Rabbi Benzion Yadler (21 November 1871 – 15 August 1962) was a prominent

Maggid A maggid ( he, מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a '' darshan'' (). The title of '' ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and the Moshavot of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Biography

Ben Tzion Goldberg-Yadler was born in Jerusalem to Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Goldberg. Rabbi Yitzchok Zev was originally from the town of Myadzyel (called Myadl in Yiddish) in Belarus. He was called Yitzchok Zev Myadler, which people misinterpreted as meaning "mi-Yadler," denoting "from Yadler" in Hebrew. He authored the work ''Tiferet Zion'', a commentary on

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabba or Midrash Rabbah can refer to part of or the collective whole of specific aggadic midrashim on the books of the Torah and the Five Megillot, generally having the term "Rabbah" (), meaning "great," as part of their name. These midr ...

. Benzion's mother was Malka, the daughter of a rabbi from Grodno. As a youngster, Benzion studied in Etz Chaim Yeshiva. After he married Henya, he began to study in the Pri Yitzchok

Kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

. In 1894, he received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi

Shmuel Salant Shmuel Salant ( he, שמואל סלנט; January 2, 1816 – August 16, 1909) served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for almost 70 years. He was a renowned Talmudist and Torah scholar. Early life Shmuel Salant was born in Białysto ...

and his rabbinical court. While still young, Rabbi Yadler had physical difficulty with his eyes, so he accustomed himself to studying by heart. His genius in expounding

Aggadah Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism ...

and Mussar was quickly recognized. Whenever his father would perform a

siyum A ''siyum'' ( he, סיום) ("completion"), in Judaism, occasionally spelled siyyum, is the completion of any established unit of Torah study. The most common units are a single volume of the Talmud, or of Mishnah, but there are other units of lea ...

on completing a

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 ...

ic tractate, young Benzion would deliver an aggadic lecture. This would occur at the Menachem Zion Beis Midrash, located at the courtyard of the

Hurva synagogue The Hurva Synagogue ( he, בית הכנסת החורבה, translit: ''Beit ha-Knesset ha-Hurva'', lit. "The Ruin Synagogue"), also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid ( he, חורבת רבי יהודה החסיד, "Ruin of Rabbi Judah the Piou ...

. As his fame spread, Yadler began lecturing in other synagogues in Jerusalem and eventually in Jaffa and other settlements throughout Palestine. He also lived in Haifa for some tim

As of Special Shabbat#Shabbat Zachor, Shabbos Zachor 1902, Rabbi Shmuel Salant officially appointed Benzion Yadler as an official lecturer of sermons in Jerusalem. He also oversaw the

Eruv An eruv (; he, עירוב, , also transliterated as eiruv or erub, plural: eruvin or eruvim) is a ritual halakhic enclosure made for the purpose of allowing activities which are normally prohibited on Shabbat (due to the prohibition of ''ho ...

of Jerusalem. Yadler was very active in the overseeing observance of agricultural-related mitzvot. He would ride donkeys between the moshavot, from

Metula Metula ( he, מְטֻלָּה) is a town in the Northern District of Israel. Metula is located next to the northern border with Lebanon. In it had a population of . Metula is the northernmost town in Israel. History Bronze and Iron Age Metu ...

in the north to

Be'er Tuvia Be'er Tuvia ( he, בְּאֵר טוֹבִיָּה, ''Be'er Toviya'', "Tuvia's Well") is a moshav in the Southern District of Israel. Located near the city of Kiryat Malakhi, it falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council. In it ...

in the south, in order to instruct the farmers in these mitzvot. During the month of

Elul Elul ( he, אֱלוּל, Standard ''ʾElūl'', Tiberian ''ʾĔlūl'') is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of 29 days. Elul usually occurs in August� ...

and the

Ten Days of Repentance The Ten Days of Repentance ( he, עֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה, ''ʿǍseret yəmēy təšūvā'') Hebrew �aˈseʁet jeˈmeiː teʃuːˈvaːhare the first ten days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, usually ...

, he would travel to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

, Petah Tikva and

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

to preach and awaken the community to repentance. In the years 1912-1913, Rabbi

Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...

, then chief rabbi of Jaffa, sent Yadler to oversee

terumot Terumot ( he, תְּרוּמוֹת, lit. "Priestly dues" and often, "heave-offering") is the sixth tractate of ''Seder Zeraim'' ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Jerusalem Talmud. This tractate discusses the laws of teruma, a gift of ...

and

maaserot Ma'aserot ( he, מַעֲשְׂרוֹת, lit. "Tithes") is the seventh tractate of ''Seder Zeraim'' ("Order of Seeds") of the ''Mishnah'', '' Tosefta'', and the ''Jerusalem Talmud''. It discusses the types of produce liable for tithing as well as ...

in the moshavot in

Samaria Samaria (; he, שֹׁמְרוֹן, translit=Šōmrōn, ar, السامرة, translit=as-Sāmirah) is the historic and biblical name used for the central region of Palestine, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The first ...

and the Galilee. In 1914, he participated in the rabbinical delegation that Rabbi Kook organized to visit the Jewish settlements in the northern part of the country. Yadler wrote about the importance of

Jewish education Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cu ...

for girls, claiming that it was even more critical than Jewish education for boys. He was instrumental in establishing the first

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

school for girls in Jerusalem. In 1923, he was chosen to represent the Jerusalem community in the General Assembly of

World Agudath Israel World Agudath Israel ( he, אגודת ישראל), usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism. It succeeded ''Agudas Shlumei Emunei Yisroel'' (Union of Faithful Jewr ...

. Rabbi Yadler passed away on the 15th of Av, 5722 (1962), while present at his granddaughter's wedding. He was buried on

Har HaMenuchot Har HaMenuchot ( he, הר המנוחות, Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi pronunciation, Har HaMenuchos, lit. "Mount of Those who are Resting", also known as Givat Shaul Cemetery) is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at ...

in Jerusalem.

Works

*''Bituv Yerushalayim'' ("The Goodness of Jerusalem") (1967) - memories of Jerusalem and its great scholars in the last century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yadler, Benzion 1871 births 1962 deaths Clergy from Jerusalem Rabbis in Jerusalem Burials at Har HaMenuchot