There are rabbis who excel at deciphering complex aspects of jewish law. There are Chassidic masters who give heartfelt speeches and inspire the masses. There are charismatic leaders who bring about positive change in the world. There are brilliant Roshei Yeshiva (Scholarly Yeshiva Deans) delving into countless commentaries and Talmudic analysis. Then there's the Rebbe. In addition to embodying all of these qualities, he was also a fatherly figure who cared about the personal well0being of each person, Jew or gentile, he encountered.

From greeting the local police officer patrolling the streets of Brooklyn to acknowledging the janitor who completed the night shift at the local synagogue. he encouraged his Chassidim to stop every hour during an overnight drive for fresh air to ensure they remained alert at the wheel. He advised those who asked against flying on single-engine planes. The Rebbe didn't only offer spiritual guidance per se. He was a pragmatic leader, a sensitive giant who wanted the best for every human being, each of whom is created in the image of G-d.

A young Dr. Feldman

When I was a toddler in the early '80s, my father requested guidance from the Rebbe regarding a medical matter I was dealing with. The Rebbe's response was "Consult with your doctor, Yedid, Dr. Feldman." A Yedid is a friend who cares about you holistically, as an individual rather than just another patient. Normally, the Rebbe didn't suggest the name of the Yedid with whom you should consult. However, in our case, the Rebbe felt that we would benefit from the closeness and expertise of Dr. Feldman, the community GP.

Dr. Moshe (Robert) Feldman, lovingly known in the community as Dr. Feldman, was born in 1940 in Poughkeepsie, New York, where his father, Micael (Michel), owned a laundry business. Both of his parents were also musicians. Michael played in a local band, and his mother, Bell (Bayla), was a classical pianist who performed in Carnegie Hall. The family was traditional and loved Jewish culture, but they weren't strictly Torah observant or "frum."

Before going off to NYU, he promised his mother that he would marry a Jewish girl. While in college, he noticed a young lady, Miriam Sherman - or Myra. She was a practicing Orthodox jew from a family of Lithuanian immigrants who clung tightly to her Judaism. After Moshe agreed to adopt Miriam's observant lifestyle, they announced their engagement in 1962. In the meantime, Moshe traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend the prestigious Meharry Medical College, a historically black medical school that had only recently started admitting white students.

The couple married in 1964 in Brooklyn, New York, and made their home in Nashville. They became deeply connected with Rabbi Zalman and Rebbetzin Risya Posner, the pioneering Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries who had been there since the 1940s. It as the Posners that left an indelible Lubavitcher mark on the Feldmans, bringing them into the sphere of the Rebbe's influence. Moshe eventually became the personal physician of the Rebbe and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson.

In 1968, Feldman answered the call of duty and was drafted into the US armed forces. He served in the US Air Force as a captain at Moody Air Force Base in Voldosta, Georgia. In 1970, they moved to the Bronx where Moshe completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Albert Einstein and Jacobi hospitals. Having specialized in pediatric cardiology, the young doctor was poised to pursue a career in the field. But after he examined a child as a favor to a friend, word got out about his exceptional bedside manner, attention to detail, and methodical devotion. He soon found himself at the center of an expanding pediatric practice based out of his Bronx home. Eventually, the family moved to Brooklyn, where Dr. Feldman worked eighteen-hour days serving both communities, in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Dr. Feldman saw patients from early morning until 11:00 PM, sometimes even later. Once, I visited his office after midnight, and he treated me with alacrity and liveliness like it was 10:00 AM. he was unconventional in his care for his patients, making himself available 24/7, even on Shabbos. It was this Dr. Feldman that the Rebbe told my dad to consult, and consult we did. From the day we received that answer until the day he passed away on December 1, 2021, I never made an important medical decision without discussing it with him. Whether calling him from Yeshiva in Israel, speaking to him about infertility treatment a few years after my marriage to Chavie, or asking him about the Covid vaccine, I never moved forward without a chat with Dr. Feldman.

Every time I heard him say, "Chaim Shaul, I think you should..." I never second-guessed him. Not once.

Since his passing, I've been trying to figure out what to do without him. No one knew me like Dr. Feldman, so I am a bit lost. I hope one day to find a new Yedid. In the meantime, I will be forever grateful to Dr. Feldman for taking his role seriously and to the Rebbe for connecting me with him.

‍Pictures courtesy of the Feldman family and parts of this article are courtesy of Menachem Posner, Chabad.org.