Gedaliah Nadel
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Gedaliah Nadel (; 1923–2004) was an influential
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 ...
in Israel's
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 ...
community, and a close disciple of the Chazon Ish. He was one of the heads of Kollel Chazon Ish and was the leading
authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of M ...
of
Jewish Law ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mit ...
in the Chazon Ish neighbourhood of
Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...
. He was an expert in all facets of
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
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 ...
ic knowledge.


Biography

Nadel was born in
Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, to Reuven Heshel and Nechama Nadel. In 1937, at age 14, he immigrated to
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...
with his family, who settled in Balfouria, where his father received a plot of land. As a child, Gedaliah was known for his diligence and devotion to studying
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 () ...
, reportedly studying for up to eighteen consecutive hours. Rabbi Reuven Trop visited the settlement and suggested that Nadel’s father send him to Heichal HaTorah Yeshiva in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. There, under the influence of Rabbi Yehoshua Yagel, he grew close to the Chazon Ish, visiting him weekly on Fridays to discuss learning. The Chazon Ish moulded him into his principal student. After completing his studies at Heichal HaTorah, he joined
Lomza Yeshiva The Lomza Yeshiva () was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Łomża, Poland, founded by Rabbi Eliezer Bentzion Shulevitz in 1883. Rabbi Yechiel Mordechai Gordon served as the yeshiva's rosh yeshiva for many years, and Rabbi Moshe Rosenstain served as t ...
in
Petah Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of the Old Y ...
, where he studied under Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach and became close to him. Rabbi Nadel married Sarah Rachel, daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu Yehoshua Weiner, a disciple of the Chofetz Chaim. After his marriage, Nadel lived in Jerusalem, close to his father-in-law, and developed connections with Rabbi Shimshon Aharon Polonsky and the Brisker Rav. Later, he moved to
Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...
and served as a teacher at Yeshivat Beit Yisrael v'Damasek Eliezer, affiliated with Vizhnitz Hasidism. During the
1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
, Nadel joined the IDF, declaring it a milhemet mitzvah. However, following the Altalena Affair, he deserted, citing concerns over the leadership of the army. He also sought to enlist during the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
. When the Chazon Ish decided to establish a special community of religious devotees, he chose Nadel to lead it. As the leader of the community, such
leaders Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the c ...
as Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (the Steipler) and his son Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, turned to Nadel for decisions. Nadel's house was used as a gathering place for the Rabbinic personalities of his day, such as Shach and the Steipler. After the Chazon Ish's passing, he was appointed Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivat Beit Yisrael v'Damasek Eliezer (the Vishnitz
Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...
yeshiva), but eventually left due to disagreements with the Vizhnitz Rebbe on matters of Hasidism and zealotry. Later, he became a senior instructor at Kollel Chazon Ish, delivering private lessons from his home. Rabbi Nadel's approach emphasized a logical and straightforward interpretation, as espoused by the Chazon Ish. He studied works generally not included in the litvak curriculum, such as Hasidic and philosophical texts. Despite his intellectual freedom, he maintained a radical and zealous stance on community issues. He abstained from voting in Israeli legislative elections and was one of the signatories against the National Service law for women. Nadel would learn
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 ...
'
Guide for the Perplexed ''The Guide for the Perplexed'' (; ; ) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish theology by finding rational explanations for many events in the text. It was written in Judeo-Arabi ...
immediately after praying Shacharis ''vatikin''.B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah, p. ו-ט (Hebrew). In his personal life, Nadel led an austere existence, living in a modest home and avoiding luxuries. He refrained from consuming industrial products, opting instead for homemade food and privately slaughtered meat. It is said he never ate ice cream, which he saw as symbolizing indulgence. He discouraged financial dependence on Torah study, working himself as a winemaker, beekeeper, and contractor, among other trades. His homemade wine became known as "Nadel wine." Nadel’s wife passed away in 1967 due to heart failure, while six months pregnant. The incident, involving an unauthorized autopsy by the Sheba Medical Center, led to widespread protests in Bnei Brak against post-mortem examinations, resulting in the establishment of a government commission of inquiry. Rabbi Nadel was left with nine children, none of whom were married at the time. He inscribed "and left no replacement" on her gravestone, expressing his sense of irreplaceable loss. In the 1970s, he began to delve into philosophical and secular literature, developing unconventional views, such as on Judaism and evolution. He proposed that
Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...
the father of Seth was different from the "Adam" who fathered
Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...
and
Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...
, and accepted the scientific age of the universe, contrary to traditional creationist beliefs."BeTorato Shel Rabbi Gedaliah", p. 112


Family

Nadel had nine children.


Writings

Rabbi Nadel did not publish his writings. His students compiled two volumes titled ''Hiddushei R’ Gedalia'' (Bnei Brak, 2001), and a booklet titled ''Shiurei R’ Gedalia''. After his death, Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat published ''BeTorato Shel R’ Gedalia'' with complete transcriptions of his teachings. The book faced opposition from his family and certain rabbis who were concerned about preserving his legacy. ''B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah'' was banned by three prominent Bnei Barak rabbis because it supported
Darwin's theory of evolution ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sele ...
, including sentences such as: ''B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah'' is a compilation of teachings prepared, which, according to the book, is taken from Nadel's audio recordings and published at his request. It was published by Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat, one of Nadel's main students, and at the personal request of Nadel. In 5772 (or 2010/2011 CE), Sheilat published a new edition. Rabbi Nadel’s son-in-law, Rabbi Dovid Levi, authored several works influenced by Nadel’s teachings, including the "Derech Dovid" series on various Torah topics.


Further reading

* Eliezer Schulman, extensive article on Rabbi Nadel, ''Mishpacha'' magazine, 12 Nisan 5776, pp. 223–229


References


External links


B'Torato Shel Rav Gedaliah
(from http://seri-levi.com/2008/11/13/mito/) * Nathan Slifkin
Part I of Partial Translation of B'Toraso Shel R' Gedaliah
* Nathan Slifkin
Part II of Partial Translation of B'Toraso Shel R' Gedaliah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nadel, Gedaliah 1923 births 2004 deaths Israeli Orthodox rabbis People from Bnei Brak People from Šiauliai Rabbis in Bnei Brak Lithuanian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine