Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapira

Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapira (1914-2006). Born to Rav Aryeh, the dayan of Bialystok and grandson of Rav Refael (the Toras Refael) of Volozhin, who himself was a grandson of the Netziv. As he was born during WW I, his family had fled from Bialystok to Minsk, where his uncle, Rav Chaim of Brisk, lived at the time. In 1933 Rav Moshe Shmuel left home and set out for Yeshivas Ohel Torah of Baranovitch headed by Rav Elchonon Wasserman. In the summer 1936, he moved to Mir, where became a talmid muvhak of Rav Baruch Ber Lebowitz of Kaminetz. In 1938 he fled to Eretz Yisrael. His father eventually joined him. His mother and two brothers remained behind and perished in the Holocaust. His cousin, the Brisker Rav, arrived in Eretz Yisrael around the same time. Rav Moshe Shmuel became one of his closest talmidim. After his marriage in 1946 he learnt in Kollel Chazon Ish for a year and then served as a maggid shiur in Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalayim for three years. The Chazon Ish, to whom he became very close, requested him to open a yeshiva in Beer Yaakov together with the renowned mashgiach, Rav Shlomo Wolbe. In 1963 Rav Moshe Shmuel published the first volume of his sefer "Kuntrus HaBiurim". It included his shiurim on Gittin, Kiddushin and Nedarim. He printed ten additional volumes over the years. He also wrote the seforim "Shaarei Shemu'os" and "Zahav Misheva." Most of his voluminous writings are, however, still unpublished. Rav Moshe Shmuel was a member of the Vaad HaYeshivos for fifty years. In 1968 Rav Yechezkel Sarna and the Beis Yisrael of Ger invited him to join the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisrael.