Aryeh Leib Malin
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin was a Rabbi
, Talmud
ist, and Mussarist in both Europe
and America.
Rabbi Malin was born in Białystok. In his early years, Reb Leib learned in Grodno under Rabbi Shimon Shkop
. Later, he learned by Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman
and Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz
. As an older student, Reb Leib learned in the Mir yeshiva
where he gained a reputation as a prototype-follower of lomdus (a type of pilpul
) and a model of mussar. In mussar, Reb Leib is a student of Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz
. Rabbi Yechiel Michel Feinstein
, a son-in-law of the Brisker Rav, said of Reb Leib that he had an ability to totally immerse himself into whatever talmudical tractate was being learned in Mir.
At the request of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva
of Mir, sent a group of his finest scholars to Brisk to hear the Rav's lectures. Among the group that heard the Rav's shiurim on Kodoshim were Reb Leib,Reb Ephraim Mordechai Ginsburg, Reb Yonah Karpilov (Yonas Eilem) and, the Rav's future son-in-law Rabbi Yechiel Michel Feinstein
. During this period, Reb Leib became especially close the Brisker Rav, who took a special liking to Reb Leib. Reb Leib was able to write many of the Brisker Rav's lectures which were later published in stencil form. He also was given special access to manuscripts of Rabbi Chaim Brisker. Rabbi Berel Povarsky of Ponevezh yeshiva
-- who edited and published Reb Leib's writings "Chidushei Reb Aryeh Leib" -- branded his uncle's Torah as "Brisker Torah" meaning that it continues the tradition of Brisk.
In Mir, Reb Leib was part of an elite group of students who attempted to serve as a model for proper behavior and learning. This group was highly respected by the leading posek
, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky and is still fondly remembered by Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg
. In 1941, in the midst of World War II
, Reb Leib rejected an invitation to immigrate to America, extended to him by Rabbi Avraham Kalmanovitz.
Instead, Reb Leib followed the Mir Yeshiva into exile in Shanghai
during the war years.
In this time, he took on many administrative duties in the Yeshiva
. He played a major role in the committee which decided which students of Mir would have the privilege of following the Yeshiva into China
, and which would have to remain behind or move to America.
After the War, Reb Leib moved to America. Immediately upon his immigration to America, he rejected proposals from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
to become Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem
and Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz to become the Rosh Yeshiva of the newly-established Mir in Brooklyn
. Instead, after his marriage to the daughter of Rabbi Dovid Dov Kreuzer (a Talmudist from Klutsk), Reb Leib opted to create a Yeshiva
and Kollel
that was modeled on the pre-war European Mir. He therefore created Beth Hatalmud Rabbinical College
in Brooklyn
which he looked at as a continuation of Volozhin yeshiva
, Slabodka yeshiva
, and Mir yeshiva. In Beis HaTalmud, luxuries (like candy machines and water coolers) were rejected, as they were against the spirit of the Yeshiva.
As rosh yeshiva
of Beis HaTalmud, he upheld standards of Torah
and mussar that were instructive in themselves. One time, he announced that he would deliver a lecture on a certain sugya and then, on the day of the scheduled lecture, he cancelled it. He explained that he had been unable to see the proper desire on the part of the students to hear the lecture.
Despite being busy with the yeshiva's affairs, Reb Leib would still spend hours at home learning Torah and mussar. About nine months before his death, he was injured by a stone thrown at him by a hooligan. On the last day of his life, he was seen in the women's section of the Beth Midrash
, standing with his hands outstretched, deeply immersed in prayer. A student who saw him, who later became a prominent doctor, concluded that Reb Leib was then suffering a heart attack. Later, Reb Leib finally collapsed and fell down after arriving late to a meeting in the house of Rabbi Shabsai Frankel
(who famously re-printed the works of Maimonides
). He was fifty-six years old.
Rabbi Aharon Kotler
said at Reb Leib's funeral that the Jewish communities were deprived of a potential leader for the next generation with Reb Leib's death.
, and is currently used in many present-day yeshivas, especially in matters concerning Kodashim
and Nezikin
, for which the work is famous. Two of Reb Leib's students were Rabbi Mordechai Elefant and Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus
.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ist, and Mussarist in both Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America.
Biography
Shimon Shkop
Shimon Yehuda Hakohen Shkop was a rosh yeshiva in the Yeshiva Shaar Hatorah and in the Telshe yeshiva and a renowned Talmudic scholar. He was born in Torez in 1860. At the age of twelve he went to study in the Mir yeshiva, and at fifteen he went to Volozhin yeshiva where he studied six years...
. Later, he learned by Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman
Elchonon Wasserman
Elchonon Wasserman was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva in pre-World War II Europe. He was one of the Chofetz Chaim's closest disciples and a noted Torah scholar.-Biography:...
and Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz
Baruch Ber Lebowitz
Boruch Ber Leibowitz Boruch Ber Leibowitz Boruch Ber Leibowitz (1864 - November 17, 1939 (5 Kislev, 5700) (Hebrew: ברוך בער ליבוביץ) was a main student of Rabbi Chaim Brisker and was famed for his Talmudic lectures....
. As an older student, Reb Leib learned in the Mir yeshiva
Mir yeshiva (Poland)
The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...
where he gained a reputation as a prototype-follower of lomdus (a type of pilpul
Pilpul
Pilpul refers to a method of studying the Talmud through intense textual analysis in attempts to either explain conceptual differences between various halakhic rulings or to reconcile any apparent contradictions presented from various readings of different texts.Pilpul has entered English as a...
) and a model of mussar. In mussar, Reb Leib is a student of Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz
Yerucham Levovitz
Rabbi Yeruchom Halevi Levovitz , also known by his hundreds of students simply as The Mashgiach, was a famous mashgiach ruchani and baal mussar at the Mir yeshiva in Poland....
. Rabbi Yechiel Michel Feinstein
Yechiel Michel Feinstein
Yechiel Michel Feinstein was a Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva in Israel and the United States.-Biography:He was born to Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Feinstein in the town of Uzda, Lithuania, a town near Minsk, Belarus, then part of the Russian empire...
, a son-in-law of the Brisker Rav, said of Reb Leib that he had an ability to totally immerse himself into whatever talmudical tractate was being learned in Mir.
At the request of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel" - the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....
, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Mir, sent a group of his finest scholars to Brisk to hear the Rav's lectures. Among the group that heard the Rav's shiurim on Kodoshim were Reb Leib,Reb Ephraim Mordechai Ginsburg, Reb Yonah Karpilov (Yonas Eilem) and, the Rav's future son-in-law Rabbi Yechiel Michel Feinstein
Yechiel Michel Feinstein
Yechiel Michel Feinstein was a Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva in Israel and the United States.-Biography:He was born to Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Feinstein in the town of Uzda, Lithuania, a town near Minsk, Belarus, then part of the Russian empire...
. During this period, Reb Leib became especially close the Brisker Rav, who took a special liking to Reb Leib. Reb Leib was able to write many of the Brisker Rav's lectures which were later published in stencil form. He also was given special access to manuscripts of Rabbi Chaim Brisker. Rabbi Berel Povarsky of Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. Donated by Henry Krausher, it was originally established in the town of Panevėžys, Lithuania...
-- who edited and published Reb Leib's writings "Chidushei Reb Aryeh Leib" -- branded his uncle's Torah as "Brisker Torah" meaning that it continues the tradition of Brisk.
In Mir, Reb Leib was part of an elite group of students who attempted to serve as a model for proper behavior and learning. This group was highly respected by the leading posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky and is still fondly remembered by Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg
Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg
Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg is a Polish-born, American-raised Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva who, since 1965, makes his home in the Kiryat Mattersdorf neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. He is the rosh yeshiva of the Torah Ore yeshiva in Kiryat Mattersdorf and Yeshivas Derech Chaim in Brooklyn...
. In 1941, in the midst of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Reb Leib rejected an invitation to immigrate to America, extended to him by Rabbi Avraham Kalmanovitz.
Instead, Reb Leib followed the Mir Yeshiva into exile in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
during the war years.
In this time, he took on many administrative duties in the Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. He played a major role in the committee which decided which students of Mir would have the privilege of following the Yeshiva into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and which would have to remain behind or move to America.
After the War, Reb Leib moved to America. Immediately upon his immigration to America, he rejected proposals from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America during his lifetime...
to become Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem
Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem
Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem, is one of the oldest existent yeshivot in New York City, and is renowned for being the institution led by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein.-Location:The yeshiva has two campuses....
and Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz to become the Rosh Yeshiva of the newly-established Mir in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Instead, after his marriage to the daughter of Rabbi Dovid Dov Kreuzer (a Talmudist from Klutsk), Reb Leib opted to create a Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
and Kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
that was modeled on the pre-war European Mir. He therefore created Beth Hatalmud Rabbinical College
Beth Hatalmud Rabbinical College
Beth Hatalmud Rabbinical College, also known as Bais Hatalmud, is a small and selective Rabbinical college located in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York.-Founding and Mission:...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
which he looked at as a continuation of Volozhin yeshiva
Volozhin yeshiva
The Volozhin Yeshiva, also known as Etz Chaim Yeshiva, was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin, Russia, . It was founded by Rabbi Chaim Itzkovitz, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon, and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders...
, Slabodka yeshiva
Slabodka yeshiva
Hebron Yeshiva, also known as Yeshivas Hevron, or Knesses Yisroel, and originally as Slabodka Yeshiva, is known colloquially as the "mother of yeshivas" and was devoted to high=level study of the Talmud. The yeshiva was located in the Lithuanian town of Slabodka, adjacent to Kovno , now...
, and Mir yeshiva. In Beis HaTalmud, luxuries (like candy machines and water coolers) were rejected, as they were against the spirit of the Yeshiva.
As rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Beis HaTalmud, he upheld standards of Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and mussar that were instructive in themselves. One time, he announced that he would deliver a lecture on a certain sugya and then, on the day of the scheduled lecture, he cancelled it. He explained that he had been unable to see the proper desire on the part of the students to hear the lecture.
Despite being busy with the yeshiva's affairs, Reb Leib would still spend hours at home learning Torah and mussar. About nine months before his death, he was injured by a stone thrown at him by a hooligan. On the last day of his life, he was seen in the women's section of the Beth Midrash
Beth midrash
Beth Midrash refers to a study hall, whether in a synagogue, yeshiva, kollel, or other building. It is distinct from a synagogue, although many synagogues are also used as batei midrash and vice versa....
, standing with his hands outstretched, deeply immersed in prayer. A student who saw him, who later became a prominent doctor, concluded that Reb Leib was then suffering a heart attack. Later, Reb Leib finally collapsed and fell down after arriving late to a meeting in the house of Rabbi Shabsai Frankel
Shabsai Frankel
Rabbi Shabsai Frankel was a successful businessman, philanthropist, and publisher of Torah books.His father, Rabbi Yosef Frankel was a prominent Gerrer Hasid in Poland whose son Alexander married a granddaughter of Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe...
(who famously re-printed the works of Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
). He was fifty-six years old.
Rabbi Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States, where he built Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.- Early life :...
said at Reb Leib's funeral that the Jewish communities were deprived of a potential leader for the next generation with Reb Leib's death.
Works and influences
Reb Leib's main work, Chidushei Rebbi Aryeh Leib, was published posthumously by his nephew. This work is on the entire scope of ShasShas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
, and is currently used in many present-day yeshivas, especially in matters concerning Kodashim
Kodashim
Kodashim or Qodhashim is the fifth Order in the Mishna . Of the six Orders of the Mishna, it is the third longest...
and Nezikin
Nezikin
For Jewish law on damages, see Damages Nezikin or Seder Nezikin is the fourth Order of the Mishna...
, for which the work is famous. Two of Reb Leib's students were Rabbi Mordechai Elefant and Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus
Shimshon Dovid Pincus
Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus was an Israeli Haredi Rabbi of American origin, who served in Ofaqim.-Biography:...
.