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Rabbi Moshe Tendler passed away during the Shmini Atzeret festival Tuesday at the age of 95. He was proceeded in death by his wife, Shifra, who passed away in 2007.

A noted bioethicist, Rabbi Tendler was a prominent halachic decisor on issues of medicine and medical ethics as they pertained to Jewish law.

His views on medical matters were influential in shaping the rulings of his father-in-law, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, on matters including the determination of death based on the termination of brain functions.

Ordained at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) in 1949, Rabbi Tendler also studied microbiology, earning a PhD from Columbia University in 1957.

He later served as a dean of the RIETS seminary, and taught bioethics at Yeshiva College.

Rabbi Tendler was a member of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, and served as president from 1971-1972.