Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ'יק), also known as Velvel Soloveitchik ("Zev" means "wolf" in Hebrew, and "Velvel" is the diminutive of "wolf" in Yiddish) or the Brisker Rov ("rabbi of/from Brisk", (19 October 1886 – 11 October 1959), was an Orthodoxrabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Brisk yeshiva in Jerusalem.
Soloveitchik moved with his family the Jewish community of Brisk after the czarist government closed the Volozhin yeshiva. He would succeed his father as a rabbi of Brisk and leader of Judaic studies in his region.[2]
After fleeing the Holocaust and moving to Mandatory Palestine, he re-established the Brisk yeshiva in Jerusalem,[3] where he continued to educate students the way his father did. That system would become known as the Brisker method of studying the Talmud, a form of analysis stressing conceptual understanding combined with strict adherence to the text, with a special emphasis on Maimonides’ work, the Mishneh Torah.
Soloveitchik was a leader of the Haredi community in Israel. He advocated complete withdrawal of participation in the government, the secular ideals and values of which were, in his view, antithetical to the principles of Orthodox Judaism. He went as far as opposing the reliance on government funding in support of yeshivas and other Torah institutions. This viewpoint was supported by Joel Teitelbaum but disputed by Elazar Shach.
Before he died, Soloveitchik called his son Berel and Elazar Shach and reviewed the decisions and positions he had taken during his lifetime, so that they would scrutinize them and tell them if, in their opinion, he had acted properly.[4]
After Soloveitchik died in Jerusalem, his sons, among them Berel and Meshulam Dovid, split the yeshiva into parts, each taking with them a group of their own followers.
Soloveichik was known for his stringency in halakha (Jewish law). This partly stems from his use of the Brisker method of study, in which laws are broken down into precise components, which can then be assembled into new combinations, creating novel halachic possibilities which perhaps a person should be strict to follow or avoid. This, however, does not explain all of his stringencies.
Soloveitchik (second from left) in Jerusalem
He is reputed to have observed Yom tov sheni shel galuyot (a second day of Yom Tov) in Jerusalem. The practice is normally reserved only for areas outside the Holy Land as a memory for ancient times, when people far from Jerusalem would not hear about the declaration of the new month, and by extension would not know on which day to celebrate the holidays. Soloveitchik's concern revolved around the possibility that the messengers who announced the new month may not have passed by the exact place where he lived in Jerusalem on their way to the Jewish diaspora. Taking this possibility into account, he observed a second day, just to be safe.
In one case, Soloveitchik surprised observers by not following a well-known stringency. Halakha states that on Sukkot, one is required to eat certain foods in a sukkah. It is praiseworthy, but not required, that all eating and drinking take place in the sukkah. Soloveitchik was willing to eat and drink certain foods outside the sukkah, explaining that he is only stringent in areas where there is a chance that the stringency might be required by the halakha, whereas in this case, the halakhic permissiveness is unquestionable. Soloveitchik was very careful when speaking to not recite from memory rather he would read all his sources from their original works. Even though he knew them by heart, this comes from the Brisker commitment to truth. [5]
Naftali Rothenberg, Yair Halevi, ‘’’The Rabbi of Brisk: Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik’’’, in: Benjamin Brown, Nissim Leon, eds. The Gdoilim – Leaders Who Shaped the Israeli Haredi Jewry, Magnes Hebrew University Press, 2017, (Hebrew)
References
^Samsonowitz, M. (30 October 2002). . Dei'ah VeDibur. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
^ abcGreen, David B. (October 10, 2015). "Scion of a great 'Lithuanian' dynasty passes away". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
^Frand, Yissocher (7 June 2002) "Do it Right the First Time! Parshas Tetzaveh", torah.org. "R. Yitzchak Ze’ev (Velvel) Soloveitchik (1887-1959); took over from his father (R. Chaim Soloveitchik) in Brisk; escaped during World War II to Eretz Yisroel."
^Mishlei, Volume 1, by Eliezer Ginsburg and Nosson Scherman. pg. 254
yitzchok, soloveitchik, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, feb. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik Hebrew יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ יק also known as Velvel Soloveitchik Zev means wolf in Hebrew and Velvel is the diminutive of wolf in Yiddish or the Brisker Rov rabbi of from Brisk 19 October 1886 11 October 1959 was an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Brisk yeshiva in Jerusalem RabbiYitzchok Zev SoloveitchikReb Velvel Yitzchok Zev SoloveitchikTitleThe Brisker RavPersonalBornYitzchok Zev Soloveitchik19 October 1886Wolozyn Vistula LandDied11 October 1959 1959 10 11 aged 72 JerusalemReligionJudaismSpouseAlte Hendl AuerbachChildrenFreidel 1913 1919 Berel Yosef Dov Lifsha married Rabbi Yechiel Michel Feinstein ChaimMeshulam Dovid SoloveitchikBoruch Refoel Yehoshua SoloveitchikGittel Sara Rascha 1926 1942 MeirFeige Tzirel 1931 1932 Rivka married Rabbi Yaakov Schiff Naftali Tzvi Yehudah LeibShmuel YaakovParent s Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik and Lifsha ShapiraDenominationOrthodox JudaismOccupationRabbiBuriedHar HaMenuchos Jerusalem 1 A scion of the Soloveitchik rabbinical dynasty he is commonly referred to as the GRY Z an acronym for Gaon Rabbi Yitzchok Zev and The Rov He was known for his stringency in halakha Jewish law and advocacy for non participation in the Israeli political system 2 Contents 1 Biography 2 Halakhic approach 3 Brisker rabbinic dynasty 4 See also 5 ReferencesBiography Edit Soloveitchik in his younger yearsYitzchok Zev Soloveitchik was born to Chaim Soloveitchik in Valozhyn 2 On his mother s side he was the grandson of Refael Shapiro a rosh yeshiva in the Volozhin yeshiva Soloveitchik moved with his family the Jewish community of Brisk after the czarist government closed the Volozhin yeshiva He would succeed his father as a rabbi of Brisk and leader of Judaic studies in his region 2 After fleeing the Holocaust and moving to Mandatory Palestine he re established the Brisk yeshiva in Jerusalem 3 where he continued to educate students the way his father did That system would become known as the Brisker method of studying the Talmud a form of analysis stressing conceptual understanding combined with strict adherence to the text with a special emphasis on Maimonides work the Mishneh Torah Soloveitchik was a leader of the Haredi community in Israel He advocated complete withdrawal of participation in the government the secular ideals and values of which were in his view antithetical to the principles of Orthodox Judaism He went as far as opposing the reliance on government funding in support of yeshivas and other Torah institutions This viewpoint was supported by Joel Teitelbaum but disputed by Elazar Shach Before he died Soloveitchik called his son Berel and Elazar Shach and reviewed the decisions and positions he had taken during his lifetime so that they would scrutinize them and tell them if in their opinion he had acted properly 4 After Soloveitchik died in Jerusalem his sons among them Berel and Meshulam Dovid split the yeshiva into parts each taking with them a group of their own followers Halakhic approach Edit Soloveitchik right with Menachem ZiembaSoloveichik was known for his stringency in halakha Jewish law This partly stems from his use of the Brisker method of study in which laws are broken down into precise components which can then be assembled into new combinations creating novel halachic possibilities which perhaps a person should be strict to follow or avoid This however does not explain all of his stringencies Soloveitchik second from left in JerusalemHe is reputed to have observed Yom tov sheni shel galuyot a second day of Yom Tov in Jerusalem The practice is normally reserved only for areas outside the Holy Land as a memory for ancient times when people far from Jerusalem would not hear about the declaration of the new month and by extension would not know on which day to celebrate the holidays Soloveitchik s concern revolved around the possibility that the messengers who announced the new month may not have passed by the exact place where he lived in Jerusalem on their way to the Jewish diaspora Taking this possibility into account he observed a second day just to be safe In one case Soloveitchik surprised observers by not following a well known stringency Halakha states that on Sukkot one is required to eat certain foods in a sukkah It is praiseworthy but not required that all eating and drinking take place in the sukkah Soloveitchik was willing to eat and drink certain foods outside the sukkah explaining that he is only stringent in areas where there is a chance that the stringency might be required by the halakha whereas in this case the halakhic permissiveness is unquestionable Soloveitchik was very careful when speaking to not recite from memory rather he would read all his sources from their original works Even though he knew them by heart this comes from the Brisker commitment to truth 5 Brisker rabbinic dynasty EditvteBrisker family treeThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Esti Rosenberg director of Migdal Oz seminary Rabbi Yitzchok Lichtenstein Co Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas Rabbi Bais Avrohom Monsey NYRabbi Yosef Dov Reb Berel SoloveichikRabbi Avrohom Yehoshua SoloveichikRabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein Co Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har EtzionRabbi Meshulam Dovid Reb Dovid SoloveichikRabbi Yitzchak Zev SoloveichikRabbi Mayer Lichtenstein Rabbi Ohel Menachem Bet ShemeshRabbi Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveichikauthor of Beis HaLeviRabbi Chaim Soloveichik Reb Chaim Brisker Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Reb Velvel Soloveichik The GRIZ The Brisker RovLifsha Soloveitchik FeinsteinDr Tovah Soloveitchik LichtensteinRabbi Jonathan RosenblattRabbi Refael Shapiro Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin yeshivaLifsha ShapiroRabbi Refoel SoloveichikRabbi Dr Aharon LichtensteinTzipporah RosenblattRabbi Meir SoloveichikDr Atarah Soloveitchik TwerskyRabbi Mosheh Twersky z l Maggid Shiur at Yeshiva Toras MosheRabbi Dr Joseph B Yosef Dov Soloveitchik The Rav Rabbi Dr Isadore Twersky Talner Rebbe of BostonRabbi Mayer Twersky Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological SeminaryRabbi Moshe SoloveichikRabbi Ahron SoloveichikRabbi Dr Haym SoloveitchikRabbi Moshe Soloveichik Rosh Yeshivas Brisk Chicago Rav of Kehilas Beth Sholom Ahavas AchimPeshka Feinstein SoloveichikDr Samuel SoloveichikRabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik Rosh Yeshiva at Lander College s Beis Medrash L TalmudRabbi Meir Yaakov SoloveichikShulamit Soloveitchik MeiselmanRabbi Moshe Meiselman Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras MosheRabbi Yosef SoloveichikSarah OrensheinAnne Soloveitchik GerberRabbi Chayim Soloveichik Maggid Shiur at Yeshivat Reishit Morah D Asrah of Kehillat Ohr Shalom Ramat Beit ShemeshMoshe SoloveichikRabbi Yosef Dov SoloveichikRabbi Shmuel Chaim SoloveichikRabbi Yitzchok SoloveichikRabbi Yisroel SoloveichikRabbi Yisroel Gershon SoloveichikRabbi Moshe SoloveichikRabbi Boruch SoloveichikRabbi Avraham Yeshaya SoloveichikDaughter Soloveichik Wife of Rabbi Shlomo Zev CarlebachNotes Rabbi Chaim Halevi Soloveichik the second See also EditYehoshua Leib Diskin another Jewish leader known as the rabbi from Brisk Naftali Rothenberg Yair Halevi The Rabbi of Brisk Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik in Benjamin Brown Nissim Leon eds The Gdoilim Leaders Who Shaped the Israeli Haredi Jewry Magnes Hebrew University Press 2017 Hebrew References Edit Samsonowitz M 30 October 2002 Burial in Jerusalem The Har Menuchos Cemetery Dei ah VeDibur Archived from the original on 14 March 2011 Retrieved 13 February 2011 a b c Green David B October 10 2015 Scion of a great Lithuanian dynasty passes away Haaretz com Retrieved 2020 08 03 Frand Yissocher 7 June 2002 Do it Right the First Time Parshas Tetzaveh torah org R Yitzchak Ze ev Velvel Soloveitchik 1887 1959 took over from his father R Chaim Soloveitchik in Brisk escaped during World War II to Eretz Yisroel Mishlei Volume 1 by Eliezer Ginsburg and Nosson Scherman pg 254 https www amimagazine org 2018 09 02 between rav baruch mordechai ezrachi brisk This is something we got from the Brisker Rav who wouldn t say even one word by heart I m not talking about a pasuk I m talking about everything So I accustomed myself to doing the same thing Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik amp oldid 1114253372, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
