Ephraim Greenblatt (1932–2014) was a

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 ...

and ''

halachic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

'' authority 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 territorie ...

, and at the end of his life in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. He was famous for his many halachic answers and is considered a leading disciple of

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—Je ...

Biography

Greenblatt was born in Jerusalem in 1932 to Rabbi Avraham Baruch and Aliza Greenblatt, the oldest of eleven children. His grandfathers were Yitzchak Greenblatt and Chanoch Birenstock. The former was from Brisk and the latter from Lodz. During his youth in Israel he was member of the Jewish paramilitary organization

Irgun Irgun • Etzel , image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...

. Poverty, being the oldest of 11 children, and a suggestion from his paternal grandfather brought him to America and

Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem ( he, מתיבתא תפארת ירושלים, ) (MTJ) is a yeshiva in New York City, and one of the oldest existent yeshivas in the city. It is the institution formerly led by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, and then led by hi ...

; Greenblatt is considered a ''Talmid Muvhak'' of Rav Feinstein. During this time he also concurrently served as rabbi of a small congregation. In 1952, when Feinstein was asked by the Memphis community to provide someone to help strengthen their community, Greenblatt was sent. He served there for 58 years as a local rabbi,

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; 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, primar ...

Rosh 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); ...

, educator, shochet and

mohel A ( he, מוֹהֵל , Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , arc, מוֹהֲלָא , "circumciser") is a Jew trained in the practice of , the "covenant of circumcision". Etymology The noun ( in Aramaic), meaning "circumciser", is derived fro ...

, at which point he returned to Israel, three years before his death. His return to Israel was caused, at least in part, due to being defrauded by

Bernie Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American fraudster and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth about $64.8 billion. He was at one time chairman of the NASDA ...

Family

His wife Miriam died in 2002. They are survived by two sons, both rabbis, and three daughters. He saw grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Works

* Shailos Uteshuvos Rivevos Ephraim (10 volumes, on

Halacha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

) * Rivevos Ephraim Al Hatorah (2 volumes) * Revivos V’Yovlos (also 2 volumes) * and numerous teshuvos and articles published in Torah journals and other publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenblatt, Ephraim 1932 births 2014 deaths American Haredi rabbis Exponents of Jewish law Burials at Har HaMenuchot Authors of books on Jewish law 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis

Biography

Family

Works

See also

References