Mendel Weinbach
Encyclopedia
Mendel Weinbach is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi
and one of the fathers of the modern-day baal teshuva
movement in his capacity as co-founder and dean
of Ohr Somayach
Institutions, a Jerusalem-based educational network for young, non-Hasidic
Jewish men. Since the yeshiva's founding in 1970, Rabbi Weinbach has taught, mentored and advised generations of students, helping beginners develop their textual learning
skills and embrace an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. He is a father figure to thousands, and actively participates in his students' weddings and the brissim and bar mitzvahs of their children.
Rabbi Weinbach is an erudite Torah scholar
and a sought-after lecturer for both men's and women's groups in Israel and abroad. He has written several books and many newspaper, magazine and online articles on Jewish thought and practice.
at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
.
He married Sylvie (Sheindel) Lamm (b. 1941), a Belgian
war orphan who came to New York at the age of 5. She and her parents, Abraham Israel and Rachel Lamm, had been interned in the Mechelen transit camp
in 1942. She had been liberated on 13 January 1944 and sent to a Jewish orphanage
; her parents were deported
to Auschwitz two days later. She was raised by her aunt and uncle in New York City
. The couple settled in Kiryat Mattersdorf
in northern Jerusalem, where they raised their 12 children.
, Mendel Weinbach, Nota Schiller
, and Yaakov Rosenberg founded Shema Yisrael Yeshiva to attract young Jewish men with little or no background in Jewish studies. After a few years, Weinberg left the yeshiva over a difference in philosophy and founded Aish HaTorah
in 1974. Shema Yisrael subsequently changed its name to Ohr Somayach, after the commentary on the Mishneh Torah
written by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk
, the Ohr Somayach, in response to critics who contended that the name belonged to the entire Jewish people, not just one institution.
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 one of the fathers of the modern-day baal teshuva
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...
movement in his capacity as co-founder and dean
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 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...
Institutions, a Jerusalem-based educational network for young, non-Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
Jewish men. Since the yeshiva's founding in 1970, Rabbi Weinbach has taught, mentored and advised generations of students, helping beginners develop their textual learning
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
skills and embrace an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. He is a father figure to thousands, and actively participates in his students' weddings and the brissim and bar mitzvahs of their children.
Rabbi Weinbach is an erudite Torah scholar
Talmid Chacham
Talmid Chacham is an honorific title given to one well versed in Jewish law, in effect, a Torah scholar....
and a sought-after lecturer for both men's and women's groups in Israel and abroad. He has written several books and many newspaper, magazine and online articles on Jewish thought and practice.
Early life
Weinbach was born in Poland and raised in Pittsburgh. He received semichaSemicha
, 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...
at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas is a yeshiva located in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.- History :...
.
He married Sylvie (Sheindel) Lamm (b. 1941), a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
war orphan who came to New York at the age of 5. She and her parents, Abraham Israel and Rachel Lamm, had been interned in the Mechelen transit camp
Mechelen transit camp
The Mechelen transit camp, or officially SS-Sammellager Mecheln in German, was a detention and deportation camp established in the Dossin, the oldest casern at Mechelen, by the Nazi German occupier of Belgium...
in 1942. She had been liberated on 13 January 1944 and sent to a Jewish orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
; her parents were deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to Auschwitz two days later. She was raised by her aunt and uncle 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...
. The couple settled in Kiryat Mattersdorf
Kiryat Mattersdorf
Kiryat Mattersdorf is a Haredi neighborbood in Jerusalem, Israel. It is located on the northern edge of the mountain plateau on which central Jerusalem lies. It is named after Mattersburg , a town in Austria with a long Jewish history. It borders Unsdorf and Romema...
in northern Jerusalem, where they raised their 12 children.
Rosh yeshiva
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of searching for meaning by Western-educated, college-age men and women. In 1970, Rabbis Noah WeinbergNoah Weinberg
Rabbi Yisrael Noach Weinberg was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, rosh yeshiva, and a father of today's baal teshuva movement with his establishment of a global network of educational and kiruv programs for unaffiliated Jewish men and women...
, Mendel Weinbach, 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...
, and Yaakov Rosenberg founded Shema Yisrael Yeshiva to attract young Jewish men with little or no background in Jewish studies. After a few years, Weinberg left the yeshiva over a difference in philosophy and founded Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
in 1974. Shema Yisrael subsequently changed its name to Ohr Somayach, after the commentary on the Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
written by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk
Meir Simcha of Dvinsk
Meir Simcha of Dvinsk was a rabbi and prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. He was a kohen, and is therefore often referred to as Meir Simcha ha-Kohen...
, the Ohr Somayach, in response to critics who contended that the name belonged to the entire Jewish people, not just one institution.
Books
- The Essential Malbim: Flashes of insight on Bereishis/Genesis (2009). Ed. by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach. Jerusalem:Artscroll Publications, ISBN 9781422609279.
- Give Us Life: Mesholim and masterwords of the Chofetz Chaim, Vol. 1 (1969). Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers.
- Give Us Life: Mesholim and masterwords of the Chofetz Chaim, Vol. 2 (1973). Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers.
- 127 Insights Into Megillas Esther (1990). Southfield, Mich.: Targum Press Inc., ISBN 0-944070-50-7
- Lifeline Series (3 volumes).
- Love of the Land (2006). Southfield, Mich.: Targum Press Inc., ISBN 978-1568713854
- On Wings of Prayer: Mesholim and illuminations on the daily prayers by the Chofetz Chaim and other Torah greats (1973). Shma Yisroel Program Publications.
- TalmuDigest (2007). Southfield, Mich.: Targum Press Inc., ISBN 978-1568714097
- Turnabout: The Malbim on Megillas Esther. First published 1971, Nachat Publications. Second revised edition: 1990, Southfield, Mich.: Targum Press Inc., ISBN 0-944070-24-8.
- Who Wants to Live: 101 mesholim of the Chofetz Chaim (1973). Shma Yisroel Program Publications.