Baruch Taub
Encyclopedia
Baruch Alter HaCohen Taub is the founding rabbi and Rabbi Emeritus of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto
Congregation (BAYT), the largest Orthodox
congregation in Canada. He also served as the de facto chief rabbi
of Vaughan
, Ontario
, and is the former National Director of NCSY. He currently lives in Netanya
, Israel.
.
He became National Director of NCSY in 1976, following the departure of Rabbi Pinchas Stolper
to become Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union
. He served in this post until 1980, when he left to become the spiritual leader of the BAYT Congregation.
His selection as founding rabbi of the BAYT Congregation came about through his introduction to Canadian philanthropist Joseph Tannenbaum by Rabbi Nota Schiller
of Yeshivat Ohr Somayach
. Tannenbaum was interested in starting a synagogue in northern Toronto, and Schiller introduced him to the dynamic Ner Yisroel graduate then living in New York with his wife and five children. Rabbi Taub started the BAYT Congregation in his living room with 13 families in 1980, and continued shepherding it as the sole rabbi. By the time of his retirement in 2010, the congregation had grown to 600 to 700 families, making it the largest Orthodox congregation in Canada.
Rabbi Taub is a noted speaker on Orthodox Jewish outreach
and the teshuva movement
. He delivered the keynote speech to the 1996 AJOP
Convention on the subject "The Teshuvah Movement: The next generation". During his tenure as Rabbi of BAYT, he spoke at Israel solidarity
rallies and led his congregation on annual solidarity missions to Israel.
, Israel – BAYT's twin city – in November 2002.
Rabbi Taub and his second wife, Malkah, made aliyah
to Netanya, Israel, in December 2010.
His son Moshe has been the rabbi of Young Israel of Greater Buffalo since September 2003 and is the supervising rabbi of the Vaad Hakashrut (Kosher-Supervising Board) of Buffalo, New York
. Another son, Shimon, is a Torah scholar and author of The Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser: A comprehensive guide, published by ArtScroll
.
Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto
Beth Avraham Yosef of Toronto is a synagogue in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto, and is one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in North America. It emphasizes family values and attracts Jews from a variety of religious backgrounds with what it calls the "warmth of Torah tradition"...
Congregation (BAYT), the largest Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
congregation in Canada. He also served as the de facto chief rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Vaughan
Vaughan
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and is the former National Director of NCSY. He currently lives in Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
, Israel.
Biography
Rabbi Taub received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Baltimore, MD. He holds a Master's degree from Loyola College of Maryland and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the Maimonides College of OntarioMaimonides Schools for Jewish Studies
Maimonides Schools for Jewish Studies is a degree-granting institution invested with university powers operating pursuant to an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario 1968-69. The school is classified as a privately funded Ontario institution with authority to grant...
.
He became National Director of NCSY in 1976, following the departure of Rabbi Pinchas Stolper
Pinchas Stolper
Pinchas A. Stolper is an Orthodox rabbi, writer, and has been a spokesman for Orthodoxy through his writings and books popularizing Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
to become Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union
Orthodox Union
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , more popularly known as the Orthodox Union , is one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It is best known for its kosher food preparation supervision service...
. He served in this post until 1980, when he left to become the spiritual leader of the BAYT Congregation.
His selection as founding rabbi of the BAYT Congregation came about through his introduction to Canadian philanthropist Joseph Tannenbaum by Rabbi Nota Schiller
Nota Schiller
Nota Schiller is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem, together with Rabbi Mendel Weinbach. He is an influential figure in the baal teshuva movement, having guided generations of students with little or no Jewish background to master the classical...
of Yeshivat Ohr Somayach
Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem
Ohr Somayach was founded in 1970. It is a yeshiva based in Jerusalem, Israel, catering mostly to young Jewish men, usually of college age, who are already interested in learning about Judaism...
. Tannenbaum was interested in starting a synagogue in northern Toronto, and Schiller introduced him to the dynamic Ner Yisroel graduate then living in New York with his wife and five children. Rabbi Taub started the BAYT Congregation in his living room with 13 families in 1980, and continued shepherding it as the sole rabbi. By the time of his retirement in 2010, the congregation had grown to 600 to 700 families, making it the largest Orthodox congregation in Canada.
Rabbi Taub is a noted speaker on Orthodox Jewish outreach
Orthodox Judaism outreach
Orthodox Jewish outreach commonly referred to as Kiruv or Keruv , is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-Orthodox Jews to believe in God, engage in Torah study, and practice the Mitzvot in the hope that they will live according to Orthodox Jewish law...
and the teshuva movement
Baal teshuva
Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah , sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jew who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "repentant", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God...
. He delivered the keynote speech to the 1996 AJOP
Association for Jewish Outreach Programs
The Association for Jewish Outreach Programs also known by its abbreviation AJOP The Association for Jewish Outreach Programs also known by its abbreviation AJOP The Association for Jewish Outreach Programs also known by its abbreviation AJOP (originally officially called the Association for Jewish...
Convention on the subject "The Teshuvah Movement: The next generation". During his tenure as Rabbi of BAYT, he spoke at Israel solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity is a Polish trade union federation that emerged on August 31, 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa. It was the first non-communist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. Solidarity reached 9.5 million members before its September 1981 congress...
rallies and led his congregation on annual solidarity missions to Israel.
Personal
Rabbi Taub's first wife, Judy Blustein, died in October 2001. A guidance centre was dedicated in her memory in Beit ElBeit El
Beit El is an Israeli settlement and a local council in the Benjamin region of the central West Bank, within the borders of the Matte Binyamin Regional Council. The religiously observant town is located in the hills north of Jerusalem east of the Palestinian city of al-Bireh. In 2009, it had a...
, Israel – BAYT's twin city – in November 2002.
Rabbi Taub and his second wife, Malkah, made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Netanya, Israel, in December 2010.
His son Moshe has been the rabbi of Young Israel of Greater Buffalo since September 2003 and is the supervising rabbi of the Vaad Hakashrut (Kosher-Supervising Board) of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. Another son, Shimon, is a Torah scholar and author of The Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser: A comprehensive guide, published by ArtScroll
ArtScroll
ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York...
.
Selected bibliography
- Preface to Kaplan, Aryeh. The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology: Illuminating expositions on Jewish thought and practice by a revered teacher. Mesorah Publications Ltd.ArtScrollArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York...
, 1991, pp. 15–16. ISBN 0899068669. - "Parashat Balak" in Torah insights: Divrei Torah on the Parshiot Hashavua by leading rabbis and teachers, Bertram Leff and Yisrael Epstein, eds. Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 2000, pp. 245–246. ISBN 157819542X.