap of Levaya on New York - Hagaon Harav Dovid Feinstein, Zt”l

 Hagaon Harav Dovid Feinstein, Zt”l — Chasdei Dovid Hane’emanim 

By Rabbi Binyomin Zev Karman 

Hamodia- “He was a Gaon, a brilliant tamid chacham. Decades ago, his father (Hagaon Harav Moshe, zt”l) attested that “er ken Shas — he knows Shas.” Rav Moshe was measuring it with his own comprehension, and he said Rav Dovid knew it expertly. And he continued learning without pause.

“He was certainly a Posek. Harav Elyashiv, zt”l, considered him the Posek for America. 

“He was ehrlich. The Rosh Yeshivah (Rav Moshe) said, “Du vest nisht gefinen aza ehrliche vi ehm — You will not find another ehrliche person like him.” 

“So what can I add?” Harav Chaim Ganzweig, shlita, the Mashgiach of Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim asked the crowd of thousands mourning the loss of Harav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l. “The passuk in Yeshayah (55:3) states, “Chasdei Dovid hane’emanim.” Although the meforshim explain it refers to the kindnesses that Hashem does, which are permanent, I would like to explain, b’derech drush, that it may be going on the chessed that our Rav Dovid performed the entire day.

“He was not obligated to take responsibility for the yeshivah, nor for the kollel. And, indeed, all the harbotzas haTorah that he performed was entirely chessed. The way he interacted with people, regardless if they were rich or poor, wise or foolish, talmid chacham or am haaretz, great or small, all were recipients of his endless chessed. Most did not even realize the chessed he was doing for them, as he did a tovah for each person according to the individual’s need.”

As these poignant words of Rav Ganszweig reverberated through the crowd, tears streamed down not only from his eyes, but undoubtedly down the faces of the thousands who gathered to pay the kvod haacharon to the humble figure who nevertheless towered above the rest. He wore a plain jacket and no kapote, and his hat was just as plain. But those who knew him, or even happened to meet him for just a short time, soon came to realize that he was clothed in greatness. 

“Before my zeide was niftar (in 5746/1986), few people out of the circle of his talmidim knew who he was,” his son, Rabbi Mordechai said. “He sat behind a beam and never sat on the mizrach until he was forced to move there when he took over the yeshivah and kollel after my zeide passed away. Suddenly, he exploded on the scene, and he was famous, but he remained oblivious to it all. He never rubbed shoulders with the prestigious people, but rather remained together with every single Yid. 

“He shouldered the burden of the yeshiva and kollel, and undertook responsibilities for the klal like Chinuch Atzmai, and for the yeshivah of Rav Michel (Feinstein). But he still shlepped to weddings, and not only for those close to him. If someone who only knew him in passing needed a mesader kiddushin, he shlepped there. And he would come even if he was not accorded any kibud, because that was irrelevant to him. He did it to help another Yid.” Read full report on the Hespedim at Hamodia.com