Mendel Weinbach
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Chona Menachem Mendel (Mendel) Weinbach (; September 24, 1933 – December 11, 2012) was an
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ish
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, educator, author, and speaker. As the co-founder and
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of
Ohr Somayach Ohr Somayach may refer to: * Ohr Somayach (book), commentary by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk **''Ohr Somayach'', common reference to Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk *Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem, a network of yeshivas based in Israel * Ohr Somayach, Monsey, ...
Institutions, a
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-based
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
for newly-observant Jewish men, he was considered one of the fathers of the modern-day
baal teshuva In Judaism, a ''ba'al teshuvah'' (; for a woman, , or ; plural, , , 'owner of return God or his way]') is a Jew who adopts some form of traditional religious observance after having previously followed a Jewish secularism, secular lifestyle or ...
movement.


Early life

Chona Menachem Mendel Weinbach was born in
Kańczuga Kańczuga () is a town in Przeworsk County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, with a population of 3,187 inhabitants on 2 June 2009. The town was an early centre of the Polish automobile industry. Buses based on Fiat 621R and used ...
, Galicia, to Yechezkel Shraga and Tshezye Genendel Weinbach.Marks, Yehudah. "Harav Mendel Weinbach, ''zt"l'', Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Somayach". ''
Hamodia ''Hamodia'' ( – "''the Informer''") is a Jewish daily newspaper, published in Hebrew language, Hebrew-language in Jerusalem and English language, English-language in the United States, as well as weekly English-language editions in England and I ...
'', 13 December 2012, p. A20.
At the age of 4 he immigrated with his parents to America and settled in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. At age 12 he left home to learn in
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. History The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and formal ...
, where he studied under Rabbis
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 ...
and
Gedalia Schorr Gedalyahu HaLevi Schorr (27 November 1910 – 2 July 1979; 7 Tammuz 5739), also known as Gedalia Schorr, was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva. He was called the "first American Gadol" (Torah giant) by Rabbi Aharon Kotler. Rabbi Meir Shapiro, ...
.Heimowitz, Rabbi Yehuda. "The Long Short Road: How Rav Mendel Weinbach ''ztz"l'' led thousands on the journey of a lifetime". ''
Mishpacha ''Mishpacha'' () - Jewish Family Weekly is a Haredi weekly magazine package produced by The Mishpacha Group in both English and Hebrew. History ''Mishpacha'' is one of the four major English-language newspapers and magazines serving the Hared ...
'', December 19, 2012.
He received rabbinic ordination at Torah Vodaath. In 1953 Weinbach was one of 10 Torah Vodaath students recruited by Rabbi Simcha Wasserman to open a
Beth midrash A ''beth midrash'' (, "house of learning"; : ''batei midrash''), also ''beis medrash'' or ''beit midrash'', is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall". It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth knesseth''), althoug ...
in
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to generate interest among parents in Wasserman's proposal to open a mesivta high school in that city.Wolpin, Nisson. "Memories from a Boyhood ''Chaburah''". ''Hamodia'' Israel News, January 3, 2013, p. 21. At the end of the summer, he went to study at
Beis Medrash Elyon Beth Medrash Elyon is a four-year, not-for-profit ''yeshiva'' in Monsey, New York. History In 1943, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz purchased a property in Monsey with the intention to raise the education level of Torah teachers. Named Aish Dos ...
in
Monsey, New York Monsey (, ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. The village of Kaser is surrounded by ...
. In 1960 he married Sylvie (Sheindel) Lamm (b. 1941), a Belgian war orphan who had come to New York at the age of 5. She and her parents, Abraham Israel and Rachel Lamm, had been interned in the
Mechelen transit camp The Mechelen transit camp, officially () in German, also known as the Dossin barracks, was a detention and deportation camp established in a former army barracks at Mechelen in German-occupied Belgium. It served as a point to gather Belgian Je ...
in 1942. She had been liberated on 13 January 1944 and sent to a Jewish
orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
; her parents were
deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...
to
Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
two days later. She was raised by her uncle and aunt in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. In 1962 the couple decided to settle in Israel, becoming one of the first American Orthodox Jewish families to do so. They were one of the first families to settle in the new neighborhood of
Kiryat Mattersdorf Kiryat Mattersdorf () is a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem. It is located on the northern edge of the mountain plateau on which central Jerusalem lies. It is named after Mattersburg (formerly ''Mattersdorf''), a town in Austria with a long Jewis ...
in northern Jerusalem, where they raised 12 children.


Teaching career

In his early years in Israel, Weinbach studied in the Mir yeshiva and opened a
kollel A kollel (also kolel) (, , , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced Torah study, study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features Shiur (Torah), shiurim (lectures) and ...
. He also established yeshivas in
Givat Ada Binyamina-Giv'at Ada () is a local council (Israel), town in the Haifa District in northern Israel. It is the result of the 2003 merger between the two local councils of Binyamina and Giv'at Ada. In 2019 its population was 17,371. Before the me ...
and
Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...
, and became involved with American P'eylim, which was opening yeshivas and
Talmud Torah Talmud Torah (, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew language, H ...
s for new immigrants. He was a member of a group of ''avreichim'' (married Torah students) from the Mir, Brisk,
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
and other yeshivas who volunteered to study with new immigrants who did not fit into regular Israeli yeshivas. Around 1965 Weinbach decided to open a yeshiva for ''baalei teshuva'' together with Rabbi Meir Schuster. Rabbis in the yeshiva, located in the
Talpiot Talpiot (, literally 'turrets' or 'magnificently built') is an Israeli neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, established in 1922 by Zionist pioneers. It was built as a garden suburb on land purchased by the Tel Aviv-based Palestine Land Devel ...
neighborhood of Jerusalem, included Rabbi
Shimshon Dovid Pincus Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus (; August 1944 – April 12, 2001) was an Israeli Haredi Rabbi of American origin, who served in Ofakim. Biography In his early years, Rabbi Pincus learned in Beth Hatalmud Rabbinical College yeshiva in New York ...
and Rabbi
Yoel Schwartz Yoel Schwartz (; 29 September 1939 – 8 September 2022)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 ...
in 1967.


Yeshivas Ohr Somayach

In 1972 Weinbach and Rabbis
Nota Schiller Nota Schiller (; 1937 – March 8, 2025) was an American-born Israeli Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem who was an influential figure in the baal teshuva movement, having guided generations of students wi ...
,
Noah Weinberg Yisrael Noah Weinberg (; February 16, 1930 – February 5, 2009) was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi and the founder of Aish HaTorah. Early life Noah Weinberg was born on the Lower East Side of New York City. His father, Yitzchak Mattisya ...
, and Yaakov Rosenberg established Shema Yisrael Yeshiva to attract young, English-speaking Jewish men with little or no background in Jewish studies. After a few years, Weinberg left the yeshiva over a difference in philosophy and founded
Aish HaTorah Aish, formerly known as Aish HaTorah (Hebrew: אש התורה, lit. "Fire of the Torah"), is a Jewish educational organization. The focus of Aish is the spread of traditional Jewish religious teachings and culture to Jews around the globe, util ...
in 1974. Shema Yisrael subsequently changed its name to Ohr Somayach (after the commentary on the
Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...
written by Rabbi
Meir Simcha of Dvinsk Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (also known as Meir Simcha Ha-Kohen, 1843 – 14 August 1926) was an Orthodox rabbi in the Russian Empire and Latvia. A leader of the Jewish community in Daugavpils, he is known for his writings on Maimonides' Mishneh Tora ...
), in response to critics who contended that the name
Shema Yisrael ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...
belonged to the entire Jewish people rather than a single institution. Weinbach and Schiller continued on as rosh yeshivas, developing the program into a
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 ...
study program with the goal of facilitating the adoption of Orthodox practices among formerly secular Jewish students integrate into Orthodox Jewish communities. Other Torah scholars invited to serve as rosh yeshivas over the years included Rabbi
Dov Schwartzman Dov Schwartzman (; 25 September 1921 – 7 November 2011), also called Berel Schwartzman, was a Russian-born American Haredi Jewish rabbi, educator, Talmudic scholar, and ''rosh yeshiva'' (dean) of Bais Hatalmud, which he founded in the S ...
and Rabbi Aharon Feldman. Weinbach oversaw the growth of Ohr Somayach into different branches, beginning with the 1984 establishment of its Israeli division. Later branches were established in the United States, Canada, England, South Africa and Ukraine. Weinbach also oversaw the development of several successful ''
kiruv Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-Orthodox or non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accor ...
'' initiatives, including the Jewish Learning Exchange (JLE), a summer learning course for young men from overseas; the Ohr Lagolah teacher-training program; and the Mentors Mission, which brings American Jews to Israeli for ''kiruv'' activities. Weinberg taught at Ohr Somayach from its founding in 1970 until his death in 2012.


Other activities

Weinbach delivered a ''shiur'' every
Tisha B'Av Tisha B'Av ( ; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism. A commemoration of a number of disasters in Jewish history, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusal ...
that lasted two to three hours. He also spoke at women's events such as the annual
Shmiras Halashon ''Shmiras Halashon'' (guarding the tongue) is a practice in Judaism that is said to promote the quality of life and help combat and reduce ''Lashon Hara'' (evil tongue). It is a part of Jewish ethics known as ''mussar''. King David once said, "H ...
Rally, and at the Mercaz
Bais Yaakov Bais Yaakov (, also Beis Yaakov, Beit Yaakov, Beth Jacob or Beys Yankev; ) is a genericized name for full-time Haredi Jewish elementary and secondary schools for girls worldwide. Bais Yaakov, started by Sarah Schenirer in post-World War I K ...
high school and seminary in
Geula Geula ( lit. ''Redemption'') is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, populated mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews. Geula is bordered by Zikhron Moshe and Mekor Baruch on the west, the Bukharim neighborhood on the north, Mea Shearim on t ...
, which he co-founded with Rabbi Yeshaya Lieberman. In the 1970s he wrote articles for ''
The Jewish Press ''The Jewish Press'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York City. It serves the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. History The ''Jewish Press'' was co-founded in 1960 by Albert Klass and his brother Sholom Klass. The Klas ...
'' under a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
and also ghostwrote columns for
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...
and Member of
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
Rabbi Menachem Porush.Schiller, Mordechai. "Still Crying Because It Hurts". ''Hamodia'' Israel News, January 3, 2013, pp. A20–21. Later, under his own name, he wrote articles for ''
The Jewish Observer ''The Jewish Observer'' was an American Orthodox Jewish magazine published by the Agudath Israel of America, from 1963 until 2009. It was put on "hiatus" in 2009, with plans to restart once the finances of the magazine, affected by the economic ...
'' and wrote and edited English-language books on a variety of topics, including the
Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...
, Jewish prayer, and the writings of the
Chofetz Chaim The ''Sefer'' ''Chofetz Chaim'' (or ''Chafetz Chaim'' or ''Hafetz Hayim'') (, trans. "Pursuer of Life") is a book by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who is also called "the Chofetz Chaim" after it. The book deals with the Jewish laws of speech. The ...
. Shortly before his death he completed a two-year project, ''The Essential Malbim on Chumash and Nach''. In his last years, Weinbach taught a daily
Daf Yomi ''Daf Yomi'' (, ''Daf Yomi'', "page of the day" or "daily folio") is a daily regimen of learning the Oral Torah and its commentaries (also known as the Gemara), in which each of the 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud is covered in sequence. A ' ...
shiur in Kiryat Mattersdorf. Weinbach was diagnosed with
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
in 2007 but continued to teach, lecture and write as he underwent medical treatment. His health deteriorated several months before his death. On December 11, 2012, the same day that a prayer gathering was to be held at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach on his behalf, he died. He was eulogized in the main synagogue in Kiryat Mattersdorf and at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach. He was buried on Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.


Selected bibliography

* * (ed.) * Second revised edition pub. 1990 by
Targum Press Menucha Publishers is an Orthodox Jewish English-language publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally founded as a distributor for Targum Press, in 2011 after Targum's shutdown. Menucha established itself as an independent publis ...
, * * * * * * * * (ed.) * (ed.)


References


External links


Ohr.edu Online Audio Library: Lectures by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinbach, Mendel 1933 births 2012 deaths 20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem 21st-century rabbis in Jerusalem Haredi rabbis in Israel Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Orthodox Jewish outreach Rabbis of Ohr Somayach Rosh yeshivas American emigrants to Israel Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent 20th-century American rabbis Burials at Har HaMenuchot