Rav Matisyahu Chaim Salomon is a

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 ...

and public speaker. He serves as the

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 ...

of the

Beth Medrash Govoha Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jewish Misnagdim, Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lake ...

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 ...

Lakewood Lakewood may refer to: Places Australia * Lakewood, Western Australia, an abandoned town in Western Australia Canada * Lakewood, Edmonton, Alberta * Lakewood Suburban Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Philippines * Lakewood, Zamboanga del S ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He is a lecturer on topics relating to Jewish religious growth and communal issues in the yeshiva world.

Early life and education

Rav Salomon was born in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

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 ...

to R' Yaakov and Ettel. He was educated in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. During his yeshiva and

kolel 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); ...

years, he studied for 16 years with Rabbi Chaim Kaufman, who went on to found the Gateshead Yeshiva L'Zeirim. Rabbi Salomon also studied under Rabbi

Elyah Lopian Eliyahu Lopian (1876 – 21 September 1970), known as Reb Elyah, was a leading rabbi of the Mussar Movement. As a disciple of the Kelm Talmud Torah method, he was known for his strictness with respect to order and self-control. Biography Elya L ...

, the former

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 Etz Chaim Yeshiva for less than a year. Nevertheless Rabbi Salomon considers Reb Elya to be his main rebbe (mentor).

Career

Rav Salomon became mashgiach ruchani 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 one ...

, a position he held for more than 30 years. He was mashgiach in Gateshead Yeshiva initially under Rabbi Moshe Schwab and then as the senior mashgiach, before moving to Lakewood in the spring of 1998. Rabbi Salomon was succeeded at Gateshead by Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Karnowsky. A number of books have been published based on his public ''shmuesin'' (''Mussar'' discourses) and ''shiurim'' (lectures) under the title ''Matnas Chaim'' on varying topics such as the ''Yomim Noraim'' (High Holidays), ''Moadim'' (holidays), ''Sha'arei T'shuva L'Rabeinu Yonah'', ''

Mesilas Yesharim ''Mesillat Yesharim'' or ''Mesillas Yeshorim'' ( he, מסילת ישרים, lit. "Path of the Upright") is an ethical ('' musar'') text composed by the influential Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746). It is different from Luzzato's other wri ...

'', ''

Shabbos Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

Rosh Chodesh Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh ( he, ראש חודש; trans. ''Beginning of the Month''; lit. ''Head of the Month'') is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. It is considered a minor h ...

'', and ''Kinyanim''. The book ''With Hearts Full of Love'' is based on a series of talks by Rabbi Salomon, edited by Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman. The ''

Jewish Observer ''The Jewish Observer'' was an American Orthodox Jewish magazine published by the Agudath Israel of America, from 1963 until 2009. It was put on "hiatus" in 2009, with plans to restart once the finances of the magazine, affected by the economic cr ...

'' published an interview with Rabbi Salomon on the Jewish approach to marriage. In March 2006, Rabbi Salomon was one of three rabbis from leading yeshivas in the US who participated in a forum at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun of

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

. In May 2009, Rabbi Salomon addressed the Pirchei Siyum Hamishnayos. On 15 September 2009, Rabbi Salomon was one of the speakers at a Hachnosath

Sefer Torah A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...

in Lakewood, attended by over 6,000 people. In May 2012 he organized, together with

Yisroel Avrohom Portugal Yisroel Avrohom Portugal (or Israel Abraham Portugal) (June 2, 1923April 1, 2019) son of Rabbi Eliezer Zusia Portugal and his first wife, Sheina Rachel, was the Rebbe (Grand Rabbi) of Skulen in Brooklyn, New York. He was the last Holocaust era R ...

, a mass gathering of over 40,000 people at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

Stadium in order to bring attention to the dangers of using the internet.(May 17, 2012
"Orthodox Jews To Hold Big Meeting on Internet Risks"
''The New York Times''. Retrieved September 2, 2021.

Philosophy

Because Rabbi Matithyahu Salomon is a disciple of Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, he follows the Kelm mussar school philosophy. For a further discussion on the Kelm school of thought refer to the Mussar Approach 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 ...

References

External links

The Lakewood View ''AUDIO: Rav Mattisyahu Salomon''

TorahAnytime.com ''video lectures''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salomon, Matisyohu Beth Medrash Govoha British Orthodox rabbis Haredi rabbis in Europe American Haredi rabbis Living people Mashgiach ruchani Rabbis from New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American Jews