Nisson Alpert (1927–May 25, 1986) was one of the most outstanding and prominent students of

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 ...

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—J ...

Biography

Rabbi Nisson Lipa Alpert was born in 1927 in Polanka, a small

shtetl A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...

in Poland. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Nisson Lipa Joselowitz, rosh yeshiva in Lazday, Poland, and later the rabbi of Polanka. His father Rabbi Shabsai Alpert was a student of the Mir Yeshiva and cousin of the Rabbi

Yisrael Meir Kagan Rabbi Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (January 26, 1838 – September 15, 1933), known popularly as the Chofetz Chaim, after his book on lashon hara, who was also well known for the Mishna Berurah, his book on ritual law, was an influential Lith ...

, the Chofetz Chaim. His mother was Guta Yachne Joselowitz. Nisson had three sisters: Rita, Sarah, and Freida. Rabbi Alpert's father decided to move his family to the United States, and traveled there ahead of his family. However, World War II broke out before everyone could come. In December 1939, his mother and family crossed the border to Lithuania. Rebbetzin Alpert obtained one of the first transit visas from

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Second World War, Sugihara helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas to them so that they could travel through ...

, and crossed Russia with the family to Japan. From there they traveled to San Francisco, and finally to the Lower East Side of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Although Nisson arrived in America at the age of 12 with no knowledge of English, he graduated Washington Irving High School as valedictorian of his class. He learned at

Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem ( he, מתיבתא תפארת ירושלים, ) (MTJ) is a yeshiva in New York City, and one of the oldest existent yeshivas in the city. It is the institution formerly led by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, and then led by hi ...

, where he became a very close disciple of Rabbi

. Rebbetzin Shima Feinstein arranged the match between Rav Nisson and Zeldi Scheinberg, the daughter of Rabbi

Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg ( he, חיים פנחס שיינברג;‎ 1 October 1910 – 20 March 2012) was a Polish-born, American-raised, Israeli Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva who, from 1965, made his home in the Kiryat Mattersdorf neighborho ...

. Rabbi Alpert was one of the founders of Peylim. He first was rabbi of the East Third Street Shul in the Lower East Side, and later became the rav of Agudath Israel of Long Island. In 1967, he was appointed as a Rosh Yeshiva at the

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...

, before becoming the first Rosh

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); ...

of its Kollel L’Horaah— Yadin-Yadin. He was a great Torah scholar. In 1983, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Alpert suffered the sudden tragic loss of their 19-year-old son Yishaya Mendel. Rabbi Alpert died at the age of 58 on Sunday evening, 17 Iyar, 5746 (May 25, 1986), about two months after the passing of his mentor, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He is buried on Har Hazeisim in

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

Writings

* Beit Habechirah of the Meiri on Bava Metzia. * Commentary of the Raavad on Bava Metzia. * Limmudei Nissan on the Torah and on Tractate Beitzah.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alpert, Nisson 1920s births 1986 deaths Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas 20th-century American rabbis Jews who emigrated to escape Nazism Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives People from the Lower East Side Sugihara's Jews