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Eliyahu Lopian (1876 – 21 September 1970), known as Reb Elyah, was a leading
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 ...
of the
Mussar Movement The Musar movement (also Mussar movement) is a Jewish ethical, educational and cultural movement that developed in 19th century Lithuania, particularly among Orthodox Lithuanian Jews. The Hebrew term (), is adopted from the Book of Proverbs (1: ...
. As a disciple of the
Kelm Talmud Torah The Kelm Talmud Torah was a famous yeshiva in pre-holocaust Kelmė, Lithuania. Unlike other yeshivas, the Talmud Torah focused primarily on the study of Musar ("Jewish ethics") and self-improvement. Under the Leadership of Simcha Zissel Ziv The ...
method, he was known for his strictness with respect to order and self-control.


Biography

Elya Lopian was born in
Grajewo Grajewo (, yi, גראיעווע, translit=Grayavah) is a town in north-eastern Poland with 21,499 inhabitants (2016). It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Łomża Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 1876. In his youth he studied at 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
Łomża Łomża (), in English known as Lomza, is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship si ...
and at the
Kelm Talmud Torah The Kelm Talmud Torah was a famous yeshiva in pre-holocaust Kelmė, Lithuania. Unlike other yeshivas, the Talmud Torah focused primarily on the study of Musar ("Jewish ethics") and self-improvement. Under the Leadership of Simcha Zissel Ziv The ...
of Rabbi
Simcha Zissel Ziv Simcha Zissel Ziv Broida ( he, שמחה זיסל זיו; 1824–1898), also known as Simhah Zissel Ziv or the ''Alter of Kelm'' (the Elder of Kelm), was one of the foremost students of Yisrael Salanter and one of the early leaders of the Musar mo ...
. He emigrated to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1928, where he served 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 the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in the
East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
, working for many years alongside his distinguished colleague Rabbi
Nachman Shlomo Greenspan Rabbi Nachman Shlomo Greenspan ( he, נחמן שלמה גרינשפן; 1878 – August 1961) was a Talmudic scholar, rosh yeshiva of Etz Chaim in London, and an author of a number of works about the Torah.__NOTOC__ Early years Greenspan was born ...
. His wife Soroh Leah Rotman died in 1934, shortly after the engagement of their daughter Lieba to Rabbi
Leib Gurwicz Aryeh Ze'ev (Leib) Gurwicz (1906–20 October 1982) was an influential Orthodox rabbi and Talmudic scholar. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Elyah Lopian and best known as Rosh Yeshiva of the Gateshead Yeshiva in Gateshead, England, where he taugh ...
. For many years, Rabbi Lopian had wanted to make his home in the
Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
, and spoke a great deal about the
Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...
's intense yet unfulfilled desire to live there. In 1950 he left the Etz Chaim Yeshiva and
immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to Israel. At first he stayed in the home of his wife's brother, Yisrael Luria, in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. That
Sukkot or ("Booths, Tabernacles") , observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans , type = Jewish, Samaritan , begins = 15th day of Tishrei , ends = 21st day of Tishre ...
, he visited the Brisker Rov, Rabbi
Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ'יק), also known as Velvel Soloveitchik ("Zev" means "wolf" in Hebrew, and "Velvel" is the diminutive of "wolf" in Yiddish) or the Brisker Rov ("rabbi of/from B ...
. Lopian initially refused to lead mussar seminars in Israel and sought to occupy himself with teaching and private moral work. Yet with the blessing of Rabbi
Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish () after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his f ...
(the ''Chazon Ish''), he agreed to teach and served as
Mashgiach Ruchani A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...
at the
Knesses Chizkiyahu Knesses Chizkiyahu was one of the first Litvak yeshivas founded after the establishment of the State of Israel and one of the first Torah institutions in the northern part of the country. Founded in Zikhron Ya'akov in 1949, it relocated to Kfar ...
yeshiva located in
Zikhron Ya'akov Zikhron Ya'akov ( he, זִכְרוֹן יַעֲקֹב, ''lit.'' "Jacob's Memorial"; often shortened to just ''Zikhron'') is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mounta ...
and later
Kfar Hasidim Kfar Hasidim ( he, כְּפַר חֲסִידִים, ''lit.'' Village of Hasidim), also known as Kfar Hasidim Alef to distinguish it from Kfar Hasidim Bet, is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Kiryat Ata, it falls under the jurisdiction o ...
), headed by Rabbi Noah Shimonowitz. From the moment of his arrival, Reb Elya became a magnet for the young men. The yeshiva became firmly established and even drew many young people from neighboring yeshiva high schools such as the
Bnei Akiva Bnei Akiva ( he, בְּנֵי עֲקִיבָא, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929. History B ...
Kfar HaRo'eh yeshivah and Midrashiat Noam in Pardes Hannah. Reb Elya died in Israel on 21 September 1970, and was buried in the
Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives is the oldest and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. It is approximately five centuries old, having been first leased from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf in the sixteenth century. ...
. ''Reb Elya Lopian had 13 children:'' * Rabbi Simcha Zissel Lopian of Yeshivat Toras Emes, London; * Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Lopian, United States; *
Rebbetzin Rebbetzin ( yi, רביצין) or Rabbanit ( he, רַבָּנִית) is the title used for the wife of a rabbi—typically among Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic Jews—or for a female Torah scholar or teacher. Etymology The Yiddish word has a ...
Leiba Gurwicz, (wife of Rabbi
Leib Gurwicz Aryeh Ze'ev (Leib) Gurwicz (1906–20 October 1982) was an influential Orthodox rabbi and Talmudic scholar. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Elyah Lopian and best known as Rosh Yeshiva of the Gateshead Yeshiva in Gateshead, England, where he taugh ...
); * Rabbi Chaim Shmuel Lopian of Sunderland Yeshiva; * Rabbi Leib Lopian of
Gateshead Yeshiva Gateshead Talmudical College ( he, ישיבת בית יוסף גייטסהעד), popularly known as Gateshead Yeshiva, is located in the Bensham area of Gateshead in North East England. It is the largest yeshiva in Europe and considered to be o ...
; * Rabbi Eliezer Lopian of Yeshivat Toras Emes, London; * Rebbetzin Pearl Klein, London and Jerusalem; ''Rebbetzin Pearl Klein had 8 children'': * Sarah Leah Orenstein (deceased); * Fraida Sufrin, London; * Emanuel Klein, Toronto; * Trina Klein (deceased); * Yehudah Klein, Jerusalem; * Herschel Klein, Kiryat Sefer; * Mark(Elimelech) Klein, Biyat Vigan; * Rochel Davis, Manchester; * Rabbi Benzion (Benzel) Lapian, Willesden (London), Edgware (London) and Hong Kong; * Rabbi Zvi Hershel Lopian (murdered in the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
); * Rebbetzin Rochel Vilenski, Jerusalem; * Yisroel Nochum Lopian, London; * Rebbetzin Chaya Pinski, Jerusalem; * Yankel Yoel Lopian, Manchester ''Fraida Sufrin had 14 children:'' * Chava Sarah Spalter, Florida; * Menachem Mendel Sufrin, Leeds; * Chana Rivkah Bukiet, Florida; * Shlomo Simcha Sufrin, Toronto; * Elimelech Yitzchak Sufrin, London; * Esther Trina Tager, Johannesburg; * Baruch Banzion Sufrin, Long Beach; * Dov Dovid Sufrin, New York City; * Devorah Leah Kievman, Jerusalem; * Moshe Eliezer Sufrin, London; * Faige Sufrin, London; * Shalom Naphtali Sufrin (deceased); * Shmuel Eliyahu Sufrin, Los Angeles; * Yisroel Rafael Sufrin, Melbourne; ''Dov Dovid Sufrin had 6 Children:'' * Tova Raizel Nisnevich, New York City; * Shalom Noach Sufrin, New York City; * Eliyahu Rafael Sufrin, New York City; * Emuna Rina Sufrin, New York City; * Abigail Bella Sufrin, New York City; * Mordachai Tzvi Sufrin, New York City; After his death, a street was named in his honor in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem.


His works

''Lev Eliyahu'' – Mussar lessons. Edited by his students


References

* ''Reb Elyah: The Life and Accomplishments of Rabbi Elyah Lopian'', David J. Schlossberg, Mesorah Publications Limited, February 1999.


External links

* Lectures given by Reb Elyah Lopian in
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

iawaken.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopian, Elyah 1876 births 1970 deaths Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Polish Haredi rabbis Haredi rabbis in Israel 20th-century English rabbis Mashgiach ruchani Rosh yeshivas Rabbis from London English Orthodox Jews 20th-century Israeli rabbis People from Grajewo Polish Orthodox Jews