Rav Sinai Halberstam was born in 5630/1870 in Rudnick. When his father, Rav Baruch of Gorlitz, asked his own father, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, what to name the baby, the Sanzer Rav said to name him after Rav Baruch’s maternal great-grandfather, Rav Elazar Nissan of Drohobitch, (the father of his father-in-law, the Yetev Lev of Sighet). But then the Divrei Chaim asked another Godol who was present.
“It is the custom,” the Godol replied, “that one does not name after a person who was niftar young.” Rav Elazar Nissan had been niftar young.
The Divrei Chaim thought for a moment. “Then name him Sinai, for that has the same letters as Nissan, and may he grow up to be a Sinai V’Oker Horim, a giant in the depth and breadth of Torah.”
At a young age Rav Sinai married the daughter of Rav Naftoli Horowitz of Melitz. Rav Sinai was known for his chessed, even in his early years. While a newlywed still living with his in-laws in Melitz, his Rebbetzin noticed that some of his garments were missing. Rav Sinai had been given eighteen undershirts before his wedding, and now he had only ten. He explained to his wife that he had noticed a person at the mikveh who had only one tattered undershirt to his name, so he gave him some of his own.
Rav Sinai was appointed Rav of Koloshitz after his wedding. He served there briefly until the elderly Rav of Zhemigrad was niftar, leaving his position to “a grandson of the Divrei Chaim”. When the post was offered to Rav Sinai in 5664/1904, he was reminded of an incident that had occurred many years before. In Zhemigrad with his father for a simcha, his father publicly offered him a l’chaim as Rav of Zhemigrad. The Chassidim of Zhemigrad tried to protest, but the reigning Rav hushed them. “There is nothing to correct,” he said.
Rav Sinai accepted the rabbonus of Zhemigrad and led the town for over thirty years. He was renowned as a darshan and composer of niggunim, and for caring for the poor with mesirus nefesh. He rose every night at chatzos to learn Kabbola until the morning.
Every Purim, Rav Sinai received many mishlochei manos containing envelopes with tzedaka as a major component. He would match the sum to his list of needy recipients and send out new envelopes with his gabbai all over town. By evening, not a penny was left in the house.
When he became ill later in life, he moved to Cracow for treatment. A few years later the Nazis overran Poland, and he fled to Lemberg, Galicia. Tragically, his Rebbetzin was niftar and was buried in Boberka.
The Soviets exiled Rav Sinai and his family to Siberia on an overcrowded train in which the prisoners were confined for weeks. Rav Sinai did not survive the trip. Niftar on the 26th of Tammuz, 5701/1941, he was buried in the forests of Omsk. Clean, white fabric was miraculously procured for use as tachrichim, and the family was further privileged to erect a matzeiva on his kever in the forest.
Sons of his who perished in the Holocaust were Rav Chaim Yehuda, Rav in Oshpitzin; Rav Avrohom Abish of Satmar; Rav Dovid of Radomsk; Rav Aharon of Zitomir; Rav Yechezkel of Rudnick; and Rav Baruch of Zokilkov. His son-in-law was Rav Boruch of Sanz-Gribov. Hashem yinkom domom.
Sons who survived the war are Rav Yaakov of Tchakava-Yerushalayim; Rav Yisrael of Zhemigrad-New York; and Rav Aryeh Leibish of Zhemigrad-Bnei Brak, and his son-in-law Rav Yaakov Moskowitz of Shotz-Haifa. Zechusam yagen aleinu.
