Baruch Epstein or Baruch ha-Levi Epstein (1860–1941) () was an

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

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 of t ...

, best known for his '' Torah Temimah'' commentary on the

Torah The Torah ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

. He was the son of Rabbi

Yechiel Michel Epstein Yechiel Michel ha-Levi Epstein () (24 January 1829 – 25 March 1908), often called "the ''Aruch haShulchan''" after his magnum opus, '' Aruch HaShulchan'', was a Rabbi and ''posek'' (authority in Jewish law) in Lithuania. Biography Yechiel Mi ...

, rabbi of Novarodok and author of the work '' Arukh HaShulkhan''.

Biography

Epstein grew up in Novarodok, where his father was the communal rabbi, but moved to the city of

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

after his marriage to the daughter of Rabbi Elazar Moshe Horowitz, and lived there until his death, apart from a period from 1923 to 1926, which he spent in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

looking (unsuccessfully) for a rabbinic position. During this period he served as the first ''menahel'' (director) of Ezras Torah from around 1924 until he was succeeded by Rav Henkin around the year 1925. Although Epstein was a bookkeeper by profession, he had been a student at the Volozhin Yeshiva under his uncle Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (who became his brother-in-law after being widowed and remarrying Epstein's sister). Epstein authored a number of popular and scholarly works which are still used widely. Epstein died of natural causes in the Jewish hospital when Pinsk was under Nazi occupation.

Works

* '' Torah Temimah'' ("The Perfect Torah", a reference to Psalms 19:8) - a commentary on the

and the

Five Megillot The Five Scrolls or the Five Megillot ( , ''Hamesh Megillot'' or ''Chomeish Megillos'') are parts of the Ketuvim ("Writings"), the third major section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). The Five Scrolls are the Song of Songs, the Book of Ruth, the Bo ...

citing all quotes of a particular verse in the

Oral Torah According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law () are statutes and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah (), and which are regarded by Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jews as prescriptive ...

(

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

), and giving textual explanations. * ''Baruch she-Amar'' ("Praised He Who Spoke", a reference to the opening paragraph of the Verses of Praise, daily morning prayers) - Multiple volumes, including a commentary on the

siddur A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...

(Jewish prayerbook), Passover Haggadah and Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers). * ''Mekor Baruch'' ("Source of Blessing") - autobiographical work with notes on life in the Volozhin ''yeshiva'' and his uncle. Selections were translated as " My Uncle the Netziv". * ''Mekor Baruch''- on the Jerusalem Talmud * ''Tosefet Beracha'' ("Added Blessing") - novellae on the

References

Great Leaders of our People: Rabbi Baruch HaLevi Epstein
*My Uncle the Netziv, Mesorah Publications Ltd,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 1988. .

External links

English translation of Tosefet Beracha (selections)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Baruch 1860 births 1941 deaths Haredi rabbis in Europe Levites Bible commentators Volozhin Yeshiva alumni