Yehuda (Leo) Levi (January 15, 1926 – June 17, 2019) was a German-born American-Israeli

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 ...

rabbi, physicist, writer and educator. He was

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

and

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

Electro-optics Electro–optics is a branch of electrical engineering, electronic engineering, materials science, and material physics involving components, electronic devices such as lasers, laser diodes, LEDs, waveguides, etc. which operate by the propaga ...

at the

Jerusalem College of Technology The Jerusalem College of Technology - Lev Academic Center (JCT; he, המרכז האקדמי לב) is a private college in Israel, recognized by the Council for Higher Education, which specializes in providing high-level science and technology ed ...

. Levi was best known as the author of several books on Science and Judaism, and Judaism in contemporary society, as well as on

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Biography

Levi was born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and was educated in the

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 received his

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

and

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from City College, N.Y. and his

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

from the

Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

in 1964. He studied

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 ...

at Gur Aryeh Institute's

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); ...

, and received

semicha Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

(

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 ...

nic ordination) from Rabbi

Yitzchak Hutner Yitzchak (Isaac) Hutner ( he, יצחק הוטנר; 1906–1980) was an American Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean). Originally from Warsaw, Hutner first studied the Torah in Slabodka. He then traveled to Mandatory Palestine where he became a ...

and additionally from Rabbi

Joseph Breuer Joseph Breuer, also known as Yosef Breuer (March 20, 1882 – April 19, 1980) was a rabbi and community leader in Germany and the United States. He was rabbi of one of the large Jewish synagogues founded by German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi opp ...

. In 1970 he settled in

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

with his wife and three sons, where he founded the electro-optics department of the Jerusalem College of Technology. He served as Rector of the college from 1982 to 1990. Levi was a Fellow of the Gur Aryeh Institute for Advanced Jewish Scholarship, has been president of the

Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists The Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists (AOJS) is an organization of scientists that focuses on the interrelationships between science and halakha. The organization was established on December 28, 1947 during a meeting at the home of the O ...

br>
both in the US and in Israel, and was the recipient of the Feder (Torah & Science) and Abramowitz-Zeitlin (Jewish literature) awards. He was latterly part of the faculty at the

Yeshivat Dvar Yerushalayim Yeshivat Dvar Yerushalayim, also called the Jerusalem Academy of Jewish Studies, is a yeshiva for baalei teshuva currently located in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem. The yeshiva was founded in 19701970: 2010=40th year. by Rabbi Boruch Horov ...

(The Jerusalem Academy of Jewish Studies). Levi died in June 2019 at the age of 93.פורץ דרך: הרב והפרופסור מבית וגן - נפטר
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Works

In addition to over 100 articles published in various scientific, technical, and Judaica journals, Prof. Levi has published several books. He is known for combining analysis of practical issues in

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

with philosophic discussion. *On Physics **''Applied Optics'', 2 vols. (Wiley, 1968 & 1980. ) **''Handbook of Tables for Applied Optics'' (CRC, 1974. ) **''Applied Optics in the Eighties'', J.C.T., Jerusalem (Co-author) *On Science and Torah **''Vistas from Mt. Moriah: A Scientist Views Judaism and the World'' (Gur Aryeh Institute, 1959) **''Jewish Chrononomy'' (Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists and Gur Aryeh Institute, 1967) **''Torah and Science - Their Interplay in the World Scheme'' (Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, New York, and Feldheim Publishers, 1983, 2006) **''Halachic Times for Home and Travel'' (Rubin Mass, 1992) **''ha-Mada sheba-Torah'' (Reuven Mas, 2001); Translation, ''The Science in Torah'' (Feldheim, 2004. ) *On Torah in contemporary society **''Man & Woman: The Torah Perspective'' (Feldheim, 1979) **''Sha'arey Talmud Torah'' (Feldheim, 1981) **''Mul Etgarei Hatekufah'' (Sinai, 1988); translation ''Facing Current Challenges'' (Hemed, 1998) **''Torah Study: A Survey of Classic Sources on Timely Issues'' (Feldheim, 1990. ) **''Modern Liberation — Torah Perspective on Contemporary Lifestyles'' (Hemed, Brooklyn, 1998) *On Talmud **''Kav VeNaki'' - with Rabbi

Aryeh Carmell Aryeh Carmell (1917 – September 2006) was a British Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and author. Biography Early life and education Aryeh Carmell was born in London, England, in 1917, to a Russian family of Jews. He was educated at public (i.e. Stat ...

and Rabbi Dr.

Gershon Metzger According to the Torah, Gershon ( he, גֵּרְשׁוֹן ''Gērǝšôn'') was the eldest of the sons of Levi, and the patriarchal founder of the Gershonites, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in biblical times. The Gershonites wer ...

- a six-volume commentary in Hebrew on tractates of Seder

Zeraim Seder Zeraim ( he, סדר זרעים, Seder Zra'im, lit. "Order of Seeds") is the first of the six orders, or major divisions, of the Mishnah, Tosefta, and the Talmud, and, apart from the first tractate which concerns the rules for prayers and bles ...

of the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...

References

External links

Prof. Yehudah Levi
Bio on borhatorah.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Levi, Yehuda (Leo) 1926 births 2019 deaths 21st-century American physicists American Haredi rabbis Haredi rabbis in Israel Israeli physicists Academic staff of Jerusalem College of Technology Jewish physicists Judaism and science Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni Writers about religion and science 21st-century American Jews

Biography

Works

See also

References

External links