Rabbi Binyomin Paler (; 1908 – August 6, 2000) was a

Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...

and

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 ...

ist who is regarded as one of those who brought the Brisk yeshivas and methods from Europe to the United States. He was considered one of the closest students of Rabbi

Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik (), also known as Velvel Soloveitchik ("Zev" means "wolf" in Hebrew, and "Velvel" is the Diminutive#Yiddish, diminutive of "wolf" in Yiddish language, Yiddish) or the Brisker Rov ("rabbi of/from Brest, Belarus, Br ...

(the Brisker Rov.) He was born in

Brest, Belarus Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk and Brest-on-the-Bug, is a city in south-western Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug (river), Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town. It serves as ...

, then in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, to his father, Rabbi Yitzchok Paler. The family claimed descent from such

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 () ...

authorities as Rabbi

Moses Isserles Moses Isserles (; ; 22 February 1530 / 25 Adar I 5290 – 11 May 1572 / 18 Iyar 5332), also known by the acronym Rema, was an eminent Polish Ashkenazi rabbi, talmudist, and '' posek'' (expert in Jewish law). He is considered the "Maimonides o ...

and Rabbi

Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen (c. 1482 – 12 January 1565) (also, Meir of Padua, or Maharam Padua, ) was a German rabbi born in Katzenelnbogen. Biography Meïr ben Isaac, who was often called after his native town, was the founder of the Katz ...

. Rabbi Yitzchok Paler, a full-time Talmudic scholar, was so well respected in the community of Brest that when the Brisker Rov was not available to serve as a

Sandek A sandek or sandak ( "companion of child", from ) is a person honored at a brit milah in Judaism, traditionally either by holding the baby boy on the knees or thighs when the mohel performs the circumcision or by handing the baby to the mohel. ...

at a

Bris The ''brit milah'' (, , ; "Covenant (religion), covenant of circumcision") or ''bris'' (, ) is Religion and circumcision, the ceremony of circumcision in Judaism and Samaritanism, during which the foreskin is surgically removed. According to t ...

, Rabbi Yitzchok Paler served in that capacity instead. As a child, Rabbi Binyomin Paler gained a reputation as a

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

. He originally learned in the yeshiva in Brisk headed by Moshe Sokolowsky, author of ''Imrei Moshe''. As he matured, he was allowed to join a small circle of select individuals who had the privilege to learn directly with the Brisker Rov. Even during World War II, Rabbi Binyomin Paler did not leave his beloved teacher, the Brisker Rov, rather, he followed the latter to

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

to continue his studies. While learning in Brest, Rabbi Binyomin Paler's study partner was Rabbi

Berel Soloveitchik Berel (Yosef Dov) Soloveichik (; 1915–1981) was a rabbi and the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveichik and one of the leading Rosh Yeshivas ("heads of the yeshiva") of the Brisk yeshivas in Jerusalem. He was a first cousin to Rabbi Joseph B. ...

. The duo learned eight folios of the Talmud every day. Rabbi Paler was reputed to have learned the entire

Nezikin ''Nezikin'' ( ''Neziqin'', "Damages") or ''Seder Nezikin'' (, "The Order of Damages") is the fourth Order of the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). It deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court system. Nezikin co ...

in one winter semester. He was also reputed to have been an expert in the all works of

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

and memorized the latter's works as well as the entire

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemore) is an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah and presented in 63 books. The term is derived from the Aram ...

. Eventually, Rabbi Binyomin Paler joined the Mirrer yeshiva and escaped the horrors of

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

in Europe by finding refuge with the Yeshiva in Shanghai. After the war, Rabbi Binyomin Paler joined his friend Rabbi

Aryeh Leib Malin Aryeh Leib Malin (1906–1962) was a Polish-born American Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, ...

from the Mir in establishing Yeshivas Beis HaTalmud in

Brooklyn, New York 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 ...

. The next year, he was appointed as a lecturer in Yeshivas Chasan Sofer, the yeshiva headed by his father-in-law, Rabbi

Shmuel Ehrenfeld Shmuel Ehrenfeld (, 1891–1980), known as the Mattersdorfer Rav, was a pre-eminent Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jews, Jewish rabbi in pre-war Austria and a respected Torah leader and community builder in post-war America. He established Yeshivas C ...

, the Mattesdorfer

Rov ROV may refer to: *Real options valuation, a financial discipline that uses option valuation techniques to analyse capital budgeting decisions *''Realm of Valor'', Thai-marketed version of multiplayer online video game ''Arena of Valor'' *Remotely ...

. Rabbi Binyomin Paler eventually became the

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...

in his father-in-law's yeshiva. In America, Rabbi Paler was the emissary of the Brisker Rov in terms of funds needed for the various yeshivas in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, especially in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. He also helped transmit the Brisker tradition to America. In 1965 he left Chasan Sofer to open his own yeshiva, Yeshiva Mekor Chaim. The name of his Yeshiva was given by Rabbi

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein (; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moishe Fainshtein''; ; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was a Russian-born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—Jewish law). He has been called ...

to show that Rabbi Binyamin Paler was continuing the Talmudic tradition established by Rabbi Chaim Brisker. In 1976, a high school attached to the yeshiva was opened. Following his death, Rabbi Paler was succeeded as dean of Mekor Chaim by his three sons, Rabbi Yitzchok, Rabbi Simcha Bunim and Rabbi Zecharia. His son-in-law, HaRav Shmuel Abba Olshin, is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Eitz Chaim of Hillside. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/yeshiva-eitz-chaim-of-hillside,270582163/#personnel

References

Sources

Transmitting The Legacy Of Brisk: A Tribute To HaRav Binyomin Paler zt'l
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paler, Binyomin 1908 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American rabbis Rosh yeshivas American Haredi rabbis Lithuanian Haredi rabbis Belarusian Haredi rabbis Rabbis from Brest, Belarus People from Brestsky Uyezd American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Religious leaders from Brooklyn