Yaakov Weinberg
Encyclopedia
Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, known as Yaakov Weinberg (also Jacob S. Weinberg) (1923 - July 1, 1999) was an Orthodox Jewish
rabbi
, Talmud
ist, and rosh yeshiva
(dean) of Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland one of the major America
n non-Hasidic
yeshiva
s. Rabbi Weinberg also served as a leading rabbinical advisor and board member of a number of important Haredi
and Orthodox institutions such as Torah Umesorah
, Agudath Israel of America
and the Association for Jewish Outreach Programs
.
Hasidic
dynasty. He was the great-great-grandson of Rabbi Avraham of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah and founder of the dynasty, and the grandson of Rabbi Noah Weinberg of Slonim and Tiberias, whom the first Slonimer Rebbe had sent to Palestine to establish a Torah community in the late 1800s.
His father, Rabbi Yitzchak Mattisyahu Weinberg, a son of Rabbi Noah Weinberg, was married three times. His first wife died while giving birth to his son, Chaim Yosef David. His second wife also bore him a son, Avraham, before they divorced. Rabbi Yitzchak Mattisyahu married his third wife, Hinda Lorberbaum, the daughter of Rabbi Avner Loberbaum of Safed
, when he was in his thirties. They had four children at widely-spaced intervals. The first two, Moshe and Chava, were born in 1910 and a year or so later. During World War I, Rabbi Yitzchak Mattisyahu was forced to leave Palestine and move to America; he brought his family to join him in New York in 1921. His and Hinda's third child, Yaakov, was born in 1923. Their youngest child, Noah
, was born in 1931.
In 1931 Hinda took her two youngest sons to visit her family in Palestine and ended up staying for three years. During that time, Yaakov Weinberg attended cheder in Tiberias and later learned in the Etz Chaim Yeshiva
in Jerusalem. Upon their return to America, Weinberg attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
and Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim, and later studied at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
under Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
. Weinberg was regarded as a top student and was assigned to weekend rabbinical duties at the age of 19. Rabbi Hutner gave him semicha in 1944 when he was 21.
In 1964, Weinberg went to the Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Toronto
originally the Toronto
branch of Ner Israel, where he served as dean until 1971. He then returned to Baltimore but went on to serve for a short time as rosh yeshiva at the now defunct Kerem Yeshiva founded by his son, Rabbi Matis Weinberg
, in Santa Clara, California
. However, following the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Ruderman, he became the permanent rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore in 1987 until his passing in 1999.
He often took the lead in "question and answer" sessions at Torah Umesorah
conventions where hundreds of rabbis would seek his counsel and many of these teachings have been published, as in Rav Yaakov Weinberg Talks About Chinuch
His student Rabbi Boruch Leff based his teachings on Weinberg's methods in Forever His Students: Powerful essays and lessons on contemporary Jewish life, inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg.
Weinberg had a close relationship with his brother, Noach Weinberg, and was held in high esteem by the Aish HaTorah yeshiva for baalei teshuva
that the latter founded. The two Weinberg brothers remained close and Yaakov Weinberg was a frequent guest lecturer at Aish HaTorah, where most of his lectures have been preserved and even transcribed. An example is his lecture about "The Palestinians: Facts & Fables" and his views on the subject.
for which Ner Yisroel developed a rabbinic training program.
and was a frequent scholar in residence at Torah Umesorah annual conventions and retreats. His teachings were deemed to be significant enough to have been printed in Torah Umesorah publications, such as in a book published in 1975 titled Building Jewish Ethical
Character where a chapter is devoted to Rabbi Weinberg's lectures on "Mitzvos
as 'Springboards' for Ethical behavior". His activities and views were also cited in a 1982 work researched and published by Professor William Helmreich at CUNY Graduate Center
, titled The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry.
, originally known as the Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals, (AJOP), devoted to the cause of Orthodox Jewish outreach (kiruv) was launched in 1988 and Rabbi Weinberg was chosen as its lead rabbinic advisor, a post he retained until his passing in 1999. AJOP was launched with the backing of the AVI CHAI Foundation
that provided several million dollars as seed money for AJOP to establish itself and run its first number of annual conventions. At the same time the AVI CHAI Foundation also endowed a new institute at the Ner Israel yeshiva in Baltimore known as the MAOR Institute that would train its yeshiva graduates to become proficient "outreach rabbis" that would dovetail with AJOP's mission of enhancing the already extant field of outreach workers. Thus Rabbi Weinberg headed both MAOR and AJOP that were both aimed and enhancing the field of reaching out to non-Orthodox Jews. Weinberg guarded his position in AJOP and ensured that his allies, such as Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald
(AJOP first president) and himself the founder of another multi million dollar AVI Chai Foundation project the National Jewish Outreach Program
(NJOP), remained in its leadership positions.
When AJOP published a seminal work in 1990 by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger
titled Jewish Outreach: Halakhic Perspectives it was Rabbi Weinberg who gave his written approbation and blessings to the work and its author.
published Rabbi Weinberg's Fundamentals and Faith: Insights into the Rambam
's Thirteen Principles. In turn, Weinberg's ideas from this work are quoted in abother work about Jewish ethics
titled Bridging the Gap.
Orthodox magazines, such as The Jewish Observer
, have published many of Rabbi Weinberg's speeches that later were also reprinted in ArtScroll
books. For example, in A Path Through the Ashes, there is an essay by Weinberg about The Destruction of European Jewry: A Churban of Singular Dimensions.
After his death, his students compiled and published his work on Maimonides
, entitled Meoros HaRambam.
of which he was a senior rabbi. For example, he generally identified himself with the Maimonidean-rationalist Jewish approach over the Ramchal-Maharal approach advocated by most of Orthodox Jewry. He was never elevated to its prestigious Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
("Council of Torah Sages").
Rabbi Weinberg often expressed himself in a controversial and provocative manner. In Professor Helmreich's work "The World of the Yeshiva" he is typically introduced and cited as stating:
the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
and Rabbi Yaakov Perlow
the Novominsker
Rebbe and rosh yeshiva, both senior members of Agudath Israel of America's Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. They, like Weinberg, were all originally proteges and disciples of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn.
Weinberg was succeeded as the senior rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel yeshiva by Rabbi Kulefsky, another disciple of both Rabbi Hutner and Rabbi Ruderman; Rabbi Aharon Feldman
took his place after a short time. Unlike Rabbi Weinberg, Rabbi Feldman was accepted and serves as a full member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of the American Agudath Israel.
Following Rabbi Weinberg's death, it has been mostly the family of Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger
that has dominated the yeshiva and none of Weinberg's sons have succeeded him in any official role in the Ner Israel yeshiva. Rabbi Weinberg's son-in-law, Rabbi Beryl Weisbord, was appointed as Ner Israel yeshiva's mashgiach ruchani
(spiritual guide); he is married to Rabbi Weinberg's daughter Dr. Aviva Weisbord who has a doctorate in psychology.
Rabbi Weinberg's son, Rabbi Matis Weinberg, has also served as rosh yeshiva of a number of institutions in America and Israel. He is presently an international lecturer on Judaism and an author of a number of Torah works. Another son, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, is a lecturer on Judaism. He was married to the daughter of Rabbi Maurice Lamm and had served in a number of rabbinical posts, including that of rabbi of the prestigious Lincoln Square Synagogue
in Manhattan
.
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...
, 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....
ist, 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...
(dean) of Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland one of the major America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n 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...
yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s. Rabbi Weinberg also served as a leading rabbinical advisor and board member of a number of important 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 ....
and Orthodox institutions such as Torah Umesorah
Torah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day Schools
Torah Umesorah – National Society for Hebrew Day Schools is an Orthodox Jewish organization that fosters and promotes Torah-based Jewish religious education in North America by supporting and developing a loosely affiliated network of 760 independent private Jewish day schools catering to more...
, Agudath Israel of America
Agudath Israel of America
Agudath Israel of America , is a Haredi Jewish communal organization in the United States loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel.-Functions:...
and the Association for Jewish Outreach Programs
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...
.
Early life and family
Weinberg was a scion of the SlonimerSlonim (Hasidic dynasty)
Slonim is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the town of Slonim, which is now in Belarus.Today, there are two Slonimer Rebbes, both in Israel: one resides in Jerusalem and the other in Bnei Brak...
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...
dynasty. He was the great-great-grandson of Rabbi Avraham of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah and founder of the dynasty, and the grandson of Rabbi Noah Weinberg of Slonim and Tiberias, whom the first Slonimer Rebbe had sent to Palestine to establish a Torah community in the late 1800s.
His father, Rabbi Yitzchak Mattisyahu Weinberg, a son of Rabbi Noah Weinberg, was married three times. His first wife died while giving birth to his son, Chaim Yosef David. His second wife also bore him a son, Avraham, before they divorced. Rabbi Yitzchak Mattisyahu married his third wife, Hinda Lorberbaum, the daughter of Rabbi Avner Loberbaum of Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, when he was in his thirties. They had four children at widely-spaced intervals. The first two, Moshe and Chava, were born in 1910 and a year or so later. During World War I, Rabbi Yitzchak Mattisyahu was forced to leave Palestine and move to America; he brought his family to join him in New York in 1921. His and Hinda's third child, Yaakov, was born in 1923. Their youngest child, Noah
Noah 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...
, was born in 1931.
In 1931 Hinda took her two youngest sons to visit her family in Palestine and ended up staying for three years. During that time, Yaakov Weinberg attended cheder in Tiberias and later learned in the Etz Chaim Yeshiva
Etz Chaim Yeshiva
Etz Chaim Yeshiva is an orthodox yeshiva located on Jaffa Road close to the Mahane Yehuda Market in downtown Jerusalem.-History:Etz Chaim Yeshiva was originally a Talmud Torah which was established in 1841 by the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Shmuel Salant. For the first two years classes were held in...
in Jerusalem. Upon their return to America, Weinberg attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas is a yeshiva located in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.- History :...
and Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim, and later studied at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, is a Haredi Lithuanian-type yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1904 as Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, it is the oldest yeshiva in Kings County...
under Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner
Yitzchok Hutner was an Orthodox rabbi and American rosh yeshiva.-Early years:Yitchok Hutner was born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidic and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewish roots. As a child he received private instruction in Torah and Talmud...
. Weinberg was regarded as a top student and was assigned to weekend rabbinical duties at the age of 19. Rabbi Hutner gave him semicha in 1944 when he was 21.
Marriage and family position at Ner Israel
In 1945, Weinberg married Chana Ruderman, the only child of Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, founder of the Ner Israel yeshiva. They had two boys and four girls. Weinberg excelled in Talmudic scholarship, as a rabbinical advisor and in teaching ability. Weinberg eventually succeeded his father-in-law as the main rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel yeshiva, but not before undertaking a number of other rosh yeshiva positions.In 1964, Weinberg went to the Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Toronto
Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Toronto
Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Toronto is a Haredi yeshiva that was founded in 1959 as a branch of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore . It is no longer affiliated with Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. The yeshiva includes a both a Beis Midrash program and a high school.- Past leadership :The yeshiva was...
originally the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
branch of Ner Israel, where he served as dean until 1971. He then returned to Baltimore but went on to serve for a short time as rosh yeshiva at the now defunct Kerem Yeshiva founded by his son, Rabbi Matis Weinberg
Matis Weinberg
Matis Weinberg is an American-born Orthodox rabbi and former rosh yeshiva who now resides in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a lecturer and educator and travels to teach groups in different parts of the world, such as in the United States and South Africa...
, in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
. However, following the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Ruderman, he became the permanent rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore in 1987 until his passing in 1999.
Advisor and teacher of other rabbis
Weinberg was regarded as a master logician, with broad knowledge and depth in all aspects of Jewish law and philosophy. He was also a sought-after counselor, involved in hundreds of private and public issues and concerns within the Jewish community.He often took the lead in "question and answer" sessions at Torah Umesorah
Torah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day Schools
Torah Umesorah – National Society for Hebrew Day Schools is an Orthodox Jewish organization that fosters and promotes Torah-based Jewish religious education in North America by supporting and developing a loosely affiliated network of 760 independent private Jewish day schools catering to more...
conventions where hundreds of rabbis would seek his counsel and many of these teachings have been published, as in Rav Yaakov Weinberg Talks About Chinuch
His student Rabbi Boruch Leff based his teachings on Weinberg's methods in Forever His Students: Powerful essays and lessons on contemporary Jewish life, inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg.
Weinberg had a close relationship with his brother, Noach Weinberg, and was held in high esteem by the Aish HaTorah yeshiva for baalei 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...
that the latter founded. The two Weinberg brothers remained close and Yaakov Weinberg was a frequent guest lecturer at Aish HaTorah, where most of his lectures have been preserved and even transcribed. An example is his lecture about "The Palestinians: Facts & Fables" and his views on the subject.
Influence in the broader Orthodox world
He was involved with a variety of communities, including the Iranian Jewish communityHistory of the Jews in Iran
The beginnings of Jewish history in Iran date back to late Biblical times. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Persia...
for which Ner Yisroel developed a rabbinic training program.
Spokesman and leader of Orthodox organizations
Rabbi Weinberg was a member of the rabbinical board of Torah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day SchoolsTorah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day Schools
Torah Umesorah – National Society for Hebrew Day Schools is an Orthodox Jewish organization that fosters and promotes Torah-based Jewish religious education in North America by supporting and developing a loosely affiliated network of 760 independent private Jewish day schools catering to more...
and was a frequent scholar in residence at Torah Umesorah annual conventions and retreats. His teachings were deemed to be significant enough to have been printed in Torah Umesorah publications, such as in a book published in 1975 titled Building Jewish Ethical
Jewish ethics
Jewish ethics stands at the intersection of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of ethics. Like other types of religious ethics, the diverse literature of Jewish ethics primarily aims to answer a broad range of moral questions and, hence, may be classified as a normative ethics...
Character where a chapter is devoted to Rabbi Weinberg's lectures on "Mitzvos
613 mitzvot
The 613 commandments is a numbering of the statements and principles of law, ethics, and spiritual practice contained in the Torah or Five Books of Moses...
as 'Springboards' for Ethical behavior". His activities and views were also cited in a 1982 work researched and published by Professor William Helmreich at CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
, titled The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry.
AJOP
The Association for Jewish Outreach ProgramsAssociation 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...
, originally known as the Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals, (AJOP), devoted to the cause of Orthodox Jewish outreach (kiruv) was launched in 1988 and Rabbi Weinberg was chosen as its lead rabbinic advisor, a post he retained until his passing in 1999. AJOP was launched with the backing of the AVI CHAI Foundation
AVI CHAI Foundation
AVI CHAI is a private foundation endowed in 1984 by Sanford Bernstein, a well-known successful investor who become a Modern Orthodox Baal teshuva and who had wanted to further the cause of outreach to alienated and assimilated Jews worldwide. Avi-Chai functions in the United States and in Israel...
that provided several million dollars as seed money for AJOP to establish itself and run its first number of annual conventions. At the same time the AVI CHAI Foundation also endowed a new institute at the Ner Israel yeshiva in Baltimore known as the MAOR Institute that would train its yeshiva graduates to become proficient "outreach rabbis" that would dovetail with AJOP's mission of enhancing the already extant field of outreach workers. Thus Rabbi Weinberg headed both MAOR and AJOP that were both aimed and enhancing the field of reaching out to non-Orthodox Jews. Weinberg guarded his position in AJOP and ensured that his allies, such as Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald
Ephraim Buchwald
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald is one of the leaders in the movement of Jewish return in America today.Ordained at Yeshiva University, where he was a student of Rabbi Dr. Joseph B...
(AJOP first president) and himself the founder of another multi million dollar AVI Chai Foundation project the National Jewish Outreach Program
National Jewish Outreach Program
The National Jewish Outreach Program was established by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald in 1987, in response to the urgent need to address the critical issue of the spiraling losses of Jews from Jewish life due to assimilation and lack of Jewish knowledge...
(NJOP), remained in its leadership positions.
When AJOP published a seminal work in 1990 by Rabbi Moshe Weinberger
Moshe Weinberger
Rabbi Moshe Weinberger is an Orthodox rabbi who is the founder and current rabbi of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, New York.He is a lecturer, author. Some regard him as a posek and a Jewish leader who is actively involved in Jewish Outreach.-Background and education:Rabbi Weinberger's ...
titled Jewish Outreach: Halakhic Perspectives it was Rabbi Weinberg who gave his written approbation and blessings to the work and its author.
Writings
Many of Rabbi Weinberg's teachings have been published in essay and book form form in Orthodox publications. Targum PressTargum Press
Targum Press is an Orthodox Jewish English-language publishing company based in Jerusalem. It claims to be the third largest Judaica publisher after Artscroll and Feldheim. In addition to publishing books on Jewish law and philosophy, translations of classic texts, and fiction, it has played a...
published Rabbi Weinberg's Fundamentals and Faith: Insights into the Rambam
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
's Thirteen Principles. In turn, Weinberg's ideas from this work are quoted in abother work about Jewish ethics
Jewish ethics
Jewish ethics stands at the intersection of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of ethics. Like other types of religious ethics, the diverse literature of Jewish ethics primarily aims to answer a broad range of moral questions and, hence, may be classified as a normative ethics...
titled Bridging the Gap.
Orthodox magazines, such as The Jewish Observer
The Jewish Observer
The Jewish Observer is an American Orthodox Jewish magazine published by the Agudath Israel of America.The magazine generally presents a Haredi viewpoint. Published since 1963, it is printed nine months a year; the January and February issues are combined, and there are no issues in July or August...
, have published many of Rabbi Weinberg's speeches that later were also reprinted in 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...
books. For example, in A Path Through the Ashes, there is an essay by Weinberg about The Destruction of European Jewry: A Churban of Singular Dimensions.
After his death, his students compiled and published his work on Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
, entitled Meoros HaRambam.
Controversy
Rabbi Weinberg's career in the yeshiva world was not without controversy. He held relatively open and even relatively liberal views on many subjects that did not fit with the image and policies of the Haredi Agudath Israel of AmericaAgudath Israel of America
Agudath Israel of America , is a Haredi Jewish communal organization in the United States loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel.-Functions:...
of which he was a senior rabbi. For example, he generally identified himself with the Maimonidean-rationalist Jewish approach over the Ramchal-Maharal approach advocated by most of Orthodox Jewry. He was never elevated to its prestigious Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah refers to the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of any of several related Haredi Jewish organizations....
("Council of Torah Sages").
Rabbi Weinberg often expressed himself in a controversial and provocative manner. In Professor Helmreich's work "The World of the Yeshiva" he is typically introduced and cited as stating:
Look at the Jesus freaks, the Moonies, and all the other groups. They don't have any reality because they can't create an ongoing movement. They won't; it peters out. These are all fads that promise instant happiness which can't be. Our institutions have withstood the test of time. They've been proven to be of eternal value. This is despite the fact that it isn't easy to be in a yeshiva if one isn't serious. There's constant stress and conflict.
Death and legacy
Rabbi Weinberg succumbed to cancer that spread very quickly, surprising many people who knew him. His funeral was held at the Ner Israel yeshiva and was attended by several important rosh yeshivas, such as Rabbi Aaron SchechterAaron Schechter
Aaron Moshe Schechter is the rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and its post-graduate Talmudical division Kollel Gur Aryeh as well as of all the branches of the yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York City that includes an elementary school and a high school for young Jewish boys, teenagers,...
the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, is a Haredi Lithuanian-type yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. Established in 1904 as Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, it is the oldest yeshiva in Kings County...
and Rabbi Yaakov Perlow
Yaakov Perlow
Rabbi Yaakov Perlow is a Hasidic rebbe and rosh yeshiva living in Boro Park, Brooklyn. He is the current Novominsker Rebbe and serves as rosh of the American Agudath Israel of America, a Haredi communal organization...
the Novominsker
Novominsk (Hasidic dynasty)
Novominsk is the name of a Hasidic dynasty originating in Mińsk Mazowiecki, Poland and currently based in the United States. It also runs a yeshiva knows Yeshivas Novominsk- Kol Yehuda....
Rebbe and rosh yeshiva, both senior members of Agudath Israel of America's Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. They, like Weinberg, were all originally proteges and disciples of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn.
Weinberg was succeeded as the senior rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel yeshiva by Rabbi Kulefsky, another disciple of both Rabbi Hutner and Rabbi Ruderman; Rabbi Aharon Feldman
Aharon Feldman
Aharon Feldman is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, Maryland. He has held this position since 2001....
took his place after a short time. Unlike Rabbi Weinberg, Rabbi Feldman was accepted and serves as a full member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of the American Agudath Israel.
Following Rabbi Weinberg's death, it has been mostly the family of Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger
Herman N. Neuberger
Hermann Naftali Neuberger was an Orthodox rabbi and leader. He was the brother of Albert Neuberger CBE FRS FRCP.- Younger years :...
that has dominated the yeshiva and none of Weinberg's sons have succeeded him in any official role in the Ner Israel yeshiva. Rabbi Weinberg's son-in-law, Rabbi Beryl Weisbord, was appointed as Ner Israel yeshiva's mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
(spiritual guide); he is married to Rabbi Weinberg's daughter Dr. Aviva Weisbord who has a doctorate in psychology.
Rabbi Weinberg's son, Rabbi Matis Weinberg, has also served as rosh yeshiva of a number of institutions in America and Israel. He is presently an international lecturer on Judaism and an author of a number of Torah works. Another son, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, is a lecturer on Judaism. He was married to the daughter of Rabbi Maurice Lamm and had served in a number of rabbinical posts, including that of rabbi of the prestigious Lincoln Square Synagogue
Lincoln Square Synagogue
The Lincoln Square Synagogue at 200 Amsterdam Avenue at the corner of West 69th Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was founded as a congregation in 1964 by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
External links
- "Rebbi for America: HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg – Part II: A Time of Transition"
- Facts about Ner Israel Rabbinical College on universities.com
- Tribute to Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg at aish.com
- Lectures by Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg on torahmedia.com
- Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg on aishaudio
- Passing of HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg from Dei'ah veDibur