[Video below.] King Charles III has sent a personal letter to Rav Moshe Sternbuch, raavad of the Badatz of the Eidah HaChareidis, extending his warm wishes on the occasion of the Rav’s 100th birthday.
The letter was sent in keeping with a long-standing royal tradition, initiated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, under which individuals in the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth countries who reach the age of 100 are eligible to receive an official message of congratulations from the reigning monarch. Rav Sternbuch, who was born in London in 1926, qualifies for the honor by virtue of his British birth.
The gesture has drawn attention across Torah circles, highlighting the remarkable life and enduring influence of one of the senior gedolei Torah of our generation, whose century of life has been devoted entirely to limud haTorah, harbotzas Torah, and psak halachah.
Rav Sternbuch was born in London on February 15, 1926, one of nine children. His father, Reb Osher Sternbuch, was known for opening his home to rabbanim who visited London on behalf of their yeshivos. As a young boy, Rav Sternbuch’s brilliance was already evident. Rav Elchonon Wasserman, after learning with him, famously described him as a
davar sheyeish bo mamash, while Rav Yechezkel Abramsky regularly tested him in learning and foretold that he would one day become a great
moreh hora’ah. Before long, he became known as the “Londoner Illui.”
During the years of the Blitz in World War II, the family fled London, and Rav Sternbuch spent time sharing a room with Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, later the author of Michtav M’Eliyahu, who predicted that the young Moshe would grow into one of the gedolei hador. In a moment of hidden hashgachah pratis, Rav Sternbuch narrowly avoided boarding a ship that later sank with hundreds of children aboard, after guidance from Rav Elya Lopian led his mother to keep him home.
He learned for a decade in Yeshivas Toras Emes in Stamford Hill under Rav Moshe Schneider, alongside future Torah leaders and prominent figures, developing into one of the outstanding bnei aliyah of his generation.
After the war, Rav Sternbuch came to Eretz Yisroel to immerse himself further in Torah and to be close to the great gedolim of the era. He learned in Yeshivas Chevron and forged close relationships with the Brisker Rov, the Chazon Ish, and the Chebiner Rav, Rav Dov Berish Weidenfeld. Following his marriage in 1954, he served as rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Hamasmidim and later devoted himself to strengthening Torah in a variety of settings, including the establishment of Torah institutions and chesed frameworks for immigrant communities.
For many years, Rav Sternbuch has resided in the Har Nof neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where he serves as the rav of the Gra Shul, named for the Vilna Gaon, of whom he is a direct descendant. Since 2003, he has served as raavad of the Eidah HaChareidis.
The letter from King Charles III arrives as Rav Sternbuch continues, even at the age of 100, to learn, write, and guide Klal Yisroel. His extensive sefarim—including Teshuvos VeHanhagos, Moadim Uzmanim, Ta’am VeDaas Al HaTorah, and many others in both Hebrew and English—are studied throughout the yeshivah world and remain foundational works in contemporary halachic discourse.
WATCH RAV SHTERNBUCH RECEIVE THE LETTER FROM THE KING:
{Matzav.com}
