Hershel Schachter
Encyclopedia
Hershel Schachter is a rabbi
and rosh yeshiva
at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
(RIETS), Yeshiva University
, in New York City
, and the son of the late Rabbi Melech Schachter, who was also a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University. A noted Talmud
ic scholar and a prominent posek
, he is also a halakhic
advisor for the kashrut
division of the Orthodox Union
.
Rav Schachter became an assistant to Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik
at the age of 22. Schachter earned a B.A. from Yeshiva College and an M.A. in Hebrew
Literature
from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
in 1967.
After receiving rabbinic ordination in 1967 at the age of 26, Schachter became the youngest Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS, and was appointed rosh kollel, or dean of the kollel
, in 1971.
Rav Schachter is widely respected in the Yeshiva world as one of the Torah luminaries of the contemporary era, and for his close relationship with Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.
, Rav Schachter has made important decisions in various areas of Jewish law
. In the realm of medicine, Schachter does not allow doctors or medical students to work on the Sabbath unless they need to save a life. Also Schachter believes that the living status of a brain dead individual is a safek, a matter of doubt, and thus requires that all decisions be made with the same stringencies applied to all cases where life-and-death is in doubt. This, ipso facto
, forbids the organ donations of brain dead individuals, by considering them as possibly still halachically
alive, but also requires chalitzah in the case that a widow is left with only a brain dead child as well as a normal brother-in-law. Regarding monetary law and taxation, Schachter believes that a graduated system of income taxes is "fair and reasonable" and thus falls under the ægis of dina d'malchusa dina, the requirement to conform to the laws of the land, and thus everyone must pay taxes. Regarding other areas of religious law, Schachter holds that a woman is not allowed to serve as the president of a synagogue unless there is absolutely no other choice.
He has also written more than 100 articles, in both Hebrew and English
, for scholarly Torah publications such as HaPardes, HaDarom, Beit Yitzchak, and Or Hamizrach.
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...
and 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...
at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...
(RIETS), Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and the son of the late Rabbi Melech Schachter, who was also a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University. A noted 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....
ic scholar and a prominent 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....
, he is also a halakhic
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
advisor for 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...
division 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...
.
Rav Schachter became an assistant to Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik
Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty....
at the age of 22. Schachter earned a B.A. from Yeshiva College and an M.A. in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies was Yeshiva University’s first graduate school. Founded in 1937, it was named for Yeshiva University's first president, Bernard Revel...
in 1967.
After receiving rabbinic ordination in 1967 at the age of 26, Schachter became the youngest Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS, and was appointed rosh kollel, or dean of the 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...
, in 1971.
Rav Schachter is widely respected in the Yeshiva world as one of the Torah luminaries of the contemporary era, and for his close relationship with Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.
Halakhic opinions
As a posekPosek
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....
, Rav Schachter has made important decisions in various areas of Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
. In the realm of medicine, Schachter does not allow doctors or medical students to work on the Sabbath unless they need to save a life. Also Schachter believes that the living status of a brain dead individual is a safek, a matter of doubt, and thus requires that all decisions be made with the same stringencies applied to all cases where life-and-death is in doubt. This, ipso facto
Ipso facto
Ipso facto is a Latin phrase, directly translated as "by the fact itself," which means that a certain phenomenon is a direct consequence, a resultant effect, of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a subsequent action such as the verdict of a tribunal. It is a term of art used...
, forbids the organ donations of brain dead individuals, by considering them as possibly still halachically
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
alive, but also requires chalitzah in the case that a widow is left with only a brain dead child as well as a normal brother-in-law. Regarding monetary law and taxation, Schachter believes that a graduated system of income taxes is "fair and reasonable" and thus falls under the ægis of dina d'malchusa dina, the requirement to conform to the laws of the land, and thus everyone must pay taxes. Regarding other areas of religious law, Schachter holds that a woman is not allowed to serve as the president of a synagogue unless there is absolutely no other choice.
Works
Schachter has written many books related to Judaism. They include:- Eretz HaTzvi (1992) (with an approbation by Rabbi Dovid LifshitzDovid LifshitzRabbi Dovid Lifshitz was a distinguished Rosh yeshiva in the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary for almost fifty years. He was appointed upon the invitation of Rabbi Samuel Belkin in 1944. He was also known as the "Suvalker Rav", due to his previous position as the Rabbi of the European...
) - Nefesh HaRav (1994) - Torah from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
- B'Ikvei HaTzon (1997) (with an approbation by the famed Rabbi Pinchas HirschsprungPinchas HirschsprungRabbi Pinhas Hirschprung was a Polish rabbi of Hasidic ancestry, who later emigrated to Montreal, Canada, where he served as Chief Rabbi.- Life :He was born to Rabbi Chaim Hirschprung in the city of Dukla, in Poland in 1912...
, the former Chief Rabbi of Montreal) - Shiurei ha-Rav ha-Gaon Rabi Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveitchik, Masekhet Gittin, chap. 1-4 [based on lectures from 1963-1964] (1999)
- Shiurei ha-Rav ha-Gaon Rabi Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveitchik, Masekhet Kiddushin (2001)
- MiP'ninei HaRav (2001) - more Torah from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
- Shiurei ha-Rav ha-Gaon Rabi Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveitchik, Tzitzet, Tefillen, Kriat haTorah (2002)
- Shiurei ha-Rav ha-Gaon Rabi Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveitchik, Yom HaKippurim, Megillah (2002)
- Shiurei ha-Rav ha-Gaon Rabi Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveitchik, Masekhet Shabbat (2004)
- Ginas Egoz (2007) (with an approbation by Rabbi Gershon Yankelevitz)
- Divrei HaRav (2010) - a third volume of Torah from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
He has also written more than 100 articles, in both Hebrew and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, for scholarly Torah publications such as HaPardes, HaDarom, Beit Yitzchak, and Or Hamizrach.
Works about
- Lawrence Kaplan, "The Multi-Faceted Legacy of the Rav: A Critical Analysis of R. Hershel SchachteS Nefesh ha-Rav," BDD (Bekhol Derakhekha Daehu: Journal of Torah and Scholarship) 7 (Summer, 1998): 51--85.
- Rachel Adler, "Innovation and Authority: A Feminist Reading of the 'Women's Minyan' Responsum" in Walter Jacob and Moshe Zemer, Studies in Progressive Halacha