Berel Wein
Encyclopedia
Berel Wein is an American
-born Orthodox
rabbi
, scholar, lecturer, and writer. He is regarded as an expert on Jewish history
and has popularized the subject through more than 1,000 audio tapes, a four-volume book series, newspaper articles and international lectures. Throughout his career, he has retained personal and ideological ties to both Modern Orthodox
and Haredi
Judaism
.
to a family descended from Lithuanian
rabbis. His father, Zev, emigrated to the United States and served as a Rabbi in Chicago until the 1970s.
Wein received semicha
(rabbinic ordination) from Hebrew Theological College
, which was founded by his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Rubinstein. His main teacher
was Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth
and his personal mentors there included Rabbis Mordechai Rogow and Yisrael Mendel Kaplan
. He was a student of the late Rabbi Oscar Z. Fasman in Chicago, and spoke at the latter's funeral http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5764/VYT64arfasman.htm.
He received a Bachelor's degree
from Roosevelt University
in Chicago and earned a law degree from De Paul University. After passing the Illinois
Bar he practiced as an attorney in Chicago for a number of years.
In 1955 he married Yocheved (Jackie) Levin, who had been born in Vaskai
, Lithuania
in 1934 and had emigrated to Detroit with her parents at the age of 4. Jackie's father, Rabbi Eliezer Levin, served as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Tefiloh Emanuel and led the triumvirate of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis (COR) of Greater Detroit, in that city, for over 60 years. The couple settled in Chicago, where their four children—Miriam, Dinah, Chaim Tzvi, and Sori—were born. Rabbi Wein has 29 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren living in both Israel and America.
In 1964, Wein accepted the pulpit of Beth Israel Congregation in Miami Beach, Florida
, where he remained until 1972. He moved to New York
when he was appointed as executive vice-president of the Union of Orthodox Organizations of America (known as the Orthodox Union
). Within that organization, he served as rabbinic administrator of the kashrut
(kosher foods) supervision division until 1977.
At the same time, he founded Congregation Bais Torah in Suffern, New York, and served as its rabbi for the next 24 years. Wein also founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland with a large high school and a smaller post-high school division in 1977. The yeshiva subsequently moved onto the grounds of his synagogue
and he served as Rosh yeshiva
(dean) until his move to Israel
in 1997. His son, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Wein, succeeded him as Rosh yeshiva (along with Mordechai Wolmark, author of Mishnas Mordechai).
During these years, Wein produced many audio tapes on both Torah
teachings and Jewish history. These helped to popularize the latter subject, which had often been perceived as boring. After detailed research, he went on to publish a four-volume series of coffee table book
s spanning 2,300 years of Jewish history, for which he is widely known in English-speaking Orthodox communities:
Wein is known for his witty speaking and writing style: his sayings and observations have been collected together, by James Weiss, into a 283-page book entitled Vintage Wein: The collected wit and wisdom, the choicest anecdotes and vignettes of Rabbi Berel Wein (Shaar Press, 1992). Since his move to Israel, he has also penned three collections of essays, titled Second Thoughts: A collection of musings and observations (1997), Buy Green Bananas: Observations on self, family and life (1999), and Living Jewish: Values, Practices and Traditions. He has also authored commentaries on Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avos : Teachings for Our Times, and on the Passover Haggadah, The Pesach Haggadah: Through the Prism of Experience and History. His latest work is also his most personal, a detailed guide for aspiring pulpit rabbis entitled, Tending the Vineyard, in which he shares his philosophy of the rabbinate, and relates first-hand experiences and dispenses advice to rabbinic students.
All of Wein's English books have been published by Shaar Press, a division of ArtScroll/Mesorah, which many believe was established specifically for Wein and other rabbis with a broader worldview. The name Shaar Press is seen as eponymous to that of Wein's yeshiva, Shaarei Torah.
neighborhood of Jerusalem, where they became Rav and Rebbetzin at Bet Knesset Hanasi (at 24 Usshishkin). In Israel, Wein also established The Destiny Foundation, a marketing forum for his CDs, audio tapes and books as well as drama and documentary film projects.
He is presently a senior faculty member of Ohr Somayach Yeshiva
in Jerusalem, where he lectures to the mostly English-speaking student body. He also lectures extensively in Israel and abroad, and writes a regular weekly column for the Jerusalem Post since 1999.
Rabanit Yocheved 'Jackie' Wein z"l died on May 25, 2006, and was buried on the Mount of Olives
.
Rabbi Wein has subsequently remarried and continues to live in Rehavia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born 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...
rabbi
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...
, scholar, lecturer, and writer. He is regarded as an expert on Jewish history
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
and has popularized the subject through more than 1,000 audio tapes, a four-volume book series, newspaper articles and international lectures. Throughout his career, he has retained personal and ideological ties to both Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
and Haredi
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.
Biography
Rabbi Wein was born March 25, 1934 in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to a family descended from Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
rabbis. His father, Zev, emigrated to the United States and served as a Rabbi in Chicago until the 1970s.
Wein received semicha
Semicha
, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...
(rabbinic ordination) from Hebrew Theological College
Hebrew Theological College
The Hebrew Theological College, known as "Skokie Yeshiva," is a Yeshiva in Skokie, Illinois which also functions as a private university on campus. The primary focus of the Yeshiva is to teach Torah and Jewish traditions...
, which was founded by his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Rubinstein. His main teacher
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
was Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth
Chaim Kreiswirth
Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth was an Orthodox rabbi who served as the longtime Chief Rabbi of Congregation Machzikei Hadass Antwerp, Belgium...
and his personal mentors there included Rabbis Mordechai Rogow and Yisrael Mendel Kaplan
Yisrael Mendel Kaplan
Rabbi Israel Mendel Kaplan or Yisrael Mendel Kaplan , known as "Reb Mendel" served as a teacher in the Hebrew Theological College in Chicago and in the Philadelphia Yeshiva to many of the men who were to become the leaders of Orthodox American Jewry.-Early life:Yisrael Mendel Kaplan was born in...
. He was a student of the late Rabbi Oscar Z. Fasman in Chicago, and spoke at the latter's funeral http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5764/VYT64arfasman.htm.
He received a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
in Chicago and earned a law degree from De Paul University. After passing the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Bar he practiced as an attorney in Chicago for a number of years.
In 1955 he married Yocheved (Jackie) Levin, who had been born in Vaskai
Vaškai
Vaškai is a small town in Panevėžys County, in northeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the town has a population of 688 people....
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
in 1934 and had emigrated to Detroit with her parents at the age of 4. Jackie's father, Rabbi Eliezer Levin, served as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Tefiloh Emanuel and led the triumvirate of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis (COR) of Greater Detroit, in that city, for over 60 years. The couple settled in Chicago, where their four children—Miriam, Dinah, Chaim Tzvi, and Sori—were born. Rabbi Wein has 29 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren living in both Israel and America.
In 1964, Wein accepted the pulpit of Beth Israel Congregation in Miami Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where he remained until 1972. He moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
when he was appointed as executive vice-president of the Union of Orthodox Organizations of America (known as 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...
). Within that organization, he served as rabbinic administrator of the kashrut
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
(kosher foods) supervision division until 1977.
At the same time, he founded Congregation Bais Torah in Suffern, New York, and served as its rabbi for the next 24 years. Wein also founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland with a large high school and a smaller post-high school division in 1977. The yeshiva subsequently moved onto the grounds of his synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
and he served 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...
(dean) until his move to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1997. His son, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Wein, succeeded him as Rosh yeshiva (along with Mordechai Wolmark, author of Mishnas Mordechai).
During these years, Wein produced many audio tapes on both 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...
teachings and Jewish history. These helped to popularize the latter subject, which had often been perceived as boring. After detailed research, he went on to publish a four-volume series of coffee table book
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
s spanning 2,300 years of Jewish history, for which he is widely known in English-speaking Orthodox communities:
- Echoes of Glory: The story of the Jews in the Classical Era, 350 BCE-750 CE
- Herald of Destiny: The story of the Jews in the Medieval Era, 750-1650
- Triumph of Survival: The story of the Jews in the Modern Era, 1650-1995
- Faith and Fate: The story of the Jewish people in the twentieth century
Wein is known for his witty speaking and writing style: his sayings and observations have been collected together, by James Weiss, into a 283-page book entitled Vintage Wein: The collected wit and wisdom, the choicest anecdotes and vignettes of Rabbi Berel Wein (Shaar Press, 1992). Since his move to Israel, he has also penned three collections of essays, titled Second Thoughts: A collection of musings and observations (1997), Buy Green Bananas: Observations on self, family and life (1999), and Living Jewish: Values, Practices and Traditions. He has also authored commentaries on Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avos : Teachings for Our Times, and on the Passover Haggadah, The Pesach Haggadah: Through the Prism of Experience and History. His latest work is also his most personal, a detailed guide for aspiring pulpit rabbis entitled, Tending the Vineyard, in which he shares his philosophy of the rabbinate, and relates first-hand experiences and dispenses advice to rabbinic students.
All of Wein's English books have been published by Shaar Press, a division of ArtScroll/Mesorah, which many believe was established specifically for Wein and other rabbis with a broader worldview. The name Shaar Press is seen as eponymous to that of Wein's yeshiva, Shaarei Torah.
Israel
Rabbi Wein and his wife moved to Israel in 1997. They settled in the RehaviaRehavia
Rehavia is an upscale Jerusalem neighborhood located between the city center and Talbiya.-History:Rehavia was established on a large plot of land purchased in 1921 from the Greek Orthodox Church by the Palestine Land Development Company . The area was known at the time as Ginzaria, a native...
neighborhood of Jerusalem, where they became Rav and Rebbetzin at Bet Knesset Hanasi (at 24 Usshishkin). In Israel, Wein also established The Destiny Foundation, a marketing forum for his CDs, audio tapes and books as well as drama and documentary film projects.
He is presently a senior faculty member of Ohr Somayach Yeshiva
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...
in Jerusalem, where he lectures to the mostly English-speaking student body. He also lectures extensively in Israel and abroad, and writes a regular weekly column for the Jerusalem Post since 1999.
Rabanit Yocheved 'Jackie' Wein z"l died on May 25, 2006, and was buried on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
.
Rabbi Wein has subsequently remarried and continues to live in Rehavia.
Hebrew
- Chikrei Halacha (1976), published by Mosad Harav Kook
- Eyunim B'Mesechtot HaTalmud (1989) 2 volumes
- Chukei Chaim (1991), edited by his very close disciple Rabbi Harel Kohen
English
- Four-volume series:
- Echoes of Glory: The Story of the Jews in the Classical Era, 350 BCE-750 CE (1995) ISBN 978-0-89906-340-9
- Herald of Destiny: The Story of the Jews in the Medieval Era, 750-1650 (1993) ISBN 978-0-89906-237-2
- Triumph of Survival: The Story of the Jews in the Modern Era, 1650-1995 (1990) ISBN 978-0-89906-498-7
- Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jews in the Twentieth Century (2001) ISBN 978-1-57819-593-0
- Living Jewish: Values, Practices and Traditions (2002) ISBN 978-1-57819-753-8
- Pirkei Avos: Teachings for Our Times (2003) ISBN 978-1-57819-739-2
- The Pesach Haggadah: Through the Prism of Experience and History (2004) ISBN 978-1-57819-319-6
- The Oral Law of Sinai: An Illustrated History of the Mishna (2008) ISBN 978-0-470-19755-4
- Vision & Valor: An Illustrated History of the Talmud, (2010) ISBN 978-1-59264-286-1
- Patterns in Jewish History: Insights into the Past, Present and Future of the Eternal People, (2011) ISBN 978-1-59264-326-4
Co-authored books
- Real Messiah: A Jewish Response to Missionaries by Aryeh KaplanAryeh KaplanAryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan was a noted American Orthodox rabbi and author known for his "intimate knowledge of both physics and kabbalah." He was lauded as an original thinker and prolific writer, from studies of the Torah, Talmud and mysticism to introductory pamphlets on Jewish beliefs and...
, Berel Wein, and Pinchas StolperPinchas StolperPinchas A. Stolper is an Orthodox rabbi, writer, and has been a spokesman for Orthodoxy through his writings and books popularizing Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
(1976), ISBN 978-1-879016-11-8 - Sand and Stars (2 vol.) by Yaffa Ganz and Berel Wein (1996), ISBN 978-0-89906-392-8
DVDs
- Rashi – A Light After the Dark Ages (with Leonard Nimoy) (1999)
- Berel Wein's Israel Journey – Jerusalem (co-authored with Wayne Kopping) (2003)
- Rambam – The Story of Maimonides by Leonard Nimoy, Armand Assante, Ashley Lazarus, and Berel Wein (2005)
- Faith & Fate – The Story of the Jewish People in the Twentieth Century Episode II (1911–1920) narrated by Debra Winger and Dick Rodstein (Directed by Ashley Lazarus) (2005)
External references and links
- Rabbi Wein's website
- Short Bio & Free MP3 Lectures by Rabbi Berel Wein
- Official biography and current projects
- Links to Berel Wein's articles on the online Jerusalem Post
- JewishHistory.org Rabbi Wein's free crash course in Jewish history
- Congregation Bais Torah official site
- Shaarei Torah of Rockland (high school stats)
- The story of the Jewish people by Berel Wein (article)
- Judaism has never been scared of democracy by Berel Wein (article)
- Laws and Legality by Berel Wein (article)
- Berel Wein at Ohr Somayach