Iconic Williamsburg: Rav Shabsi Rosenberg, zt”l

We return to old Williamsburg’s Moore Street, the beginning of Brooklyn Jewry’s establishment—where the Russian immigrants first landed when they schlepped their worn valises over the newly-constructed Brooklyn Bridge on their exodus from the squalor of the Lower East Side Tenements. 

Our readers may recall the philanthropist Reb Yaakov Werbelowsky of this section, and his activism in establishing shuls and yeshivos in the area. Among them was the enormous Meserole Street Talmud Torah—Brooklyn’s oldest Torah institution—and the Beis Hamedrash Hagadol Kesser Torah of Williamsburg at 50 Moore Street. 

To lead the Shul—which would continue to be led by great men over the years—he imported Rav Shabsi Rosenberg of Vilna, a ga’on who was acquainted with many of the Gedolim of Lita. Like numerous other tzaddikim who came here during those years, his story is one of valiance and tragedy.  

For a quarter century, Rav Rosenberg served and led the Jews of old Williamsburg with dedication and self-sacrifice. 

Vilna to Williamsburg 

Rav Shabsi was born in Vilna in the year 1857. Very little is known about his youth, aside from what we learn from the haskomos to his sefer, and the gedolim who laud his caliber back in Lithuania. In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened, and the flow of Russian immigrants made their way to Williamsburg. The narrative of his incredible impact during his time here is continued in History of Brooklyn Jewry: 

“Rabbi Rosenberg, who played an important rolse in the spiritual development of the Russian community that centered around Moore Street and Graham Avenue the latter part of the 19th century and the earlier part of the 20th century, came here upon the invitation of the Beis Hamedrosh Hagodol. He was educated in Vilna, Poland…. Was very influential with the early settlers and administered their needs for about a quarter century. He spent 15 years learning under the guidance of the most learned minds of Russia. 

“… was also influential through his sermons which he delivered on Saturdays in Yiddish, He used to denounce, in strong language, the Sabbath breakers. He was very charitable. He gave from his own income, which was limited, and influenced others to give to the needy and the sick.”

Religion is Religious, Business is Business

In coming to Williamsburg’s Moore Street section, Rav Shabsi clearly saw it as his mandate to serve the Jews of the area far beyond his pulpit at Beis Hamedrash Hagodol. As we will later learn, Rav Rosenberg authored a monumental work on melichah, and immediately became involved in the issues of kashrus. History of Brooklyn Jewry continues: “He exerted a great influence on the sale of kosher mean, in which subject he was a great authority…. And succeeded in influencing the butchers to follow his suggestions after holding a series of conferences with them. These he gave his holy sanction so those who wanted kosher meat knew from whom to buy.”  

But this battle cost him dearly. Many of the butchers did not take kindly to his approach, and by 1897, things had come to a head, as we read in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: “Religion is Religion, but business is business. A rival synagogue built. More than half of the original congregation went with Rabbi Rosenberg. Now two synagogues stand side by side on Moore Street. Exciting times during recent festivals… just why the new synagogue, which was formally opened and consecrated last week, was built, is difficult to say. There are a hundred different stories told. It appears from what could be learned that the old synagogue at 44 and 46 Moore Street has for years been the more prosperous Schule in that quarter of the Eastern District and every member of the congregation was satisfied with Rabbi S. Rosenberg until about a year ago, when something happened that displeased them. They set up in the charges against him that he was levying too high a tax on the kosher butchers, and as a result all the Hebrews in that section were obliged to pay what was called an exorbitant price on kosher meat.” 

The new shul was called Beis Hamedrosh Hagdol, with the added names Kesser Torah. Jacob Werbelowsky, the upstanding an ehrliche Yid that he was, abandoned the shul that he had himself built, joining Rabbi Rosenberg next door, where we find him continuing his leadership, presiding over a siyum hashas in the Chevra Shas in the early 1900’s. 

But the stress and the persecution was hard on him, and Rav Shabsi was ultimately was niftar from ulcers, following a valiant tenure of fighting for Yiddishkeit, and leading the growth of the Jewish community there, with great fearlessness and dedication. 

A Lasting Legacy 

Rav Shabsi authored the sefer Bris Melach on the halachos of melicha, removing all traces of blood from meat—an important aspect of kashrus of meat, an area which was notoriously problematic in New York of those days. 

The sefer was lauded by the greatest Gedolim of Europe and the holy city of Yerushalayim, to whom he sent to the manuscript. Among them was Rav Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky of Vilna, Slutzk, and tzefas (known as Ridbaz), who had served for a time as the Chief Rabbi of Chicago. Due to his own battles with the meat merchants who ultimately threatened his life, he escaped to the holy land. In his haskomoh, he recalls the time they spent together in New York. “And now he completed a great work, Bris Melach, in which he journeys through the complex laws of melicha. There is not one area that he neglected to define and elucidate l’halachah l’ma’aseh, l’amitah shel Torah, bringing together all the opinions of the Rishonim on these matters.” Most of these Rabbonim refer to Rav Shabsi as the Ga’avad of Brooklyn. 

In his lengthy introduction, Rav Shabsi weaves many foundational themes of Torah and aggodoh in connection with milchemes hayetzer, the work of a Yid on this earth, and he alludes to the many challenges that he endured in America.   

He also writes: “This is my endeavor, that my name should not be forgotten.” He testifies that he sought peace under all circumstances, toiled greatly in Torah, gave his life away for communal matters, and was especially vigilant in speaking about others, even in their praise. Even when certain groups conspired against him, he accepted it with love, and did not speak in their ill. 

This beautifully-penned introduction is also a last testament in which recalls the serene days of his youth, toiling in Torah among the trees and the grass, “far from this unknown land of Columbus that neither he nor his fathers had known.” He gives effusive thanks to Hakodosh Baruch Hu for all the good that emerged even from the suffering. 

24 Teves of 1913, Rav Shabsi passed away from the aforementioned prolonged illness, and was interred on the Chevra Shas section on Mount Zion Cemetery, following a quarter-century of dedication to the Jews of Williamsburg of yore.