Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchak Perr (born 1935) is an American-born rabbi. He is the founder and

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 Yeshiva Derech Ayson ( Yeshiva of Far Rockaway) in

Far Rockaway Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway, Queens, Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 3 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Biography

Yechiel Yitzchak Perr grew up in

South Ozone Park South Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is just north of John F. Kennedy International Airport, between Aqueduct Racetrack to the west and the Van Wyck Expressway to the east. Adj ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, where his father, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Perr served as a rabbi for over 50 years. Rabbi Perr attended high school at Mesivta

Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or ''Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin'' ( he, יְשִׁיבַת רַבֵּינוּ חַיִּים בֶּרלִין) is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York. Chaim Berlin consist ...

. After completing high school, he studied at the

Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia The Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia ( he, פילאדעלפיע ישיבה) is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi Litvish yeshiva in the Overbrook, Philadelphia, Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its rosh yeshiva, heads of school are ...

, and then at Lakewood Yeshiva in

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 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45 ...

under the tutelage of Rabbi

Aharon Kotler Aharon Kotler (1892–1962) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and the United States; the latter being where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. Early life Kotle ...

from 1954 to 1962.Kobre, Eytan. "Not Just a Malach, But a Saraf". ''

Mishpacha ''Mishpacha'' ( he, משפחה, : Family) - Jewish Family Weekly is a Haredi weekly magazine package produced by The Mishpacha Group in both English and Hebrew. History The Mishpacha Publishing Group was founded in 1984 with the publication o ...

'', 14 November 2012, pp. 34–47. Perr married Shoshana Nekritz, daughter of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Nekritz, granddaughter of Rabbi Avraham Yaffen, and great-granddaughter of the Alter of

Novardok Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus. In the Middle A ...

, Rabbi

Yosef Yozel Horwitz Yosef Yozel Horowitz ( he, יוסף יוזל הורוביץ), also Yosef Yoizel Hurwitz, known as the Alter of Novardok (1847–December 9, 1919), was a student of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the Musar movement. Horowitz was also a stud ...

. It was after his marriage that he came into contact with the Novardok tradition. He went on to study at Yeshivat Beis Yosef-Novardok in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

. In 1969, he established the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, which also runs a high school and an accredited rabbinical studies program. A series of his conversations on Mussar are recounted in the following books by Alan Morinis: *''Climbing Jacob's Ladder.'' Broadway, 2002. . *''Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar.'' Trumpeter Books, 2007. .

Published works

*"Reb Yisroel – Who Was He?" '' The Jewish Observer'', June, 1969. *''Tzidkus Stands Forever: The Life and Lessons of Rabbi Menachem M. Perr zt”l'', September, 2011. *''Shoshanas Ha'amakim: Parsha Lessons, Life Lessons'', 2019. *מגילות רות ואסתר עם פירוש שושנת העמקים, ‎2020. A commentary on the books of

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chose ...

and

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

, in Hebrew. *שושנת העמקים על מועדי השנה, ‎2021. Lectures on the festivals, in Hebrew. Additionally, Rabbi Yehuda Keilson published two books, ''Mind Over Man'' and ''Faith Over Fear,'' based on Rabbi Perr's Mussar lectures on ''Madreigas Ha’adam''. On July 20, 2022, David Jemal published ''Choosing Not To Choose'', based on Rabbi Perr's Mussar lectures on the ''Tekufos Ha'Olam'' section of the ''Madreigas Ha'adam''.

References

External links

Rabbi Perr on Parshas Kedoshim
Tzidkus Stands Forever: The Life and Lessons of Rabbi Menachem M. Perr zt"l {{DEFAULTSORT:Perr, Jechiel 1935 births 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Beth Medrash Govoha alumni Living people Musar movement Orthodox rabbis from New York City People from Ozone Park, Queens Jewish American writers American spiritual teachers Rosh yeshivas Novardok Yeshiva alumni