Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (Beis Halevi)
Encyclopedia
Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (b.1820 in Nesvizh
, Minsk Voblast, Belarus
; d.1892 in Brest-Litovsk, Brest Voblast
, Belarus) was the author of Beis Halevi, by which name he is better known among Talmud
ic scholars. He was the great-grandson of Rabbi Chaim Volozhin
.
. One anecdote illustrates his early mastery of rabbinic learning. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger
, the rabbi of Brod, enjoyed engaging in Talmud studies with him. When Yosef Dov was about to leave Brod, Rabbi Shlomo is reputed to have said to him, “You have always resolved my kushyos (difficult Talmudic questions). But I have one difficulty you cannot resolve. How will I manage to part from you?”
of Volozhin yeshiva
, together with Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
. However, they were temperamentally incompatible and, after ten years, Soloveitchik decided to leave.
. After assuming this position, he went to visit the cheder
classes where the young boys received their education. When he observed the impoverished state of many children, he arranged for lunches to be served there, paid for by the community. His son, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik
, once said that while he himself responded to peoples’ needs, his father went further and discovered on his own what their needs were. His pupils in Slutsk included Yosef Rosen
, later to gain fame as the Rogatchover Gaon
, and Zalman Sender Shapiro.
He was a fierce opponent of the Maskilim, as a result of which he left Slutzk in 1874. He then moved to Warsaw where he lived in poverty. When the rabbi of Brisk
, Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin
left for the Land of Israel
in 1877, Rabbi Soloveitchik was offered the rabbinate of Brisk. He continued to hold that position until his death in 1892, when he was succeeded by his son Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik
.
and first five books of the Hebrew Bible which were published under the title Beis HaLevi (Hebrew for 'House of the Levites').
who moved to Israel
, also known as "Yosef Dov Soloveitchik."
Nesvizh
Nesvizh is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative center of the Nesvizh District of Minsk Province and location of the Nesvizh Castle World Heritage Site. Its 2009 population is 14,300 .-History:...
, Minsk Voblast, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
; d.1892 in Brest-Litovsk, Brest Voblast
Brest Voblast
Brest Voblast or Brest Oblast is a province of Belarus with its administrative center being Brest.Important cities within the voblast' include: Baranovichi, Brest, and Pinsk.-Geography:...
, Belarus) was the author of Beis Halevi, by which name he is better known among 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 scholars. He was the great-grandson of Rabbi Chaim Volozhin
Chaim Volozhin
Chaim Volozhin was an Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and ethicist. Popularly known as "Reb Chaim Volozhiner" or simply as "Reb Chaim", he was born in Volozhin when it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
.
Early years
In his youth Yosef Dov lived in BrodBrody
Brody is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Brody Raion , and is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv...
. One anecdote illustrates his early mastery of rabbinic learning. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger
Shlomo Kluger
Solomon ben Judah Aaron Kluger , born at Komarow, Congress Poland, was chief dayyan and preacher of Brody, Galicia. He was successively Rabbi at Rawa , Kulikow , and Józefów , preacher at Brody, and Rabbi at Brezany and, again, at Brody...
, the rabbi of Brod, enjoyed engaging in Talmud studies with him. When Yosef Dov was about to leave Brod, Rabbi Shlomo is reputed to have said to him, “You have always resolved my kushyos (difficult Talmudic questions). But I have one difficulty you cannot resolve. How will I manage to part from you?”
Rosh yeshiva
Yosef Dov Soloveitchik was reputed to have one of the great minds of his time. In 1854, he was invited to become co-rosh yeshivaRosh 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 Volozhin yeshiva
Volozhin yeshiva
The Volozhin Yeshiva, also known as Etz Chaim Yeshiva, was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin, Russia, . It was founded by Rabbi Chaim Itzkovitz, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon, and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders...
, together with Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, , also known as Reb Hirsch Leib Berlin, and commonly known by the acronym Netziv, was an Orthodox rabbi, dean of the Volozhin Yeshiva and author of several works of rabbinic literature in Lithuania.- Family :Berlin was born in Mir, Russia in 1816 into a family of Jewish...
. However, they were temperamentally incompatible and, after ten years, Soloveitchik decided to leave.
Rabbinate
In 1865 Yosef Dov became Rabbi of SlutskSlutsk
Slutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).-Geography:The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.-History:...
. After assuming this position, he went to visit the cheder
Cheder
A Cheder is a traditional elementary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.-History:...
classes where the young boys received their education. When he observed the impoverished state of many children, he arranged for lunches to be served there, paid for by the community. His son, 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...
, once said that while he himself responded to peoples’ needs, his father went further and discovered on his own what their needs were. His pupils in Slutsk included Yosef Rosen
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...
, later to gain fame as 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...
, and Zalman Sender Shapiro.
He was a fierce opponent of the Maskilim, as a result of which he left Slutzk in 1874. He then moved to Warsaw where he lived in poverty. When the rabbi of Brisk
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
, Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin
Yehoshua Leib Diskin
Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin , also known as the Maharil Diskin, was a leading rabbi, Talmudist and Biblical commentator. He served as a rabbi in Łomża, Mezritch, Kovno, Shklov, Brisk and finally Jerusalem, after moving to Eretz Yisrael in 1878....
left for the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
in 1877, Rabbi Soloveitchik was offered the rabbinate of Brisk. He continued to hold that position until his death in 1892, when he was succeeded by his son 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...
.
Works
Yosef Dov composed works on the Mishneh TorahMishneh 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...
and first five books of the Hebrew Bible which were published under the title Beis HaLevi (Hebrew for 'House of the Levites').
Family tree
Yosef Dov was the great-grandfather of the eponymous Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and another descendant, Rabbi Berel SoloveitchikBerel Soloveitchik
Berel Soloveitchik was a rabbi and the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik and one of the leading Rosh Yeshivas of the Brisk yeshivas in Jerusalem, Israel. He was a first cousin to Joseph B. Soloveitchik, who was named after the Beis HaLevi, as he was...
who moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, also known as "Yosef Dov Soloveitchik."