Yitzchok Shlomo Zilberman (; 30 April 1929 – 13 March 2001) was an Israeli

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 ...

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 ...

and educator, pioneer of the

Zilberman Method The Zilberman Method is a system of teaching the Torah to young students, pioneered by Jerusalem rabbi Yitzchak Shlomo Zilberman, that emphasizes rote learning of the text, while leaving the more advanced study of Talmud to older students. Schoo ...

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's Sifrei kodesh, religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the ''mi ...

. He founded

Yeshivat Aderet Eliyahu Yeshivat Aderet Eliyahu (, commonly referred to as "Zilberman's") is a Haredi Lithuanian-style educational institution located in the Old City of Jerusalem. If follows the teachings of the Vilna Gaon and utilises the Zilberman Method, a unique pe ...

, part of a community that follows the path of the

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...

Early life

Yitzchok Shlomo Zilberman was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

to Rabbi Dr. Avraham Moshe Zilberman, translator of the

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and Rivka, née Levy. His mother died when he was 3 years old, and he was raised by his father."Rav Yitzchok Shlomo Zilberman: The Zilberman Derech -Charting a New-Old Path"
''The Jewish Eye'' In 1934, in response to the coming to power of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, Zilberman escaped with his father, brother, and sister to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1939, after his father died, Zilberman caught the last boat leaving England for

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

before the war halted sea traffic, and he made ''

aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

''. He went to live with his uncle Yaakov Levy in

Rehavia Rehavia or Rechavia (, ) is an upscale neighbourhood in Jerusalem. It is bordered by Nachlaot and Sha'arei Hesed to the north, Talbiya and Kiryat Shmuel, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmuel to the south, and the Valley of the Cross to the west. Rehavia was ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, the director of the labor ward at

Bikur Cholim Hospital Bikur Cholim Hospital () was a 200-bed general hospital in West Jerusalem, established in the 19th century and closed around 2020. Until then, it was the oldest hospital in the country still operating. Bikur Cholim had obstetrics and cardiac depa ...

. He studied at the Horev Yeshiva, and continued his education at

Kol Torah Kol Torah is a yeshiva in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem. History Yeshivas Kol Torah was founded in 1939 by Yechiel Michel Schlesinger (1898–1948), born in Hamburg, Germany and Boruch Kunstadt, a dayan from Fulda, Germany. It w ...

under the watchful eye of Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Michel Schlesinger. He later went on to study in the Mir Yeshiva. Lacking the guidance of a father figure, Zilberman struggled in his youth to find an appropriate spiritual path within

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...

to which he could relate. He first experimented with

Hasidic Judaism Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ...

, in particular

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

and

Breslov Breslov (also Bratslav and Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous relationship with ...

, before eventually adopting the stance of the

Perushim The ''perushim'' () were Jewish disciples of the Vilna Gaon, Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, who left Lithuania at the beginning of the 19th century to settle in the Land of Israel, which was then part of Ottoman Syria. They were from the section o ...

of the

Sha'arei Hesed Sha'arei Hesed (also Sha'arei Chessed) (, lit. ''Gates of Loving-kindness'') is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem, bordering Rehavia, Nahlaot and Kiryat Wolfson. History One of the founders of the neighborhood was Yoel Moshe Salomon, who al ...

neighbourhood, followers of the

Educator

Zilberman began his teaching career as a tester at Kolel Shomrei HaChomos. In the 1960s, he was instrumental in founding the Kaminetz and Hadar Zion

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, but his maverick teaching style caused him difficulties, which ultimately led to a parting of ways with those institutions. During this time, Zilberman became active as a ''

sofer A sofer, sopher, sofer SeTaM, or sofer ST"M (, "scribe"; plural , ) is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Sifrei Kodesh (holy scrolls), tefillin (phylacteries), Mezuzah, mezuzot (ST"M, , is an abbreviation of these three terms) and other religio ...

'', in order to avoid deriving benefit from Torah scholarship.

Zilberman Method

In the beginning of the 1980s, after having had limited success with incorporating his teaching style in existing institutions, Zilberman founded, with the help of his sons,

, in the northern part of the

Jewish Quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

of Jerusalem. The school, also known as "Zilberman's

Cheder A ''cheder'' (, lit. 'room'; Yiddish pronunciation: ''khéyder'') 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 century. L ...

", adopted its founder's method, and became an inspiration for many of his students, who later branched out all over the country founding schools with the same teaching approach. The Zilberman Method was not a new innovation, but rather a return to an ancient form of

elucidated in the

Mishna The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

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 ...

, and favoured by both the

Maharal Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; 1512 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi Loew'), was an i ...

and the Vilna Gaon. In ''

Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avot (; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth'', also ''Abhoth''), which translates into English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from Rabbinic Jewish ...

'' 5 it states, "A 5-year-old earnsthe Torah, a ten-year old earnsthe Mishna, a 15-year-old earnsthe Talmud." In

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

63a it states, "A man should recite, and only later expound." This is in contrast to standard procedure in the Torah world, where intense scrutiny of the text at a relatively young age is favoured over the covering and committing to memory of vast amounts of material. Zilberman also instituted that school sessions be continued on

and

Jewish holidays Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...

, albeit at a reduced schedule. Zilberman's life work was favoured by

Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (; July 20, 1910 – February 20, 1995) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem neighborhood Ramat Shlomo is named after Auerbach. Biography Auerbach was ...

and the Tchebiner Rav. Zilberman kept the practice of donning his ''

tefilin Tefillin (Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazic pronunciation: ; Modern Hebrew pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Tefillin ...

'' all day, and so encouraged his students. In normative practice, the tefilin are removed after

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning '' tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ''Shacharit''. E ...

. Zilberman was one of the first rabbis to promote the usage of ''

tekhelet ''Tekhelet'' ( ''təḵēleṯ''; also transliterated ''tekheleth'', ''t'chelet'', ''techelet'', and ''techeiles'') is a highly valued blue dye that held great significance in history of the Mediterranean region, ancient Mediterranean civil ...

'', and encouraged his students and family to make use of the dye in their ''

tzitzit ''Tzitzit'' ( ''ṣīṣīṯ'', ; plural ''ṣīṣiyyōṯ'', Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazi: '; and Samaritan Hebrew, Samaritan: ') are specially knotted ritual Fringe (trim), fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by o ...

''. He encouraged his students to get married young, based upon a teaching in

Pirkei Avot Pirkei Avot (; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth'', also ''Abhoth''), which translates into English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from Rabbinic Jewis ...

Chapter 5.

Family

Zilberman married Sheindel, the daughter of Yom Tov Zlotnick of

, who bore him 9 sons and 9 daughters. All of his sons and sons-in-law are involved in Torah education. Zilberman's daughter Rachel Weiss and her three sons were killed in the

Jericho bus firebombing The Jericho bus firebombing was a Palestinian terrorist attack that occurred during the First Intifada outside the West Bank town of Jericho. In the attack, a bus was targeted by militants wielding molotov cocktails, and destroyed. It resulted i ...

. In 1991, Zilberman moved to the Jewish Quarter, to be in close proximity to his institutions. One year later, his wife died. He remarried in 1998. Zilberman died in 2001 after contracting an illness. He was buried in the

Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives () is the oldest and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives had been a traditional Hebrew/Jewish burial location in antiquity. The present-day main cemetery is approximately fiv ...

Legacy

There are approximately 20 Torah institutions throughout Israel that adhere to Zilberman's teaching principles, and 3 internationally. Zilberman was the rabbi who influenced Israeli comedian

Uri Zohar Uri Zohar ( ; 4 November 1935 – 2 June 2022) was an Israeli film director, actor and comedian who left the entertainment world to become an orthodox rabbi. Biography Uri Zohar was born in Tel Aviv. His parents were History of the Jews, Polis ...

to become a ''

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 ...

'' (returnee to Judaism). Zohar would go on to have an enormous impact on a generation of spiritually ambivalent Israeli Jews. Another student,

Yitzhak Pindrus Yitzhak Ze'ev Pindrus (; born 20 July 1971) is an Israeli politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for United Torah Judaism. Biography Pindrus is the eldest son of American immigrants Moshe and Zelda, who moved to Israel and sett ...

, is a politician affiliated with the

United Torah Judaism United Torah Judaism (, ''Yahadut HaTora'') is a Haredi, religious conservative political alliance in Israel. The alliance, consisting of Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah, was first formed in 1992, in order to maximize Ashkenazi Haredi repr ...

party. In March 2010, students from Zilberman's yeshiva in the Jewish Quarter were tasked with running the day-to-day operations of the newly reconstructed

Hurva Synagogue The Hurva Synagogue (), also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid (), is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was originally founded in the early 18th century by fol ...

. In June 2010, some of those students, known as ''Zilbermanim'', were accused of causing difficulties for tourists wishing to gain access to the synagogue.Selig, Abe (6 June 2010
"Haredi Students Have Seized Control of Hurva Synagogue"
''The Jerusalem Post''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zilberman, Yitzchak Shlomo 1929 births 2001 deaths 20th-century educational theorists 20th-century Israeli educators 20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Israeli educational theorists Jewish educators Clergy from Berlin Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine Haredi rabbis in Israel Orthodox Jewish outreach Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom