Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ( he, שלמה זלמן אויערבאך; July 20, 1910 – February 20, 1995) was a renowned
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
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 ...
,
posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
, 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 ...
of the
Kol Torah
Kol Torah is a yeshiva in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem. History
Yeshivas Kol Torah was founded in 1939 by Yechiel Michel Schlesinger (1898–1948), born in Hamburg, Germany and Boruch Kunstadt, a dayan from Fulda, Germany. It w ...
yeshiva in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. The Jerusalem neighborhood
Ramat Shlomo is named after Rabbi Auerbach.
Biography
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was the first child to be born in the
Sha'arei Hesed
Sha'arei Hesed (also Sha'arei Chessed) ( he, שערי חסד, lit. ''Gates of Loving-kindness'') is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem, bordering Rehavia, Nahlaot and Kiryat Wolfson.
History
One of the founders of the neighborhood was Yoel Moshe ...
neighborhood of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
founded by his maternal grandfather, Rabbi
Shlomo Zalman Porush
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Porush, ( he, שלמה זלמן פרוש), was born in Babruysk, Russian Empire (now Belarus) in 1850 to his father Rabbi Naftali Zvi Porush (d. 1866) and mother Leah (d. 1900). He died in Jerusalem in 1898 and is buried on ...
, after whom he was named.
His father, Rabbi
Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach
Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach (1883 – 26 September 1954) was a Haredi rabbi and roshei yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva, a landmark Jerusalem institution specializing in Talmudic and kabbalah studies for Ashkenazi scholars that he helped found in ...
, was
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
Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת שער השמים, lit., "Gate of Heaven") is an Ashkenazi yeshiva in Jerusalem dedicated to the study of the kabbalistic teachings of the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria). It is famous for its student body of ...
, and his mother was Rebbetzin Tzivia.
By the age of eleven he was proficient in the entire
talmudic
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 cente ...
tractate
A tractate is a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject; the word derives from the Latin ''tractatus'', meaning treatise.
One example of its use is in citing a section of the Talmud, when the term ''masekhet'' () is used i ...
of
Kiddushin. As a teenager he attended the
Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was known for his diligence which is illustrated by an event which occurred while he was in yeshiva. On the day the first
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
rolled into Jerusalem along the
Jaffa Road
Jaffa Road ( he, רחוב יפו, Rehov Yaffo; ar, شارع يافا) is one of the longest and oldest major streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jer ...
, all the students left their studies to marvel at the horse-less wagon. Only young Shlomo Zalman remained in his chair immersed in his studies.
Following his marriage, he studied under Rabbi
Zvi Pesach Frank
Tzvi Pesach Frank (20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) (Hebrew: הרב צבי פסח פרנק) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960).
Biography
Frank was born in Kovno, Viln ...
at
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); ...
Kerem Tzion which focused on the
laws
Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...
of 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 ...
. He was known as one of the
Charedi
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 ...
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
supporters for
Heter Mechira
The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah ...
during the
Shmita
The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah ...
year.
His first major published work, ''Meorei Esh'', was the first ever written on the subject of using electricity on
Shabbat
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 ...
. The work was endorsed by Rabbi
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
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 19 ...
who read it and declared: ''"Or chadash al Tziyon ta'ir"'' — "A new light will shine upon Zion" — a quote from the daily
morning prayers.
He had a close association with Rabbi
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
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 19 ...
, as well as the
Chazon Ish
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 ...
and Rabbi
Elazar Menachem Shach, the two iconic and preeminent leaders of Lithuanian
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 ...
Judaism of the first and middle segments of the 20th century. He became the pre-eminent halachic decisor of his time in Israel, respected by all streams of Orthodox Judaism. He was unique in his approach to halacha through
thought experiment
A thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in which a hypothesis, theory, or principle is laid out for the purpose of thinking through its consequences.
History
The ancient Greek ''deiknymi'' (), or thought experiment, "was the most anci ...
s.
He was the brother-in-law of Rabbi
Sholom Schwadron
Sholom Mordechai Hakohen Schwadron ( he, הרב שלום מרדכי הכהן שבדרון) (1912–21 December 1997) was a Haredi Judaism, Haredi rabbi and orator. He was known as the "Maggid of Jerusalem" for his fiery, inspirational musar m ...
, who married his sister Leah. The two shared a long and close relationship as learning partners and personal friends.
Renowned for his lucid classes as Rosh Yeshiva, his thousands of students continue to influence the Torah world today.
Auerbach died on February 20, 1995. An estimated 300,000 - 500,000 people attended his funeral in 1995. He was interred on
Har HaMenuchot
Har HaMenuchot ( he, הר המנוחות, Ashkenazi pronunciation, Har HaMenuchos, lit. "Mount of Those who are Resting", also known as Givat Shaul Cemetery) is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at the western ed ...
.
Children
Rabbi Auerbach had seven sons and three daughters. His sons are:
* Rabbi
Shmuel Auerbach (d. 2018), leader of the ''Bnei Torah'' political party
* Rabbi
Ezriel Auerbach
Ezriel Auerbach (born 1937), also known as Azriel Auerbach, is a prominent Haredi rabbi and posek. He is the son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, and son-in-law of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, two renowned poskim. He was considered Rabbi Elyashiv' ...
, a son-in-law of Rabbi
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ( he, יוסף שלום אלישיב; 10 April 1910 – 18 July 2012) was a Haredi Rabbi and ''posek'' (arbiter of Jewish law) who lived in Jerusalem. Until his death at the age of 102, Rav Elyashiv was the paramount lead ...
, and the rabbi of
Chanichei Hayeshivot in
Bayit Vegan
Bayit VeGan ( he, בית וגן, lit. ''House and Garden'') is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem. Bayit VeGan is located to the east of Mount Herzl and borders the neighborhoods of Kiryat HaYovel and Givat Mordechai.
History Bronze Age
A 4,0 ...
* Rabbi Avraham Dov Auerbach (d. 2021), a rabbi in
Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...
* Rabbi Mordechai Auerbach, the pulpit rabbi of Avir Ya'akov in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
* Rabbi Ya'akov Auerbach, a rabbi in
Beit Shemesh
Beit Shemesh ( he, בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ ) is a city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of in .
History Tel Beit Shemesh
The small archaeological tell northeast of the modern city wa ...
* Rabbi Meir Simcha Auerbach, a
posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
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 ...
in
Betar Illit
Beitar Illit ( he, בֵּיתָר עִלִּית; officially Betar Illit; "Illit" is pronounced "ee-leet"; ar, بيتار عيليت) is an Haredi Jewish-Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, sout ...
* Rabbi Baruch Auerbach, publisher of the complete works of Rabbi
Yom Tov Algazi, was killed in an automobile accident in 1999.
Rabbi Auerbach's daughters:
*Rachel, married to Rabbi
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ( he, זלמן נחמיה גולדברג; January 28, 1931 – August 20, 2020) was a rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva in Israel. The scion of a Lithuanian Jewish family, Goldberg was also a son-in-law of Shlomo Zalman Aue ...
, a leading
posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
in Israel
*Miriam, married to Rav Treger, living in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
*Malka, married to Rav Bordiansky
Prominent students
*Rabbi
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ( he, זלמן נחמיה גולדברג; January 28, 1931 – August 20, 2020) was a rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva in Israel. The scion of a Lithuanian Jewish family, Goldberg was also a son-in-law of Shlomo Zalman Aue ...
, his son-in-law.
*Rabbi
Meir Kessler
Meir Kessler (born February 17, 1961) is the Chief Rabbi and head of Rabbinical Court of Modi'in Illit.
He was born at Bnei Brak and studied at the Ponevezh yeshiva and afterward at Kol Torah under Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.
After his marriag ...
*Rabbi
Avigdor Nebenzahl
Avigdor Nebenzahl (born 1935) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and Posek. He is the senior rosh yeshiva at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, a faculty member at Yeshivat HaKotel, and rabbi of the Ramban Synagogue. Nebenzahl previously served as rabbi of the Old ...
*Rabbi
Yehoshua Neuwirth
Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth ( he, יהושע ישעיה נויברט) (15 February 1927 – 11 June 2013) was an eminent Orthodox Jewish rabbi and ''posek'' (halakhic authority) in Jerusalem. He was one of the primary students of Rabbi Shlomo Zalma ...
*Rabbi Shaye Portnoy, Rosh Yeshiva - Beis Medrash LeTorah (Jerusalem)
*Rabbi
Michael Yammer
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
, Rosh Yeshiva - Sha'alvim
Works
Sefarim
''Sifrei Kodesh'' ( he, ספרי קודש, , Holy books), commonly referred to as ''sefarim'' ( he, ספרים, , books), or in its singular form, ''sefer'', are books of Jewish religious literature and are viewed by religious Jews as sacred. T ...
authored by Rabbi Auerbach include:
*''Meorei Eish'', a pioneering work concerning
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
in halacha, (1935)
*''Ma'adanei Eretz'', a two-volume book regarding agricultural halacha, (1946)
*''Minchas Shlomo'' (
responsa
''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
), first volume (1986), second volume (2003)
*''Minchas Shlomo'', a commentary on the
Talmud
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 cente ...
He also authored a commentary on ''
Shev Shema'tata Shev Shema'tata ( he, שב שמעתתא), most commonly pronounced Shev Shmaytsa or ''Shev Shmaisa'', is a work on Talmudic logic and methodology by R. Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller. The name of the book is Aramaic, and means "seven passages".
It c ...
'', which itself is a work of novellae on the Talmud by Rabbi
Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller
Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller ( 1745 – 1812) ( he, אריה לייב בן יוסף הכהן הלר) was a Rabbi, Talmudist, and Halachist in Galicia. He was known as "the ''Ketzos''" based on his magnum opus, '' Ketzot Hachoshen'', .
Biography
Bo ...
.
Most of Rabbi Auerbach's halachic rulings were delivered orally and not published formally. However, his rulings on medical halacha were summarized and publicized by Rabbi
Yehoshua Neuwirth
Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth ( he, יהושע ישעיה נויברט) (15 February 1927 – 11 June 2013) was an eminent Orthodox Jewish rabbi and ''posek'' (halakhic authority) in Jerusalem. He was one of the primary students of Rabbi Shlomo Zalma ...
in his book ''
Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah
''Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah'', also pronounced ''Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchosoh'' ( he, שמירת שבת כהלכתה, , keeping Shabbat according to its law; published in English as ''Shemirath Shabbath''), is a book of halachah authored by Ra ...
'', Rabbi Dr.
Abraham S. Abraham in his ''Nishmat Avraham'', and Rabbi Dr. Avraham Steinberg in his ''Encyclopedia Hilchatit Refuit''.
Rabbi Neuwirth also made many of Rabbi Auerbach's rulings on Hilkhot Shabbat (Shabbat laws) widely known in his bestselling book, which was first published in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in 1965 and subsequently rendered into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
See also
*
Magen Lacholeh
Magen Lacholeh ( he, מגן לחולה), ''Shield and Protector of the Sick'', is a Jerusalem, Israel-based non-profit organization, created in 1991 to facilitate the link between patients and health professionals. It provides the knowledge, cont ...
References
External links
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"lVideo of Rabbi Auerbach zt"lVolume 1 of shu"t Minchat ShlomoVolume 2 of shu"t Minchat ShlomoVolume 3 of shu"t Minchat Shlomo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Shlomo Zalman
Haredi rabbis in Israel
Israeli Rosh yeshivas
20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem
Jewish medical ethics
1910 births
1995 deaths
Burials at Har HaMenuchot
Authors of books on Jewish law
Hebrew-language writers