Nachman Shlomo Greenspan
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Nachman Shlomo Greenspan (1878–August 1961) was an outstanding Talmud
ic scholar, renowned rosh yeshiva
of Etz Chaim
in London
and a brilliant and erudite author, penning a number of Torah works.
, where his father Yaakov Moshe was engaged in commerce. There he gained a reputation for his vast Talmudic knowledge and expertise while still in early youth.
He studied under the greatest rabbis of his generation, including such legendary figures as the Sfas Emes, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk
and the Ridvaz, as well as learning under and with the Avnei Nezer
; Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik
; the Rogatchover Gaon
; the Chofetz Chaim
; and Rabbi Aharon Kotler
, all world-renowned rabbinic luminaries. Rabbi Greenspan obtained semicha
at the young age of eighteen, indicative of his acceptance into the highest circles of rabbinic scholarship due to his tremendous knowledge and ability.
, Rabbi Greenspan fled to Britain
via Belgium with his children. His wife Beila returned to Warsaw to look after the family's restaurant business. Initially he was Rosh Yeshiva in Liverpool and later moved to Leeds to take up the position of Rosh Yeshiva there. He finally moved to the East End of London, where he assumed leadership of the Etz Chaim yeshiva. Rabbi Greenspan remained at Etz Chaim for the rest of his life, where he produced many hundreds of learned students and pupils alongside distinguished colleagues such as Rabbis Elya Lopian, Leib Gurwicz
and Nosson Ordman. Among his more well-known students were future Chief Rabbi
Lord Immanuel Jakobovits
, Dayan Pinchas Toledano, Judge Leonard Gerber and Arnold J. Cohen.
Rabbi Greenspan died at the age of eighty-three, and with his death Europe lost one of its primary and most exceptional Torah scholars. A large number of people attended his funeral, where he was eulogised by Chief Rabbi
Israel Brodie
, Rabbi Leib Gurwicz, Dayan Grosnass of the London Beth Din
and Rabbi Eliezer Lopian, rosh yeshiva of Toras Emes in London.
Writing of Rabbi Greenspan in the Jewish Chronicle, Rabbi Nosson Ordman described his deceased colleague as the "humblest and most well-mannered of men" despite his "scholarship and intellectual" abilities. He noted that Rabbi Greenspan's death was "a great and irreplaceable loss both to the yeshiva and Anglo-Jewry. He was... one of the outstanding... Talmudists of this generation". Rabbi Jakobovits, in deep reveration of Rabbi Greenspan, commented, "he may have been the greatest Torah scholar in England" and also noted his teacher's great modesty and knowledge of secular disciplines .
Rabbi Greenspan was survived by his wife, two daughters, son and grandchildren. Although he left many Halachic and Talmudic writings, a large number of his written manuscripts were destroyed in the First World War
.
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, renowned 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 Etz Chaim
Etz Chaim Yeshiva (London)
Etz Chaim Yeshiva is an Ashkenazi Orthodox yeshiva in Golders Green, London, England. It is associated with the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations.- History :...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and a brilliant and erudite author, penning a number of Torah works.
Early years
Greenspan was born in the village of Lyakhovichi, then part of PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, where his father Yaakov Moshe was engaged in commerce. There he gained a reputation for his vast Talmudic knowledge and expertise while still in early youth.
He studied under the greatest rabbis of his generation, including such legendary figures as the Sfas Emes, 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...
and the Ridvaz, as well as learning under and with the Avnei Nezer
Avrohom Bornsztain
Avrohom Bornsztain , also spelled Avraham Borenstein or Bernstein, was a leading posek in late-nineteenth-century Europe and founder and first Rebbe of the Sochatchover Hasidic dynasty. He is known as the Avnei Nezer after the title of his posthumously-published set of Torah responsa...
; Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik
Chaim Soloveitchik
Chaim Soloveitchik , also known as Reb Chaim Brisker, was a rabbi and Talmudic scholar credited as the founder of the popular Brisker approach to Talmudic study within Judaism. He was born in Volozhin in 1853, where his father, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik served as a lecturer in the famous...
; the Rogatchover Gaon
Rogatchover Gaon
Joseph Rosen known as the Rogatchover Gaon, , and also often referred to by the title of his main work Tzofnath Paneach , , was a rabbi and one of the most prominent talmudic scholars of the early 20th-century, known as a genius because of...
; the Chofetz Chaim
Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Poupko , known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life...
; and 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 :...
, all world-renowned rabbinic luminaries. Rabbi Greenspan obtained 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...
at the young age of eighteen, indicative of his acceptance into the highest circles of rabbinic scholarship due to his tremendous knowledge and ability.
Britain
Upon the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Rabbi Greenspan fled to Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
via Belgium with his children. His wife Beila returned to Warsaw to look after the family's restaurant business. Initially he was Rosh Yeshiva in Liverpool and later moved to Leeds to take up the position of Rosh Yeshiva there. He finally moved to the East End of London, where he assumed leadership of the Etz Chaim yeshiva. Rabbi Greenspan remained at Etz Chaim for the rest of his life, where he produced many hundreds of learned students and pupils alongside distinguished colleagues such as Rabbis Elya Lopian, Leib Gurwicz
Leib Gurwicz
Aryeh Ze'ev Gurwicz was an influential Orthodox rabbi and Talmudic scholar. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Elyah Lopian and best known as Rosh Yeshiva of the Gateshead Yeshiva in Gateshead, England, where he taught for over 30 years.He studied at various yeshivas in Lithuania and Poland before...
and Nosson Ordman. Among his more well-known students were future 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...
Lord Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:...
, Dayan Pinchas Toledano, Judge Leonard Gerber and Arnold J. Cohen.
Rabbi Greenspan died at the age of eighty-three, and with his death Europe lost one of its primary and most exceptional Torah scholars. A large number of people attended his funeral, where he was eulogised by 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...
Israel Brodie
Israel Brodie
Sir Israel Brodie KBE was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth 1948–1965.He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia from 1923-1937, was evacuated from Dunkirk, and finished the War as Senior Jewish Chaplain...
, Rabbi Leib Gurwicz, Dayan Grosnass of the London Beth Din
London Beth Din
The London Beth Din is the Ashkenazi Beth Din of the United Synagogue, the largest Ashkenazi synagogal body in London, England. In its capacity as Court of the Chief Rabbi, it is historically the supreme halakhic Authority for Mitnagdim Ashkenazim several Commonwealth countries and additionally is...
and Rabbi Eliezer Lopian, rosh yeshiva of Toras Emes in London.
Writing of Rabbi Greenspan in the Jewish Chronicle, Rabbi Nosson Ordman described his deceased colleague as the "humblest and most well-mannered of men" despite his "scholarship and intellectual" abilities. He noted that Rabbi Greenspan's death was "a great and irreplaceable loss both to the yeshiva and Anglo-Jewry. He was... one of the outstanding... Talmudists of this generation". Rabbi Jakobovits, in deep reveration of Rabbi Greenspan, commented, "he may have been the greatest Torah scholar in England" and also noted his teacher's great modesty and knowledge of secular disciplines .
Rabbi Greenspan was survived by his wife, two daughters, son and grandchildren. Although he left many Halachic and Talmudic writings, a large number of his written manuscripts were destroyed in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Torah works
- Kodshei HaGevul (London, 1930)
- Pilpulah shel Torah (London, 1935)
- Meleches Machsheves (London, 1955)
