“Is This How You Answer Halachic Questions?”: A Remarkable Story About Rav Moshe Feinstein

A Torah Giant on the Sidewalk

Every morning, after finishing Shacharit (the morning prayer) at the Beit Midrash (study hall), the late Rav Moshe Feinstein would make his way home. But the walk was never quiet.

Lining the sidewalks were Jews with urgent halachic (Jewish legal) questions. One asked about Orach Chaim (daily law), another about Choshen Mishpat (financial law), another about Yoreh De’ah (kashrut, mourning, and more), and yet another about Even HaEzer (marriage and family law). Rav Moshe would walk among them calmly, responding fluently to each question with precise, immediate, and fully grounded answers across all four sections of the Shulchan Aruch.

A passerby, witnessing this scene for the first time, was stunned. He had never seen anything like it: a man walking down the street, flanked by fellow Jews on both sides, peppering him with complex legal questions and receiving instant, authoritative answers in return.

Unable to contain himself and stirred by a passionate sense of religious reverence, the man suddenly called out, “What is this? Is this how one rules on halachic questions?!”

A Humble and Honest Reply

Rav Moshe paused.

Sensing that the man wasn’t trying to be disrespectful but was genuinely concerned for the honor of Torah, Rav Moshe turned around calmly, approached him with grace, shook his hand warmly, and replied with humility:

“If one learns the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch 375 times, it is possible to answer this way.”

And with that, he continued on his way.

This brief moment captured the essence of Rav Moshe Feinstein: deep humility, absolute mastery of Torah, and an unwavering commitment to truth and kindness, even in the face of challenge.