Yaakov ben Aaron of
Karlin Minkowski or Yankele Karliner (died 1855 (5615/5616 AM) at Karlin, government of
Minsk) was a Russian
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
author. He was a grandson of
Baruch of Shklov, the mathematician and author, and was one of the earliest and most renowned graduates of the
Volozhin yeshiva. He held the office of rabbi at Karlin for about thirty years, and was considered one of the greatest rabbinical authorities of his time. His brother Yitzchok Minkowski, author of ''Keren Orah'', succeeded him as Rabbi of Karlin for seven years after Yaakov's death.
He was the author of: (1) "Mishkenos Ya'aḳov" (Vilna, 1838), responsa on the four parts of the ''
Shulchan Aruch''; (2) "Ḳoheles Ya'aḳov" (ib. 1857),