Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro was a Rosh Yeshiva and important rabbinic figure in Israel.
Early life and education
His father, Rabbi Aryeh Shapira, was the son of Rabbi Refael Shapiro of Volozhin and grandson of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin His mother was a descendant of Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heilpern of Bialystock, a descendant of Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller. Even though his father was the Dayan of Białystok, Poland, Moshe Shmuel was born in the city ofMinsk, Belarus, where his family had escaped the horrors of World War I. After the war, the Shapira family returned to Białystok where Moshe Shmuel studied in the localyeshiva. Rabbi Chaim Brisker, Moshe Shmuel's uncle, frequented the Shapira residence. In 1933, Moshe Shmuel left home to study in the Baranovich Yeshiva under the tutelage of Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman. Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir, attests to the special relationship which existed between the young Moshe Shmuel and Wasserman. Even after Moshe Shmuel left Baranovich, he continued corresponding with Wasserman. In the summer of 1936, Shapiro moved to Yeshivas Mir where he immediately gained a reputation as having potential for leading the Torah world and was recognized by Rabbi 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 Rabbi Yonah Karpilov of Minsk and Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin. In 1937, Shapiro reached the age of army conscription and had to flee Poland. He moved to Israel.
In Israel
In Israel, Shapiro attended Yeshivas Lomza in Petah Tikva, where Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein recognized his potential. During his time in Lomza, Rabbi Elazar Shach was the main Talmudic lecturer, while Shapiro and Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky delivered other specialized lectures in Talmud studies. During this time, Shapiro was the teacher of many rabbis, including Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. When Shapiro's first cousin, the Brisker Rav, moved to Jerusalem, Shapiro developed a strong relationship with him and helped publicize the Brisker methods. He was given special access to writings from his cousin and his uncle, Reb Chaim Brisker, which he incorporated into his own understandings of various Gemara sugyas. Shapiro was the main editor of the works of the Brisker Rav on Kodashim. Shapiro was granted semicha by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer. During this period he also became very close to the Chazon Ish. After his marriage in 1946, Shapiro spent one year learning in the Chazon Ish's kollel (known as Kollel Chazon Ish and then was hired to deliver Talmudic lectures in Yeshivas Kol Torah for three years. At the behest of the Chazon Ish, Shapiro joined Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe in establishing Yeshivas Be'er Yaakov. He was also the Chief Rabbi of 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 Brisker Rav on all yeshiva matters. In 1953, on the day of the death of the Chazon Ish, 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 Rabbi Yisrael Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe, and Rabbi 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 Nashim, Nezikin, and Moed. They are divided into two sets of books. Kuntres Ha-Biurim are in-depth analysis of various Talmudic topics, often based on exclusive manuscripts and ideas which Shapiro heard from the Brisker Rav. Sha'arei Shemu'os is a compilation of Shapiro's novellae arranged by folio of the Talmudic tractates on which he published his works. Shapiro's sons published his work on Tanakh entitled Zahav MiShva. Shapiro also worked extensively with manuscripts of various Rishonim and published an edition of the Ri Migash with his own footnotes.
