Rephoel Baruch Sorotzkin (February 5, 1917 - February 10, 1979) was 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 the

Telz Yeshiva Telshe Yeshiva (also spelled ''Telz'') is a yeshiva in Wickliffe, Ohio, formerly located in Telšiai, Lithuania. During World War II the yeshiva began relocating to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is now known as the Rabbinical College o ...

in Cleveland and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders. He was born on February 5, 1917 (13th of

Shevat Shevat (Hebrew: שְׁבָט, Standard ''Šəvaṭ'', Tiberian ''Šeḇāṭ''; from Akkadian ''Šabātu'') is the fifth month of the civil year starting in Tishre (or Tishri) and the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calend ...

, 5677) in

Zhetl Dziatlava or Dyatlovo ( be, Дзятлава, lt, Zietela, pl, Zdzięcioł, russian: italic=yes, Дзенціолъ until the 1870s, thereafter ''Дятлово'', yi, זשעטל, Zhetl) is a town in Belarus in the Grodno Region, about 165&nbs ...

, in the

Grodno Governorate The Grodno Governorate, (russian: Гро́дненская губе́рнiя, translit=Grodnenskaya guberniya, pl, Gubernia grodzieńska, be, Гродзенская губерня, translit=Hrodzenskaya gubernya, lt, Gardino gubernija, u ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(present-day

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

). His father, Rabbi

Zalman Sorotzkin Zalman Sorotzkin, also known as the Lutzker Rav ( he, זלמן סורוצקין; 1881–1966), was an Orthodox rabbi who served as the rabbi of Lutsk, Ukraine. By the end of his life he was noted for his leadership of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Counc ...

was the town's

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 of ...

. As a young man, Sorotzkin studied under Rabbi

Elchonon Wasserman Elchonon Bunim Wasserman ( he, אלחנן בונים וסרמן; 18746 July 1941) was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) in prewar Europe. He was one of the closest students of Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Chofetz Chaim) and a noted Talmid Chac ...

in the Baranovich Yeshiva, and then under Rabbi

Baruch Ber Lebovitz Boruch Ber Leibowitz ( yi, ברוך בער לייבאוויץ he, רב ברוך דוב ליבוביץ, Boruch Dov Libovitz; 1862 – November 17, 1939, known as Reb Boruch Ber, was a rabbi famed for his Talmudic lectures, particularly in that ...

Kamenitz Kamyanyets (also spelled as Kamianiec, Kamenets, Kamieniec; be, Ка́менец , russian: Ка́менец, uk, Кам'янець, Kamianets', pl, Kamieniec, yi, קאמעניץ ''Kamenits'' (or ''Kaminetz''), lt, Kamianecas; he, קמניץ ...

. In 1940, Rabbi Boruch Sorotzkin married Rochel Bloch, daughter of the Telzer Rav and Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi

Avraham Yitzchak Bloch Avraham Yitzchak Bloch ( he, אברהם יצחק בלוך; 1891–1941) was the '' Rosh yeshiva'' of the Telz Yeshiva in Lithuania, and one of the greatest pre-Holocaust rabbinic figures. Early life Avraham Yitchak Bloch was born in 1891 and was ...

. Sorotzkin was involved in the "tension" over visas needed to flee: the two factions were "those from Lithuanian versus Polish Yeshivot;" control of the ''Kobe committee'' was by "students from the Polish yeshivot." The rabbi and his wife fled Europe at the start of World War II, via Shanghai, and made their way to the United States. There, they joined his wife's uncles (and his own cousins) Rabbi

Eliyahu Meir Bloch Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch (October 23, 1894 – January 22, 1955), often referred to as Rav Elya Meir Bloch, was a leading Orthodox Jewish rabbi in the United States in the years after World War II. He founded the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, ...

and Rabbi

Chaim Mordechai Katz Chaim Mordechai Katz ( he, חיים מרדכי כץ; 1894–1964) was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders. Pre-War Years Katz was born in 1894 in Sha ...

who had re-established the

in Cleveland, Ohio.

Teaching

In 1943 Sorotzkin began delivering classes in the

yeshiva 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 s ...

. In 1953 Sorotzkin was appointed associate dean of the

. In 1962 Sorotzkin became dangerously ill and the name Rephoel was added to his name. In 1964, when the Telz Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi

died, Sorotzkin together with Rabbi

Mordechai Gifter Mordechai Gifter (October 15, 1915 - January 18, 2001) was an American Haredi rabbi. He was the rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, and among the foremost religious leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the late 20th century. Gifter st ...

assumed the leadership of the yeshiva. In the Telzer tradition, Rabbi Sorotzkin extended his sphere of activities to include even more areas of communal responsibility, such as working for

Chinuch Atzmai 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 ...

Torah Umesorah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

and

Agudath Israel of America Agudath Israel of America ( he, אגודת ישראל באמריקה) (also called Agudah) is an American organization that represents Haredi Orthodox Jews. It is loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel. Agudah seeks to ...

where he served as one of the youngest member of its Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah - Council of Torah Sages. In 1977, with the establishment of the Yeshiva in Israel, Rabbi

left to head the Yeshiva in Israel. Sorotzkin died on Saturday, February 10, 1979. The Hebrew date - 13 Shevat - was the same date as his birthday. He is buried on

Har HaMenuchot Har HaMenuchot ( he, הר המנוחות, 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 the western ed ...

Family

He is survived by two sons and three daughters. His daughter Rebetzin Rassia Busel died in March 1998. His sons: *Rabbi

Yitzchok Sorotzkin Avrohom Yitzchok Sorotzkin is a prolific writer and former Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe yeshiva who delivers the most advanced Talmudic lecture at the Mesivta of Lakewood. Sorotzkin is widely recognized as a Gadol and leader of American Orthodox Jewry a ...

serves as dean of the Telz Yeshiva and Mesivta of Lakewood, New Jersey *Rabbi Binyomin Sorotzkin is dean of Ateres Shlomo in Israel *Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Sorotzkin was dean of Yeshiva Tiferes Boruch Of

North Plainfield, New Jersey North Plainfield is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 21,936,Yaakov Busel was dean of RJJ of

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It is ...

. Rabbi Busel died on November 3, 2020. *Rabbi Aryeh Schulman is rabbi of Kiryat Telz-Stone, Israel *Rabbi Nosson Boruch Herzka was a Rabbi and prominent Torah scholar in Lakewood, New Jersey. Rabbi Herzka died on December 8, 2018. *Rabbi Yisroel Brog is dean of Tiferes Avigdor

Wickliffe, Ohio Wickliffe is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,750 at the 2010 census. A post office called Wickliffe has been in operation since 1843. The city was named after Charles A. Wickliffe, 11th United States Postmaste ...

. Many of his lectures on

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 cente ...

have been posthumously published, under the title ''Sefer Habinah V’habrachah'', by his children. Rabbi Sorotzkin's wife died in November 2006.Rebbitzen Rochel Sorotzkin A”H
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorotzkin, Baruch 1917 births 1979 deaths People from Dzyatlava People from Slonimsky Uyezd Belarusian Haredi rabbis Rosh yeshivas American Haredi rabbis Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Burials at Har HaMenuchot Rabbis from Ohio