Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, also known as Reb Leizer Yudel Finkel, (1879–1965) was the

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 Mir yeshiva in both its Polish and Jerusalemic incarnates.

Early life

Finkel was the son of the celebrated Mussar leader, the

Alter of Slabodka Nosson Tzvi Finkel ( he, נתן צבי פינקל, Sephardic/Israeli: ''Natan Tzvi''; yi, נָטע הערש, Nota Hirsch; 1849–1927) was an influential Lithuanian Jewish leader of Orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe and founder of the Slabodk ...

. He studied under the famed Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik in Brisk (see

Brisk yeshiva The Soloveitchik dynasty of rabbinic scholars and their students originated the Brisker method of Talmudic study, which is embraced by their followers in the Brisk yeshivas. It is so called because of the Soloveitchiks' origin in the town of Bri ...

), where he developed a friendship with Rabbi

Shlomo Polachek Shlomo Polachek ( he, שלמה פוליצ'ק; 1877 – July 9, 1928) known as "the Meitscheter Illui" was born in Sinichinitz, near Meitchet, Hrodna, Grodna. He was an important Talmudic scholar and one of the earliest Rosh yeshiva, roshei yesh ...

whom he later met on a fundraising trip in America in 1926. He also studied in Raduń Yeshiva where he was reputed to have mastered the entire Talmud at the age of 17. In 1903, Finkel married Malka, the daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu Boruch Kamai who was the Rosh Yeshiva of the

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

Mir, Belarus Mir ( be, Мір; russian: Мир; ) is a town in the Karelichy District (Карэліцкі раён) of Grodno Region, Belarus on the banks of Miranka River, about 85 kilometers southwest of the national capital, Minsk. History Mir village was ...

. Three years later he joined the staff of the Mir Yeshiva, and in 1917 became its Rosh Yeshiva upon the death of his father-in-law. During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

, the Mir Yeshiva flourished under Finkel's leadership to the point that its enrollment grew close to 500

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

from all over the world. Also during this time, Reb Leizer Yudel enlisted the services of Rabbi

Yeruchom Levovitz Rav Yeruchom Levovitz ( he, ירוחם ליוואוויץ; ca. 1875-1936), also known by his hundreds of students simply as The Mashgiach, was a famous mashgiach ruchani and baal mussar (Jewish Ethics) at the Mir yeshiva in Belarus. Early life ...

to serve as the

Mashgiach A mashgiach ( he, משגיח, "supervisor"; , ''mashgichim'') or mashgicha (pl. ''mashgichot'') is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including sl ...

. Also during this time, Finkel chose one of his prime students, Rabbi

Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz Chaim Leib Halevi Shmuelevitz, ( he, חיים לייב שמואלביץ ;1902–1979) — also spelled Shmulevitz — was a member of the faculty of the Mirrer Yeshiva for more than 40 years, in Poland, Shanghai and Jerusalem, serving as Rosh ...

as a son-in-law and eventually successor.

World War II and the re-establishment of the Yeshiva

With the outbreak of World War II, the Yeshiva was forced into exile and eventually it found refuge in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...

, Japan and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

, China. While the student body, led by Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz eventually relocated to the United States (see Mir Yeshiva (Brooklyn)), Reb Leizer Yudel established a new branch of the Mir 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 ...

with a handful of advanced

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 ce ...

ic students from Etz Chaim Yeshiva. Eventually Shmuelevitz came to Jerusalem to serve as Rosh Yeshiva under his father-in-law. Reb Leizer Yudel's son Moshe Finkel was the main fundraiser for the newly established Yeshiva and helped the Yeshiva financial support its great numbers. Another son, Rabbi Chaim Zev Finkel became the Mashgiach of the Yeshiva. Yet another son, Rabbi Beinish Finkel succeeded his brother-in-law Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz as Rosh Yeshiva upon the latter's death in the 1979.

Lover of Torah

It is related that Reb Leizer Yudel's love of

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

was so great that he is reputed to have offered money for a

Chiddush Chidush ( he, חִדּוּשׁ; also transliterated as chiddush, hiddush or hidush), sometimes used in its plural form, chidushim ( he, חִדּוּשׁים), is a novel interpretation or approach. Historically referring to Torah topics, ...

. Many of his own novel interpretations were printed under the title "Yad Eliezer" (יד אליעזר).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finkel, Eliezer Yehuda (I) Rosh yeshivas Haredi rabbis in Europe Haredi rabbis in Israel 20th-century Russian rabbis 1879 births 1965 deaths Lithuanian Haredi rabbis Burials at Har HaMenuchot Mir rosh yeshivas Slabodka yeshiva alumni People from Mir, Belarus 20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem