On the funeral of Rabbi Moshe Twersky, z"l

On a number of occasions, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (“the Rav”), z”l, described his experience as a conveyor of the Jewish Tradition and a link in the sacred chain of Sinai (see Halakhic Man, pp. 101). To paraphrase, “I stand in front of the room and begin to lecture. After a few moments, there is a knock at the door. It is my grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk. A short while later, there is another knock. It is Rabbi Akiva Eiger. Before long, someone else knocks. It is Nachmanides, and behind him, Maimonides.” The collective learning experience unfolding before the Rav represented a melding of generations and a transcendence of time. The participants in the discussion before him were not only the fresh youth of 20^th century America, but also the great masters of the Jewish faith from time immemorial.

How painful, and how ironic, then, will be the scene before us at the funeral of Rabbi Moshe Twersky, z”l, הי"ד, the oldest of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s grandchildren. It will take only a cursory glance to discover Rabbi Twersky’s surviving relations, ייבדלו לחיים, his wife and children; his mother, Mrs. Atarah Twersky; and some of the great luminaries in the wider family, including Professor Haym Soloveitchik; his uncle Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein; his cousin and colleague Rabbi Moshe Meiselman; his brother Rabbi Mayer Twersky; and others.

But look a little more closely and you will discern countless others, joining in the throngs of the shocked, crying, and inconsolable. You will see Rabbi Twersky’s late father, Rabbi Isadore Twersky of Talne, z”l. You will see the Rav, standing aside Rabbi Meshulam Zushe Twersky of Boston, z”l. Look further, and you will pick out of the crowd Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk and his forebears. And behind him, you will find the same aforementioned Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Nahmanides, and Maimonides. They, too, will be there, to mourn their beloved and trusted disciple, who spent his life in the indefatigable study of their works.

Of course, another group will also be there. They will be huddled together in the back, and they might be the most expressive and the most moved of everyone in attendance. It’s not a small group. Some of the faces may be discernable- Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, Rabbi Akiva. Aside them will be others- Kobi Mandell. Nachshon Wachsman. Naftali Frenkel. And beyond them, there will be millions more, men, women, and children. You won’t know their names, but you’ll know who they are immediately. This group, of course, is the sacred society of those who lived Jewish lives and, when they had no more choices and chances, died Jewish deaths. This society will also be there, and they will wonder why they are being called upon to receive yet another member into their society, pained and sorrowed, in disbelief.