Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ( he, שלמה זלמן אויערבאך; July 20, 1910 – February 20, 1995) was a renowned

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

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 o ...

, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah 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 ...

. The Jerusalem neighborhood Ramat Shlomo is named after Rabbi Auerbach.

Biography

Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was the first child to be born in the

Sha'arei Hesed Sha'arei Hesed (also Sha'arei Chessed) ( he, שערי חסד, lit. ''Gates of Loving-kindness'') is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem, bordering Rehavia, Nahlaot and Kiryat Wolfson. History One of the founders of the neighborhood was Yoel Mosh ...

neighborhood of

founded by his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Porush, after whom he was named. His father, Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach, was rosh yeshiva of

Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת שער השמים, lit., "Gate of Heaven") is an Ashkenazi yeshiva in Jerusalem dedicated to the study of the kabbalistic teachings of the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria). It is famous for its student body o ...

, and his mother was Rebbetzin Tzivia. By the age of eleven he was proficient in the entire talmudic

tractate A tractate is a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject; the word derives from the Latin ''tractatus'', meaning treatise. One example of its use is in citing a section of the Talmud, when the term ''masekhet'' () is used i ...

of Kiddushin. As a teenager he attended the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was known for his diligence which is illustrated by an event which occurred while he was in yeshiva. On the day the first

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

rolled into Jerusalem along the Jaffa Road, all the students left their studies to marvel at the horse-less wagon. Only young Shlomo Zalman remained in his chair immersed in his studies. Following his marriage, he studied under Rabbi

Zvi Pesach Frank Tzvi Pesach Frank (20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) (Hebrew: הרב צבי פסח פרנק) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960). Biography Frank was born in Kovno, Vilna ...

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); ...

Kerem Tzion which focused on the

laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

of the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isr ...

. He was known as one of the

Charedi 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 opp ...

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

supporters for

Heter Mechira The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah ...

during the

Shmita The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah ...

year. His first major published work, ''Meorei Esh'', was the first ever written on the subject of using electricity on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stori ...

. The work was endorsed by Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski who read it and declared: ''"Or chadash al Tziyon ta'ir"'' — "A new light will shine upon Zion" — a quote from the daily morning prayers. He had a close association with Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, as well as the Chazon Ish and Rabbi

Elazar Menachem Shach Elazar Menachem Man Shach ( he, אלעזר מנחם מן שך, Elazar Shach; January 1, 1899 O.S. – November 2, 2001) was a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi, heading the non-Hasidic ''Litvak'' Orthodox from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

, the two iconic and preeminent leaders of Lithuanian Haredi Judaism of the first and middle segments of the 20th century. He became the pre-eminent halachic decisor of his time in Israel, respected by all streams of Orthodox Judaism. He was unique in his approach to halacha through

thought experiment A thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in which a hypothesis, theory, or principle is laid out for the purpose of thinking through its consequences. History The ancient Greek ''deiknymi'' (), or thought experiment, "was the most anc ...

s. He was the brother-in-law of Rabbi Sholom Schwadron, who married his sister Leah. The two shared a long and close relationship as learning partners and personal friends. Renowned for his lucid classes as Rosh Yeshiva, his thousands of students continue to influence the Torah world today. Auerbach died on February 20, 1995. An estimated 300,000 - 500,000 people attended his funeral in 1995. He was interred on Har HaMenuchot.

Children

Rabbi Auerbach had seven sons and three daughters. His sons are: * Rabbi

Shmuel Auerbach Shmuel Auerbach ( he, שמואל אורבך) (September 21, 1931 – February 24, 2018) was a Haredi rabbi in Jerusalem. Rav Auerbach led a large portion of more radical elements of the non-Hasidic Haredi community. His followers formed a politi ...

(d. 2018), leader of the ''Bnei Torah'' political party * Rabbi Ezriel Auerbach, a son-in-law of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, and the rabbi of Chanichei Hayeshivot in Bayit Vegan * Rabbi Avraham Dov Auerbach (d. 2021), a rabbi in

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...

* Rabbi Mordechai Auerbach, the pulpit rabbi of Avir Ya'akov in

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 G ...

* Rabbi Ya'akov Auerbach, a rabbi in Beit Shemesh * Rabbi Meir Simcha Auerbach, a posek and Rosh Yeshiva in

Betar Illit Beitar Illit ( he, בֵּיתָר עִלִּית; officially Betar Illit; "Illit" is pronounced "ee-leet"; ar, بيتار عيليت) is an Haredi Jewish-Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, sou ...

* Rabbi Baruch Auerbach, publisher of the complete works of Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi, was killed in an automobile accident in 1999. Rabbi Auerbach's daughters: *Rachel, married to Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, a leading posek in Israel *Miriam, married to Rav Treger, living in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

*Malka, married to Rav Bordiansky

Prominent students

*Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, his son-in-law. *Rabbi Meir Kessler *Rabbi

Avigdor Nebenzahl Avigdor Nebenzahl (born 1935) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and Posek. He is the senior rosh yeshiva at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, a faculty member at Yeshivat HaKotel, and rabbi of the Ramban Synagogue. Nebenzahl previously served as rabbi of the Old ...

*Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth *Rabbi Shaye Portnoy, Rosh Yeshiva - Beis Medrash LeTorah (Jerusalem) *Rabbi Michael Yammer, Rosh Yeshiva - Sha'alvim

Works

Sefarim authored by Rabbi Auerbach include: *''Meorei Eish'', a pioneering work concerning

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...

in halacha, (1935) *''Ma'adanei Eretz'', a two-volume book regarding agricultural halacha, (1946) *''Minchas Shlomo'' (

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars ...

), first volume (1986), second volume (2003) *''Minchas Shlomo'', a commentary on the

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 ...

He also authored a commentary on '' Shev Shema'tata'', which itself is a work of novellae on the Talmud by Rabbi Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller. Most of Rabbi Auerbach's halachic rulings were delivered orally and not published formally. However, his rulings on medical halacha were summarized and publicized by Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth in his book '' Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah'', Rabbi Dr. Abraham S. Abraham in his ''Nishmat Avraham'', and Rabbi Dr. Avraham Steinberg in his ''Encyclopedia Hilchatit Refuit''. Rabbi Neuwirth also made many of Rabbi Auerbach's rulings on Hilkhot Shabbat (Shabbat laws) widely known in his bestselling book, which was first published in

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 ...

in 1965 and subsequently rendered into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

References

External links