Rav Moshe Schick zt"l
הרב משה בן יוסף שיק זצ"ל
Shevat 1 , 5639
Rav Moshe Schick zt"l
(1807–1879 / 5567-5639)
Born in 1807/5567 in Birkenhein, Hungary (today known as Brezová, Slovakia) to Rav Yosef Schick and his wife from the Frankel family.
The Schicks were descended from two renowned talmidei chachamim: Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heller, author of the Tosfos YomTov on Mishnayos and Rav Meir Katzenellenbogen of Padua, known as the Maharam Padua.
At the age of 11 he was sent to study Torah and learned with his uncle, Rav Yitzchok Frankel, AvBeisDin in Regensdorf. When he was 14, he was sent to learn under the Chasam Sofer in Pressburg where he remained for six years. The Chasam Sofer was very affectionate towards his disciple and he nicknamed him “otzar seforim (seforim shrank, or a treasure trove of Torah).”
At age 20, he married his cousin, Gittel Frankel. In 1838, with the Chasam Sofer's recommendation, he was appointed rav of Yergen (Szent György or Georgen; Yergen in Hebrew sources) and he opened a yeshivah. He remained there for well over twenty years, marking the yeshivah's success.
In 1868, the year of his rebbe, the Chasam Sofer’s petira, he became Rav in Chust, and he transferred his entire student body numbering some 800 yeshiva students there. He also developed a warm relationship with the Sigheter Rav, the author of Yetev Lev.
The Maharam was a vocal opponent of the Haskalah and fought the maskilim and their innovations, calling for the establishment of a counter Orthodox movement. Even the status quo communities that adhered to halachah found themselves his opponents. For example, his response to the infamous Reform Rabbinical Conference of 1844 at Braunschweig was to rule that it was forbidden for any G-d fearing Jews to marry Reform Jews.
The Maharam Schik authored halachic responsa with over a thousand letters of correspondence with the gedolim of his time.
He was niftar at the age of 72 on Rosh Chodesh Shevat 5639/1879 in Chust.
He authored a number of seforim including Responsa Shailos U'Tshuvos Maharam Schick, chiddushim on Shas, Chumash, Haggadah Shel Pesach, and Drashos.