Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Sher was the ''
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 ...
'' of the
Slabodka Yeshiva Slabodka yeshiva may refer to:
* Hebron Yeshiva, a branch of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Hebron, relocated afterward to Jerusalem
* Slabodka yeshiva (Bnei Brak), a branch of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak
* Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka)
Yes ...
in Lithuania and
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1752 acres, or 2.74 s ...
. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi
Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka.
Early life
Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Sher was born in
Halusk
Hlusk ( be, Глуск; russian: Глуск, Glusk; pl, Hłusk; ) is an urban-type settlement in the Hlusk District in the Mogilev Region of Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of the Hlusk District, and is home to nearly half of its ...
, Belarus c. 1875 to R' Yosef Chaim and Esther Leah Sher.
After completing ''
cheder
A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.
History
''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...
'', he and other students began attending a class given by Rabbi
Baruch Ber Leibowitz
Boruch Ber Leibowitz ( yi, ברוך בער לייבאוויץ he, רב ברוך דוב ליבוביץ, Boruch Dov Libovitz; 1862 – November 17, 1939, known as Reb Boruch Ber, was a rabbi famed for his Talmudic lectures, particularly in that ...
, who served as the city's rabbi at that time. He then went to study in the
Volozhin Yeshiva
Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim (), commonly called the Volozhin Yeshiva (), was a prestigious Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' located in the town of Volozhin, Russian Empire (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It was founded around 1803 by Rabbi Ḥayyim Volozhiner, a stude ...
under Rabbi
Refael Shapiro
Rabbi Refael Shapiro (1837–1921) was the famed Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin, Russia, (now Valozhyn, Belarus), and a son-in-law of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the ''Netziv'').Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozh ...
. After hearing a lecture from the
Alter of Slabodka
Nosson Tzvi Finkel ( he, נתן צבי פינקל, Sephardic/ Israeli: ''Natan Tzvi''; yi, נָטע הערש, Nota Hirsch; 1849–1927) was an influential Lithuanian Jewish leader of Orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe and founder of the Slabod ...
in
Halusk
Hlusk ( be, Глуск; russian: Глуск, Glusk; pl, Hłusk; ) is an urban-type settlement in the Hlusk District in the Mogilev Region of Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of the Hlusk District, and is home to nearly half of its ...
, Yitzchak Isaac was inspired and joined his yeshiva in
Slabodka,
Yeshiva Knesses Yisrael, where he studied with
Avraham Grodzinski Avraham Grodzinski (c. 1884 - July 13, 1944) was a rabbi who served as the mashgiach ruchani (spiritual supervisor) of the Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. He is best known for being the primary disciple of Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka ...
(later a ''
mashgiach ruchani
A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...
'' in the yeshiva).
In 1903, Rabbi Sher married Maryasha Gittel Finkel, a daughter of the Alter of Slabodka. The couple moved to
Kelmė
Kelmė (; is a city in northwestern Lithuania, a historical region of Samogitia. It has a population of 8,206 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė district municipality.
History
Kelmė's name may come from the Lithuanian ''kelmynės'' ...
where he developed a close relationship with Rabbi
Simcha Zissel Ziv
Simcha Zissel Ziv Broida ( he, שמחה זיסל זיו; 1824–1898), also known as Simhah Zissel Ziv or the ''Alter of Kelm'' (the Elder of Kelm), was one of the foremost students of Yisrael Salanter and one of the early leaders of the Musar ...
(the ''Alter of Kelm'').
He studied for a short time in the
Mir Yeshiva, which was led by his wife's brother, Rabbi
Eliezer Yehudah Finkel.
[
]
Early teaching career
Rabbi Sher soon returned to Slabodka, and in 1911, he was given a teaching position in his father-in-law's yeshiva.[ Aside from only giving his students a class on '']Gemara
The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishna ...
'', he also gave them ''mussar'' (rebuke to improve their character). This was the first time that a teacher in the Slabodka Yeshiva fulfilled these two roles. The Alter appointed him to this position to show the students that studying Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "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. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
as well as ''mussar'' do not conflict with each other.[ (Both in 1897 and in 1904, there were uprisings of students against the study of mussar in the yeshiva).] He stayed with the yeshiva throughout their travels during World War I, to Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...
and Kremenchug
Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro River. The city serves as the administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (district) in Poltava Oblast (pro ...
.[
]
Slabodka Kollel
In 1921, the Alter founded the Beis Yisrael 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); ...
(commonly referred to as the "Slabodka Kollel"), and Rabbi Sher became the ''rosh kollel'' (head of the ''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); ...
''). The top students from the Slabodka Yeshiva were chosen to join the ''kollel'', including Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz
Dovid Leibowitz (1887–1941) was a leading rabbi and disciple of prewar Europe's Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania, who went on to found the Rabbinical Seminary of America, better known today as " Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen" or the ''"Ch ...
; his brother Rabbi Moshe Leibowitz; Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky
Yaakov Kamenetsky (February 28, 1891 – March 10, 1986), was a prominent rabbi, rosh yeshiva, ''posek'' and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community.
Biography
Yaakov Kamenetsky was born at a folwark called Kalyskovka owned b ...
, future ''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 ...
'' in Torah Vodaath
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary ) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
History
The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and fo ...
; the three teachers of Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael (the Slabodka Yeshiva's preparatory school) Rabbi Yechezkel Burstein, Rabbi Yosef Farber, and Rabbi Yitzchak Baruchson; and others. Rabbi David Rappoport
Rabbi David HaKohen Rappoport ( he, רב דוד הכהן רפפורט) (1890 – September 23, 1941) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Baranovich, Belarus (then part of Poland). He is known for leading Yeshiva Ohel Torah in Baranovich along ...
, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman
Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman (Shushan Purim 1900, Daŭhinava - July 11, 1987) was a prominent Talmudic scholar and rabbi who founded and served as ''rosh yeshiva'' (yeshiva head) of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore.
Early life
Ruderman was born ...
, and Rabbi Shabsi Vernokovsky (son-in-law of Rabbi Ber Hersh Heller) were among the members who joined the ''kollel'' later.[
It was during Rabbi Sher's time as ''rosh kollel'' that he began writing his '' sefer'', Beis Yisrael.][ The ''kollel'' would later merge with the Kovno Kollel.
]
Rosh Yeshiva
Between 1925 and 1928, much of the Slabodka Yeshiva relocated Relocated may refer to:
* ''Relocated'' (album), 2006 album by Camouflage
*'' Red vs. Blue: Relocated'', 2009 television miniseries
*"The Relocated", Inuit of the High Arctic relocation
The High Arctic relocation (french: La délocalisation du ...
to Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies Above mean sea level, above sea level. The second-lar ...
in Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
, including the ''rosh yeshiva'' Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein
Moshe Mordechai Epstein (1866–1933) was rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Knesseth Yisrael in Slabodka, Lithuania and is recognized as having been one of the leading Talmudists of the twentieth century. He is also one of the founders of the city of Ha ...
. Rabbi Sher was then appointed ''rosh yeshiva'' while Rabbi Ber Hersh Heller continued to serve as ''mashgiach ruchani
A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...
'', alongside his son-in-law Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski Avraham Grodzinski (c. 1884 - July 13, 1944) was a rabbi who served as the mashgiach ruchani (spiritual supervisor) of the Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. He is best known for being the primary disciple of Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka ...
. As ''rosh yeshiva'', the financial burden of the institution fell on him, and Rabbi Sher therefore traveled to America several times to raise funds for the yeshiva.[
]
World War II
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Rabbi Sher, who was in poor health, had gone to a spa in Switzerland, and was therefore spared from the Nazi killings that left thousands murdered in Kaunas
Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Tra ...
and Slabodka, including Rabbi Grodzinski and the students of the yeshiva. During the war, he moved to Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, where the Chevron Yeshiva
Hebron Yeshiva, also known as ''Yeshivas Hevron'', or Knesses Yisroel, is a yeshiva devoted to high-level study of the Talmud. It originated in 1924 when the roshei yeshiva and 150 students of the Slabodka Yeshiva, known colloquially as the "mother ...
had since moved to.[
]
Bnei Brak
In 1947, at the advice of the Chazon Ish
Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish () after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his ...
, Rabbi Sher reestablished the European branch of Slabodka in Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1752 acres, or 2.74 s ...
, together with his son-in-law Rabbi Mordechai Shulman. He was also part of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (, "Council of great Torah ages) is the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah movements in Israel; and of Agudath Israel of America in the United States. Members are usually pre ...
in Israel and authored the '' sefer'' ''Avraham Avinu''.[
On February 6, 1952, Rabbi Sher died, after suffering a heart attack. At his funeral, which was attended by thousands of people, eulogies were given by Rabbi ]Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman
Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886–1969), he, יוסף שלמה כהנמן, yi, יוסף שלמה כהנעמאן, known also as Ponevezher Rav, was an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva. He was a renowned Torah and Talmudic s ...
and Rabbi Elya Lopian
Eliyahu Lopian (1876 – 21 September 1970), known as Reb Elyah, was a leading rabbi of the Mussar Movement. As a disciple of the Kelm Talmud Torah method, he was known for his strictness with respect to order and self-control.
Biography
Elya ...
.[ His grandson-in-law is Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, current Slabodka ''rosh yeshiva'' in Bnei Brak.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sher, Yitzchak Isaac
Lithuanian Orthodox rabbis
Rabbis in Bnei Brak
Rosh yeshivas
Academic staff of Slabodka yeshiva
Slabodka yeshiva alumni
1870s births
1952 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Writers of Musar literature
Orthodox rabbis in Mandatory Palestine
People from Hlusk District
Israeli Orthodox rabbis
20th-century Lithuanian rabbis