Ahron (Aaron) Soloveichik ( he, אהרן סולובייצ'יק; May 1, 1917 – October 4, 2001) was a renowned
Orthodox ''
rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
'', and scholar of
Talmud and ''
halakha''.
Biography
The youngest of five children, Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik was born to
Moshe Soloveichik
Moshe Soloveichik (1879 in Valozhyn – January 31, 1941) was an Orthodox rabbi. He was the eldest son of renowned Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik and grandson of the Beis HaLevi. He married Pesya Feinstein, daughter of the renowned Rabbi of Pruzany, ...
in
Khislavichi, Russia, at which time his father was the
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
of that town.
Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( he, יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ׳יק ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion o ...
and
Samuel Soloveichik were his older brothers.
His family first moved to
Poland in 1920. Before his father moved to New York in 1929, Moshe engaged his student
Yitzchak Hutner to become Soloveichik's rebbe. Soloveichik was Hutner's first student. Soloveichik celebrated his
bar mitzvah in Warsaw, and then immigrated with his family to join his father in the United States in 1930. After he graduated from
Yeshiva College, he went to law school at
New York University and graduated with a law degree in 1946. He then spent the next 20 years teaching at
yeshivas in
New York City.
Soloveichik's first teaching position was in
Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem then headed by
Moshe Feinstein, from whom he received his ''
semikhah'' (rabbinic ordination). Shortly thereafter Soloveichik was appointed by
Yitzchak Hutner to give the highest daily lecture in
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin.
Soloveichik's final position in New York was at
Yeshiva University, where he instituted a popular weekly ''
hashkafa'' class in addition to giving one of the advanced daily Talmud classes. It was during this time that Soloveichik was honored as Lecturer of the Year at Yeshiva University, the first rabbi to be so honored.
In 1966, he moved to
Chicago to head the
Hebrew Theological College in
Skokie, Illinois. After differing with the administration there on certain key issues, he was let go in 1974 and opened his own yeshiva as the ''
Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
'' of Yeshivas Brisk (Brisk Rabbinical College) in Chicago, an American incarnation of the
Brisk yeshivas
The Soloveitchik dynasty of rabbinic scholars and their students originated the Brisker method of Talmudic study, which is embraced by their followers in the Brisk yeshivas. It is so called because of the Soloveitchiks' origin in the town of Bri ...
and
methods.
Soloveichik taught
Torah for 58 years, the last 34 of which were in Chicago. He was well known for being a humble, kind man yet one with an iron will and unquestionable integrity. Although the stroke he suffered in 1983 left him partially paralyzed, in nearly-constant pain and often in need of a wheelchair, he continued his duties at Yeshivas Brisk in Chicago and flew to New York every week to deliver a Talmudic lecture at
Yeshiva University (a position he accepted after his older brother became ill and was unable to continue lecturing).
His wife, Ella Shurin, was a writer and teacher. The couple raised six children all of whom are rabbis or women married to rabbis: Moshe Soloveichik of
Chicago, USA; Eliyahu Soloveichik of
New York City, USA; Yosef Soloveitchik of
Jerusalem, Israel; Chaim Soloveichik of
Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel; Rochel Leah
Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44
* Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
of
Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Tovah Segal of
Newton, Massachusetts, USA.
He was buried beside his wife Ella and near his grandson Yisroel Yosef Soloveichik on the
Mount of Olives in
Jerusalem.
His grandchildren include
Meir Soloveichik.
Works
Other works in Hebrew include commentaries on the works of Maimonides (''Parach Mateh Aharon'') and the laws of mourning (''Od Yisrael Yosef Beni Chai'') which was dedicated in memory of his grandson who died young after a long battle with cancer.
Additional works in English include Logic of the Heart Logic of the Mind - Wisdom and reflections on topics of our times.
Notes
Articles
* HaDarom, No. 22, Tisrei 5726 (Oct. 1955)
בענין קידוש החודש* HaDarom, No. 23, Nissan 5726 (April 1956): דין שימור במצות מצוה
* Bais Yitzchak, 1987: בענין יהרג ועל יעבור
External links
My Grandfather, Rav Ahron
by Nachama Soloveichik.
Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik
(by Schulamith Halevy (he))
Filmed interview
regarding anusim (March 23, 1998)
Rabbi Soloveichik responsum
to Schulamith Halevy (he) PDF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soloveichik, Ahron
Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty
1917 births
2001 deaths
American Orthodox rabbis
Rosh yeshivas
Orthodox rabbis from Russia
Lithuanian Orthodox rabbis
Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas
20th-century Lithuanian rabbis
Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Rabbis from Chicago