Zelik Epstein, also known as Zelig Epstein (full name Aharon Zelig Epstein) (July 10, 1914 – August 3, 2009), was a prominent Orthodox

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

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

of Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah-Grodno, a private

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 ...

ical institution in

Kew Gardens, Queens Kew Gardens is a neighborhood in the central area of the New York City borough of Queens. Kew Gardens is bounded to the north by the Union Turnpike and the Jackie Robinson Parkway, to the east by the Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to ...

, New York, containing a high school, Beis Midrash, and

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 ...

. Epstein was considered by many to be the last of the Gedolim of his generation.

Biography

Rabbi Epstein was born in

Slonim Slonim is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa (river), Isa rivers, southeast of Grodno. As of 2025, it has a population of ...

, Belarus, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, on July 10, 1912. He studied in

Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

, and escaped with the yeshiva to

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

during World War II. After the war, he and other refugees traveled to Canada, and en route to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, stopped in Toronto, where he met Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, then a rabbi in Toronto. Rabbi Kamenetsky was impressed by him and later called him back to Toronto where he was given a teaching position in the Talmud Torah and yeshiva. When Rabbi Kamenetsky moved to New York and was appointed ''rosh yeshiva'' of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, Rabbi Epstein followed and became a teacher there as well. The two rabbis shared maintained a close relationship, with Rabbi Epstein's wedding taking place in the Kamenetsky home. After leaving Torah Vodaath, he was appointed rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah- Grodno in Queens, named for the yeshiva in Grodno of his wife's grandfather, Rabbi Shimon Shkop. Epstein maintained a relatively low profile – for example, he did not join the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, despite numerous invitations. His non-membership in the Moetzes, however, was a mere formality, as he still served as the address of last resort for many of the thorniest problems facing Klal Yisrael. His approbation was sought (and received) for a number of major projects, such as the Schottenstein edition of both the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi of which he was a big supporter of. He is known to have been a close confidant of several gedolei hador of the previous generation, including Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky and Rav Elazar Shach. Epstein married a granddaughter of Shimon Shkop, rosh yeshiva of the original Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah-Grodno. He had two children, a son named Kalman and a daughter named Elka. His son and successor, See
/ref> Rabbi Kalman Epstein, a Torah scholar in his own right, gives the highest level shiur in the Yeshiva. The lower level post High school lecture was given by Rabbi Shalom Spitz, and now as of 2021 given by Rabbi Zelik's grandson, Rabbi Kalman's son. In his later years, Epstein gave only one lecture a week, on

Sefer Hamitzvot ''Sefer Hamitzvot'' ("Book of Commandments", ; ) is a work by the 12th-century rabbi, philosopher, and physician, Moses Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "''Sefer Hamitzvot''" without a modifier refers ...

, written by Maimonidies. His son also assisted his father in running the Yeshiva due to the latter's advanced age. Epstein supported Nathan Kamenetsky and his book Making of a Godol, stating in a letter to Yosef Sholom Eliashiv that "in my opinion there is no justification whatsoever to ban the aforementioned book."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Zelik 1914 births 2009 deaths Rosh yeshivas American Haredi rabbis Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Mir Yeshiva alumni