Rabbi Gedaliah Nadel (1923–2004) was an influential rabbi in Israel's

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 ...

community. He was known for being one of the heads of Kollel Chazon Ish and was the leading authority of Jewish Law in the Chazon Ish neighborhood of Bnei Brak. He was celebrated as an expert in all facets 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 ...

and

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 knowledge.

Biography

Gedaliah Nadel was born in

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different la ...

, Lithuania to Rabbi Reuven Keshel. In 1936, his family

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

and settled in the Balfouria Colony in what is now

Northern Israel The Northern District ( he, מחוז הצפון, ''Mekhoz HaTzafon''; ar, منطقة الشمال, ''Minṭaqat ash-Shamāl'') is one of Israel's Districts of Israel, six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478&n ...

. After briefly studying in a

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 are st ...

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 ...

, he transferred to the

Lomza Yeshiva The Lomza Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת לומזה) was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Łomża, Poland, founded by Rabbi Eliezer Bentzion Shulevitz in 1883. Rabbi Yechiel Mordechai Gordon served as the yeshiva's rosh yeshiva for many years, and Rabbi Mo ...

in Petach Tikvah where he studied under Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach. As a child, Gedaliah was known for his diligence and devotion to studying

, reportedly studying for up to eighteen hours consecutively. Afterwards Gedaliah studied under Rabbi

Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz 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 ...

, known as Chazon Ish, who molded him into his principal student (recalling his time with the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Nadel said that the Chazon Ish garnered knowledge in medical science by reading medical journals). Rabbi Nadel married the daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu Weiner, a student of the

Chofetz Chaim The '' Sefer'' ''Chafetz Chaim'' (or ''Chofetz Chaim'' or ''Hafetz Hayim'') ( he, חָפֵץ חַיִּים, trans. "Desirer of Life") is a book by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who is also called "the Chofetz Chaim" after it. The book deals wit ...

. Following the wedding, they lived in

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

for a short while, before moving to Bnei Brak where he lived an ascetic life. When the Chazon Ish decided to establish a special community of religious devotees, he chose Rabbi Gedaliah Nadel to lead the community. As leader of the community, such

leaders Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

as Rabbi

Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky ( he, יעקב ישראל קַנִיֶּבְסְקִי), known as The Steipler or The Steipler Gaon (1899– 10 August 1985), was an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and ''posek'' ("decisor" of Jewish law), ...

(the Steipler), and his son Rabbi

Chaim Kanievsky Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky ( he, שמריהו יוסף חיים קַניֶבסקִי; January 8, 1928 – March 18, 2022) was an Israeli Haredi rabbi and '' posek''. He was a leading authority in Haredi Jewish society on legal and ethical ...

, turned to Rabbi Nadel for decisions. Rabbi Nadel's house was used as a gathering place for the Rabbinic personalities of his day, such as Rabbi Shach and the Steipler. Rabbi Nadel also briefly served as the Rosh Yeshiva of the Vishnitz Hasidic yeshiva. Rabbi Nadel would learn

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...

Guide for the Perplexed ''The Guide for the Perplexed'' ( ar, دلالة الحائرين, Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn, ; he, מורה נבוכים, Moreh Nevukhim) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish th ...

immediately after praying Shacharis ''vatikin''.B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah, p. ו-ט (Hebrew). He died on June 5, 2004.

Opinions

Rabbi Nadel asserted that certain concepts mentioned in the Torah and Talmud that were not of a legalistic nature were not necessarily to be taken literally. His writings were analyzed and taken into account during the Slifkin affair. Jewish British zoologist Rabbi Natan Slifkin's acceptance of evolution and belief "that the world was billions of years old" is reportedly in accordance to views espoused by Rabbi Nadel. According to Marc Shapiro, Rabbi Nadel maintained that it is acceptable to believe that the Zohar was not written by Rabbi

Shimon bar Yochai Shimon bar Yochai ( Zoharic Aramaic: שמעון בר יוחאי, ''Shim'on bar Yoḥai'') or Shimon ben Yochai (Mishnaic Hebrew: שמעון בן יוחאי, ''Shim'on ben Yoḥai''), also known by the acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-century ''tannaiti ...

and that it had a late authorship. Rabbi Nadel's teachings have continued to exert influence on

leaders.

Works

Many of Rabbi Nadel's lectures were collected by his various students and two volumes were published under the title ''Shiurei Reb Gedaliah.' ''B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah'' is a compilation of teachings prepared, which according to the book, is taken from Rabbi Nadel's from audio recordings and published at his request. It was published by Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat, one of Rabbi Nadel's main students, and at the personal request of Rabbi Nadel. ''B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah'' was banned by three prominent Bnei Barak rabbis because of its support of Darwin's theory of evolution, including sentences such as "Regarding he idea thatthe creation of man in the image of God marked the end of a long process which started with a non-cognizant animal which gradually evolved until this creature was given a human mind... this is an accurate description. Darwin's proofs, and those of geologists, for the existence of early stages of mankind, seem convincing." In 5772 (or 2010/2011 CE), Rabbi Sheilat published a new edition of the book.

References

External links

B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah
(from http://seri-levi.com/2008/11/13/mito/) * Rabbi Nathan Slifkin
Part I of Partial Translation of B'Toraso Shel R' Gedaliah
* Rabbi Nathan Slifkin
Part II of Partial Translation of B'Toraso Shel R' Gedaliah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nadel, Gedaliah 1923 births 2004 deaths Israeli Orthodox rabbis People from Bnei Brak People from Šiauliai Rabbis in Bnei Brak Lithuanian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine