Shlomo Heiman, (1892–1945) known informally as "Reb Shlomo", was 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 ...

Talmudist 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 center ...

, and

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 ...

. He led some of the most prominent yeshivas in Europe and the United States.

Early life

Shlomo Heiman was born in Paritsh,

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

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 ...

to Michel Heiman, a rabbi. When he was 12, he went to the yeshiva in Kaminetz to study under Baruch Ber Lebowitz, with whom he was very close. In 1918, he married the daughter of Yochanon Rudensky of

Volozhin Valozhyn, Vałožyn or Volozhin ( be, Вало́жын, , russian: Воло́жин, lt, Valažinas, pl, Wołożyn, yi, וואָלאָזשין ''Volozhin''; also written as Wolozin and Wolozhin) is a town in the Minsk Region of Belarus. The pop ...

, the brother-in-law of Simcha Zelig Riger of Brisk, the dayan for the Brisker Rav. After his marriage, Lebowitz asked Heiman to be a lecturer at the yeshiva in Kaminetz, which by this time had been wandering from Slobodka to Krementchug. It was at this time that Heiman developed a reputation for being one of

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

's most outstanding

s. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was briefly drafted into the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

. However, he still managed to review the entire tractate of

Ketubot A ketubah (; he, כְּתוּבָּה) is a Jewish marriage contract. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride. In modern practice, ...

while serving on the front lines in the

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

. After the war, Heiman began to deliver his Talmudic lectures in

Ohel Torah of Baranowitz Yeshiva Ohel Torah-Baranovich, commonly referred to as the Baranovich Yeshiva or simply as Baranovich, was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Baranavichy, Belarus (which at its founding was ruled by the Russian Empire and after World War I, the Second ...

, under the leadership of

Elchanan 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 1927, at the request of

Chaim Ozer Grodzensky Chaim Ozer Grodzinski ( he, חיים עוזר גראדזענסקי; August 24, 1863 – August 9, 1940) was a ''Av beis din'' (rabbinical chief justice), ''posek'' (halakhic authority), and Talmudic scholar in Vilnius, Lithuania in the late 19th a ...

Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

, Heiman became the

of the

Ramailles Yeshiva The Ramailes Yeshiva was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Šnipiškės, Vilnius, Lithuania. It was established in the early nineteenth century, most likely in 1815. Name The yeshiva's commonly used name, ''Ramailes'', is based on the name of th ...

, a position he held until 1935.

In the United States

In 1935, Heiman was invited to New York by

Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz (1886 – 7 September 1948) was a leader of American Orthodoxy and founder of key institutions such as Torah U'Mesorah, an outreach and educational organization. He is also known for having taken the reins in 1921 and b ...

, in order for him to come and lead Mesivta Torah Vodaath. With Grodzensky's approval, Heiman accepted this position, thereby being spared the horrors of

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 ...

. During Heiman's tenure at Torah Vodaath, the yeshiva experienced a period of significant growth. Confronted with what he considered to be the ardent

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...

of America, which threatened to smother any vestige of the

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

way of life, Heiman once remarked that one whose own children do not pursue the path of Torah can compensate by teaching Torah to the children of others.Parshat Bamidbar 5763 - OU Torah Insights Project
at www.ou.org

Death

Heiman died in 1945, at the age of 52. He was succeeded in the Ramailles yeshiva by

Yisroel Zev Gustman Yisroel Zev Gustman (1908 - June 10, 1991)2014 28 Sivan=June 26; 23rd Yartzeit of 1991 28 Sivan=June 10 was a rabbi, and the last Dayan (rabbinic judge) in Vilna during World War II. After the war he moved to the United States, headed a Yeshiva ...

, and in Torah Vodaath by

Reuven Grozovsky Refael Reuvain Grozovsky ( be, Рафаэль Гразоўскі; 1886, Minsk, Belarus – 1958, United States) was a leading Orthodox rabbi, Jewish religious leader and rosh yeshiva ("dean") known for his Talmudic analytical style. Early years ...

Works

A two-volume compendium of Heiman's Talmudic novellae, ''Chiddushei Rabbi Shlomo'', was printed after his death (in 1966), based on his own writings, and incorporating notes of his students. It was released by

Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz (1913 – 27 June 2011) was a respected Haredi Lithuanian Torah leader and rosh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, for over 70 years. He was a '' maggid shiur'' at Yeshivas Tiferes Tzion from 1940 to 2011 and rosh yeshiva of ...

, one of Heiman's greatest students. It is widely used in many yeshivos, and is considered a basic text among late

acharonim In Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (; he, אחרונים ''Aḥaronim''; sing. , ''Aḥaron''; lit. "last ones") are the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifi ...

. A later book, ''Shiurei Rabbi Shlomo'' ('The Lectures of Rabbi Shlomo), printed from the notes of Heiman's students, contains many lectures and novellae not published in ''Chidushei Rabbi Shlomo''. A collection of some of Heiman's original thoughts on the Bible, as well as a few of his ethical discourses has also been published.

Notable students

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime. ...

References

Sources

In Reb Maille's Courtyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heiman, Shlomo 1892 births 1945 deaths 20th-century American rabbis Haredi rabbis in Europe American Haredi rabbis Torah Vodaath rosh yeshivas