Aharon Lichtenstein (May 23, 1933 – April 20, 2015) was a noted
Orthodox 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 ...
and
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 ...
. He was an authority in
Jewish law
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...
(''
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
'').
Biography
Aharon Lichtenstein was born to Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Lichtenstein and Bluma née Schwartz in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, but grew up in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, where he studied in
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or ''Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin'' ( he, יְשִׁיבַת רַבֵּינוּ חַיִּים בֶּרלִין) is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York.
Chaim Berlin consis ...
under Rabbi
Yitzchak Hutner
Yitzchak (Isaac) Hutner ( he, יצחק הוטנר; 1906–1980) was an American Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean).
Originally from Warsaw, Hutner first studied the Torah in Slabodka. He then traveled to Mandatory Palestine where he became ...
as well as Rabbi
Ahron Soloveichik
Ahron (Aaron) Soloveichik ( he, אהרן סולובייצ'יק; May 1, 1917 – October 4, 2001) was a renowned Orthodox ''rosh yeshiva'', and scholar of Talmud and ''halakha''.
Biography
The youngest of five children, Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik wa ...
. He earned a
BA and ''
semicha'' ("rabbinic ordination") at
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universi ...
under Rabbi
Joseph B. 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 ...
, whose daughter, Tovah, he would later marry, and a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
in English Literature at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
, where he studied under
Douglas Bush John Nash Douglas Bush (1896–1983) was a literary critic and literary historian. He taught for most of his life at Harvard University, where his students included many of the most prominent scholars, writers, and academics of several generations, ...
.
Lichtenstein married Dr. Tovah Soloveitchik in 1960. They had six children:
Mosheh,
Yitzchak
Yitzhak( ()) is a male first name, and is Hebrew for Isaac. Yitzhak may refer to:
People
* Yitzhak ha-Sangari, rabbi who converted the Khazars to Judaism
*Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995), Israeli politician and Prime Minister
*Yitzhak Shamir (1915– ...
, Meir,
Esti, Shai and Tonya.
After serving as Rosh Yeshiva/Kollel at Yeshiva University for several years, Lichtenstein answered Rabbi
Yehuda Amital's request in 1971 to join him at the helm of
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tor ...
, located in
Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion ( he, גּוּשׁ עֶצְיוֹן, ' Etzion Bloc) is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains, directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. The core group includes four Jewish agricultural v ...
, and moved to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. He maintained a close connection to Yeshiva University as a
Rosh Kollel for th
Gruss Institutein
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, an affiliate of Yeshiva University and its
rabbinical school
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are stud ...
,
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...
.
In 2005, he and his wife moved to
Alon Shvut
Alon Shvut ( he, אַלּוֹן שְׁבוּת) is an Israeli settlement located southwest of Jerusalem, one kilometer northeast of Kfar Etzion, in the West Bank. Established in June 1970 in the heart of the Etzion bloc, Alon Shvut became the p ...
, where
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tor ...
is located.
On January 4, 2006, Rabbi
Yaakov Medan
Yaaqov Medan (sometimes spelled, Yaakov or Ya'acov) ( he, יעקב מדן) (born 1950) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi, co- Rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, a respected leader in the Religious-Zionist community, and a lecturer in Tanakh, Gemar ...
and Rabbi
Baruch Gigi were officially invested as co-
roshei 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 ...
alongside Amital and Lichtenstein, with an eye toward Amital's intention to retire. On October 28, 2008, Lichtenstein's eldest son, Rabbi
Mosheh Lichtenstein, was officially invested as co-Rosh Yeshiva, simultaneous with Amital's official retirement, this time with an eye toward Aharon Lichtenstein's eventual plan to retire.
He was committed to intensive and original
Torah study
Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the '' mitzvah'' ("co ...
and articulated a bold Jewish worldview embracing elements of modernity within the framework of a Torah life, reflecting the tradition of his teacher and father-in-law,
Joseph B. 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 ...
in line with
Centrist Orthodoxy
''Torah Umadda'' ( he, תּוֹרָה וּמַדָּע, "Torah and secular knowledge") is a worldview in Orthodox Judaism concerning the relationship between the secular world and Judaism, and in particular between secular knowledge and Jewish rel ...
.
Lichtenstein was awarded the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
for Jewish Literature on
Israeli Independence Day: May 6, 2014. He died on April 20, 2015.
He was a source of inspiration for a wide circle of Jewry, for both his educational attainments and his intellectual and spiritual leadership. He was especially admired by many centrist
Modern Orthodox leaders as well as many in the
Religious Zionist
Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religious"), and in Israel, the ...
camp.
[''FIRST THINGS, the Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life'', "For Torah and Culture" by Dr. David Singer (April 20, 2005)]
Works
*''Henry More: The Rational Theology of a Cambridge Platonist'', (PhD Dissertation) Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1962.
*''By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God'', based on Lichtenstein's addresses and adapted by Reuven Ziegler revised edition (Maggid Books, 2016)
*''Leaves of Faith'' (vol. 1): ''The World of Jewish Learning''
*''Leaves of Faith'' (vol. 2): ''The World of Jewish Living''
*''Varieties of Jewish Experience''
*
Minchat Aviv: Chiddushim veIyyunim baShas'' Edited by Elyakim Krumbein, Maggid Books, 2014
*
'' Edited by Aviad Hacohen and Reuven Ziegler Maggid Books, 2016
*''Halakha and Humanism: Essays on the Thought and Scholarship of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein'', by Yitzchak Blau (Editor), Alan Jotkowitz (Editor), Reuven Ziegler (Editor)
*
'' Edited by Joel B. Wolowelsky and Elka Weber Ktav, 2018
*
:'' Adapted and edited by Michael S. Berger and Reuven Ziegler Maggid Books, 2018
Based on Lichtenstein's
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
classes at
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tor ...
, his students' notes have been edited and published as ''Shiurei Harav Aharon Lichtenstein'' on
Tohorot
''Tohorot'' (Hebrew: טָהֳרוֹת, literally "Purities") is the sixth and last order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud). This order deals with the clean/unclean distinction and family purity. This is the longest of the orders in t ...
,
Zevahim
Zevachim ( he, זְבָחִים; lit. "Sacrifices") is the first tractate of Seder Kodashim ("Holy Things") of the Mishnah, the Talmud and the Tosefta. This tractate discusses the topics related to the sacrificial system of the Temple in Jerusal ...
, the eighth chapter of
Bava Metzia
Bava Metzia (Talmudic Aramaic: בָּבָא מְצִיעָא, "The Middle Gate") is the second of the first three Talmudic tractates in the order of Nezikin ("Damages"), the other two being Bava Kamma and Bava Batra. Originally all three formed ...
, the third chapter of
Bava Batra
Bava Batra (also Baba Batra; Talmudic Aramaic: בָּבָא בַּתְרָא "The Last Gate") is the third of the three Talmudic tractates in the Talmud in the order Nezikin; it deals with a person's responsibilities and rights as the owner of p ...
, the
Ramban
Ramban can refer to:
* Nachmanides (1194 – ), Catalan rabbi and philosopher also known as RaMBaN
* Cave of the Ramban in Jerusalem
* Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India
** Ramban district, an administrative unit in India
** Ramban (Vid ...
's pamphlet on
Dinah DiGarmi, the first chapter of
Pesahim
Pesachim ( he, פְּסָחִים, lit. "Paschal lambs" or "Passovers"), also spelled Pesahim, is the third tractate of ''Seder Moed'' ("Order of Festivals") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. The tractate discusses the topics related to the Jewi ...
, Masechet
Horayot, and several critical chapters of
Gittin
Gittin (Hebrew: ) is a tractate of the Mishnah and the Talmud, and is part of the order of Nashim. The content of the tractate primarily deals with the legal provisions related to halakhic divorce, in particular, the laws relating to the ''Get'' ...
.
Family Tree
References
External links
''Developing a Torah Personality'' - Series of shiurim based on addresses by Harav Aharon Lichtenstein, posted by The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion"An Ideal Rosh Yeshiva" "a broad overview of the recent volumes of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein's thought. "Edah Journal 5:1 (Tammuz, 2005)] (
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
), Dr
Alan Brill
Bibliography of Harav Aharon Lichtenstein- Posted by the Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash of
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tor ...
"In Search of the Moderate Voice" ''Jewish Ideas Daily''
Tribute to Rabbi LichtensteinAn archive of eulogies, in written, audio and video formatSeveral views of Rabbi Lichtenstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichtenstein, Aharon
1933 births
2015 deaths
Rabbis from Paris
French emigrants to the United States
Harvard University alumni
20th-century American rabbis
21st-century Israeli rabbis
American Orthodox rabbis
Modern Orthodox rabbis
American emigrants to Israel
Israeli Orthodox rabbis
Religious Zionist rosh yeshivas
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients
Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas
Yeshivat Har Etzion