Rabbi Elyakim Getzel Rosenblatt (1933March27, 2019) was an American

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

rabbi. He was the founder and ''

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 ...

'' of Yeshiva Kesser Torah in

Kew Gardens Hills, Queens Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. The borders are Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to the west, the Long Island Expressway to the north, Interstate 495 (New York), Union Turnpike to the south ...

Early life

Rosenblatt was born in 1933 in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. His maternal grandfather was Yaakov Aizer Dubrow, the rabbi of Kesher Israel in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He attended Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin for elementary and high school, before going to learn in the

Telshe Yeshiva Telshe Yeshiva (; ; also spelled ''Telz'') is a yeshiva in Wickliffe, Ohio, formerly located in Telšiai, Lithuania. During World War II the yeshiva relocated to Cleveland, Ohio in the United States and is now known as the Rabbinical College of ...

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

and the Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...

. Due to his wanting to dorm, in 1951, at the age of 18, he went to learn in

Beth Medrash Govoha Beth Medrash Govoha (, pronounced: ''Beis Medrash Gavo'ha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Litvishe ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. It was founded by Rabbi Aharon Kotle ...

Lakewood, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and ...

and became a student of

Aharon Kotler Aharon Kotler (February 2, 1892 – November 29, 1962) was a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and in the United States, where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. ...

, whom he served tea to every day. While there, he was appointed the ''veker'' (someone who wakes the students up for the shacharis prayer). Among the students that he woke up every day was

Shmuel Kamenetsky Shmuel Kamenetsky (born November 12, 1924) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the co-founder and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages). Early ...

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach (; January 14, 1925 – October 20, 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was an American rabbi and musician nicknamed "the Singing Rabbi". Although his roots lay in traditional Orthodox yeshivot, he branched out to c ...

was his ''

chavrusa ''Chavrusa'', also spelled ''chavruta'' or ''ḥavruta'' (, lit. "fellowship"; : , ''ḥāḇrāwāṯā''), is a traditional rabbinic approach to Talmudic study in which a small group of students (usually 2–5) analyze, discuss, and debate a ...

'' (study-partner) there for some time. In 1958, he married Trani Rosenblatt, who would one day be referred to by Rosenblatt as "my partner in Torah". Rosenblatt returned to Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim, then located in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York, at the age of 27, and became a student of

Henoch Leibowitz Alter Chanoch Henoch Hakohen Leibowitz (June 2, 1918His date of birth is uncertain, but his passport read June 2, 1918. – April 15, 2008) was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi who was Rosh Yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaK ...

Rabbinic career

Rosenblatt remained in Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim, where he became a ninth grade '' mussar'' (ethics) rebbi. Among his students from Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim are Dovid Harris. Rosenblatt eventually went on to become a rabbi in

Corona, Queens Corona is a neighborhood in the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens in New York City. It borders Flushing, Queens, Flushing and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to the east, Jackson Heights, Queens, Jackson Heights to the west, Forest Hill ...

where he and his wife inspired non-religious Jews, teaching

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 () ...

and hosting them for Shabbos meals. In the 1970s, his students in Corona urged him to open a yeshiva, so Rosenblatt opened Yeshiva Kesser Torah in the Briarwood section of Queens. The yeshiva was named after a ''

sefer Sefer may refer to: * Sefer (Hebrew), a term for a book People with the surname * Franjo Šefer (born 1905), Yugoslav tennis player * Bela Šefer, Yugoslav footballer playing in 1924 People with the forename * Sefer Reis, Turkish privateer and O ...

''. A dorm was added in 1980. In 1994, a rebbi in the yeshiva suggested that they relocate to Kew Garden Hills, where they would be able to attract more people, and a plot was purchased in the center of Kew Gardens Hills' Jewish community. His classes in Yeshiva Kesser Torah were geared toward Jews of all backgrounds and professions. Over 500 of his classes are available for free online. Rosenblatt died on March 27, 2019. His funeral was held at Yeshiva Kesser Torah that same day, and he was buried at the

Beth David Cemetery Beth David Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 300 Elmont Road in Elmont, New York, United States. The cemetery was established in 1917. As of 2012, there were approximately 245,000 burials in the cemetery. Notable interments * Iris Apfel (1 ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

Works

Rosenblatt authored four '' sefarim'' on the Torah, under the name ''Ohr Lenisivasi''. A fifth ''sefer'', based on his '' musar'' teachings, was published after his death, under the same name. Rosenblatt was known to be very musical. It has been said that Aharon Kotler would ask him and two other students in Beth Medrash Govoha to sing at '' shalosh seudos'' (the third Sabbath meal). He composed many songs which are available on his ''Shaar Haneginah'' CDs.

External links

Classes by Rabbi Elyakim Rosenblatt on TorahAnytime

References

{{authority control Orthodox rabbis from New York City 21st-century American rabbis 20th-century American rabbis Rosh yeshivas 2019 deaths 1933 births People from Brownsville, Brooklyn Burials at Beth David Cemetery