Osher (Usher, Asher) Zelig Weiss (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: אשר וייס; born March 25, 1953) is a

posek In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...

, the current rosh kollel of Machon Minchas Osher L’Torah V’Horaah and author of the Minchas Osher. He grew up in a Klausenberger family in

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...

Biography

Rav Asher was born 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 territori ...

to Moshe Weiss, a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...

and real estate agent. He studied at

Sanz Sanz (or Tsanz, yi, צאנז) is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the city of Sanz (Nowy Sącz) in Galicia. The dynasty was founded by the rebbe Rabbi Chaim Halberstam (1793–1876) who was the rabbi of Nowy Sącz and the author of the work ...

institutions in the

. In 1956 the family immigrated to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

on Aliyah and lived in Kiryat Sanz in Netanya. He studied at institutions there and was close to the Admor Rav

Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam (January 10, 1905 – June 18, 1994) was an Orthodox rabbi and the founding rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidic dynasty. Halberstam was one of the youngest rebbes in Europe, leading thousands of followers in the ...

. In 2005, he founded Yeshivat Darchei Torah and has headed it ever since. In its early years, Rabbi

Baruch Dov Povarsky Rabbi Baruch Dov Povarsky, often referred to as Rabbi Berel Povarsky, is the rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, alongside Rabbi Gershon Edelstein. Biography Rabbi Povarsky was born in 1931 in Kletsk, the son of Rabbi Do ...

, head of the

Ponevezh Yeshiva Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced as Ponevitch Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פוניבז׳), is a yeshiva founded in 1908, and located in Bnei Brak, Israel since 1944. The yeshiva has over three thousand students, including those of affiliated insti ...

, also served alongside him. Rav Asher is known as one of the leading Torah personalities of the generation, impacting thousands around the world through his shiurim, halachic responsa and leadership. His teshuvos and insight are a guiding light to rabbonim and

poskim In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...

all around the globe. In addition to his rigorous daily schedule of learning, teaching advising and writing, Weiss serves as the

for Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center, maintains a

Beis Din A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...

l’Hora’ah, Beis Din Tzedek Darchei Torah, and heads

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); ...

im to help engage with the community and raise the next generation of talmidei chachamim and dayanim in Klal Yisroel. The Keren Hachesed ‘Chasdei Pesia’ helps those in need, including widows, orphans and people struggling with financial hardship or physical illness. The Keren HaChesed provides financial support and other assistance and is under the full supervision of Rav Asher. The Keren was established in memory of his wife, Rebbitzen Pesia Yenta Weiss a”h, whose life was dedicated to helping others. He is the Rosh Kollel of Machon Minchas Osher L’Torah V’Horaah. Rav Asher is well known as the author of the Minchas Osher seforim on Moadim,

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 ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

and responsa. In 2021 he published a volume of the Minchat Asher responsa, which deals with the issues raised by the coronavirus in Israel and its halakhic implications. He is a well known

, and is well known in

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 ...

circles for having traveled to the

with Rabbi

Aharon Leib Shteinman Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman ( he, אהרן יהודה לייב שטינמן), also Shtainman or Steinman (November 3, 1914 – December 12, 2017), was a Haredi rabbi in Bnei Brak, Israel. Following the death of Yosef Shalom Elyashiv in 201 ...

and Rabbi

Yaakov Aryeh Alter Yaakov Aryeh Alter ( pl, Jakub Arie Alter, he, יעקב אריה אלתר, born 18 May 1939) is the eighth, and current, Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he has held since 1996. He lives in Israel, and has followers there and in ...

, the Gerrer

Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

. He also frequently gives classes at American

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

Family

Rabbi Weiss was married to

Rebbetzin Rebbetzin ( yi, רביצין) or Rabbanit ( he, רַבָּנִית) is the title used for the wife of a rabbi—typically among Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic Jews—or for a female Torah scholar or teacher. Etymology The Yiddish word h ...

Pesiah Zalmanowitz, the daughter of Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Zalmanowitz, and together, they had 6 children. Rebbetzin Pesiah died in 2018.

References

External links

Rabbi Aharon Shteinman, The Gerrer Rebbe, and Rav Usher Weiss visit Los Angeles
at

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Audio lectures given by Rabbi Asher WeissHis shiurim, classes and responsa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Osher Hasidic rabbis in Israel Hasidic rosh yeshivas Living people People from Borough Park, Brooklyn Orthodox rabbis 1953 births American emigrants to Israel 21st-century Israeli rabbis