Dovid Leibowitz (1887–1941) was a leading

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

disciple A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in t ...

of prewar

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Slabodka yeshiva Slabodka yeshiva may refer to: * Hebron Yeshiva, a branch of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Hebron, relocated afterward to Jerusalem * Slabodka yeshiva (Bnei Brak), a branch of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak * Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka) Yes ...

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 ...

, who went on to found the Rabbinical Seminary of America, better known today as "

Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim (also known as the Rabbinical Seminary of America) is an Orthodox Yeshiva in the United States, based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York. It is primarily an American, Lithuanian-style Talmudic Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is ...

" or the ''"Chofetz Chaim yeshiva"'', as its first ''

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 ...

'' (dean) in the Williamsburg area of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The Rabbinical Seminary of America was named after his great-uncle,

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 Lithuan ...

Raduń Yeshiva The Radin Yeshiva, originally located in Radun, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Belarus), was established by Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (known as the ''Chofetz Chaim'' after the title of his well-known ''sefer'') in 1869. Because of its fou ...

, who was known as the "Chofetz Chaim".

Biography

As a teenager he studied in the

Radin Yeshiva The Radin Yeshiva, originally located in Radun, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Belarus), was established by Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (known as the ''Chofetz Chaim'' after the title of his well-known ''sefer'') in 1869. Because of its fou ...

, where he held private study sessions with his great-uncle, the founder of the Radin Yeshiva, and helped write the last volume of the ''

Mishnah Berurah The ''Mishnah Berurah'' ( he, משנה ברורה "Clear Teaching") is a work of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Poland, 1838–1933, also known as ''Chofetz Chaim''). It is a commentary on ''Orach Chayim'', the first section ...

''. He also studied there under Rabbi

Naftoli Trop Naftoli Trop (1871 – September 24, 1928) was a renowned Talmudist and Talmid Chacham. He served as ''rosh yeshiva'' of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Radun, Poland. Early years Naftoli Trop was born in Grodno, where he studied with his father, Rab ...

. In 1908 Leibowitz transferred to the Slabodka yeshiva, where he studied under the ''Alter of Slabodka'', Nosson Tzvi Finkel. In 1915 Leibowitz succeeded his father-in-law as rabbi of

Šalčininkai Šalčininkai (, , yi, סאָלעטשניק ''Solechnik'', be, Салечнікі) is a town in Vilnius County, Lithuania, situated south-east of Vilnius, near the border with Belarus. Šalčininkai attained the town status in 1956 and is now ...

. After six years he returned to Slabodka as a founding member of the Slabodka ''

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); ...

''. in January of 1927 Leibowitz went to the United States as a fund-raiser for the ''kollel'' and was invited to become the first ''rosh yeshiva'' of

Mesivta Torah Vodaath Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary ) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. History The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and f ...

. Among his students were

Gedalia Schorr Gedalyahu HaLevi Schorr (27 November 1910 – 7 July 1979),http://www.tzemachdovid.org/gedolim/jo/tworld/rschorr.html also known as Gedalia Schorr, was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva. He was regarded as the "first American Gadol" (Torah g ...

and

Avraham Yaakov Pam Avraham Yaakov Pam (1913 – August 16, 2001) was the '' rosh yeshiva'' of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas in Brooklyn, New York. Biography Rabbi Pam began his career at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas in 1938, when was appointed '' maggid shiur'' (Talmudic lectur ...

. In 1933, Leibowitz founded Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen (now located in

Kew Gardens Hills Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. The borders are Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the west, the Long Island Expressway to the north, Union Turnpike to the south, and Parsons Boulevard to t ...

, New York). On Friday December 5, 1941, Leibowitz died of a heart attack. His funeral was held on Sunday

December 7, 1941 The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. The yeshiva was headed for the following sixty-seven years by his only son,

Henoch Leibowitz Alter Chanoch Henoch Hakohen Leibowitz (c. 1918His date of birth is uncertain, but his passport read June 2, 1918. – April 15, 2008) was an Orthodox rabbi who was Rosh Yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen, which was founded ...

References

External links

Rabbi Leibowitz's gravestone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leibowitz, Dovid 1887 births 1941 deaths Torah Vodaath rosh yeshivas 20th-century American rabbis People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn Slabodka yeshiva alumni 20th-century Lithuanian rabbis