Rabbi Y.S. Eliashiv

Yosef Shalom Eliashiv (יוסף שלום אלישיב), (b. 1910) is a Haredi rabbi and posek ("decisor" of Jewish law) who lives in Jerusalem, Israel. Image File history File links Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv This work is copyrighted. ... -1... Haredi or Charedi Judaism, often also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbÄ«;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbÄ«) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools (and among Sefaradim today) the sages... Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... Jerusalem (31°46′N 35°14′E; Hebrew: (help· info) Yerushalayim; Arabic: (help· info) al-Quds, Greek Ιεροσόλυμα), is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ...

Well into his nineties, he is nevertheless somewhat lucid and active and remains the paramount leader of Israel's Lithuanian non-Hasidic Haredi Ashkenazi Jews (sometimes called by the old label of mitnagdim) who regard him as the posek ha-dor (Hebrew: "Decisor [of] the Generation"), the leading authority on Torah law, i.e. halakha, at the present time. Hasidic Judaism (from the Hebrew: Chasidut חסידות, meaning pious, from the Hebrew root word chesed חסד meaning loving kindness) is a Haredi Jewish religious movement. ... Haredi or Charedi Judaism, often also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, Aškanazi, Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAškănāzî, ʾAškănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... Mitnagdim (also: misnagdim) is a Hebrew word (מתנגדים) meaning opponents; this term was used to refer to European religious Jews who opposed Hasidic Judaism. ... Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ... Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel with the West Bank, the United States, and Jewish communities around the world. ... Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

Family

He is a grandson of the famous kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Ben Hayim Haikel Eliashiv (the Leshem) (1841-1925) from Shavel, Lithuania. His mother's given name was Chaya Moussa. His wife was the daughter of Rabbi Aryeh Levine. His son in-law is Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, an important posek who lives in Bnei Brak, Israel. This article is about the overall Jewish mysticisms tradition. ... Location Ethnographic region Samogitia County Šiauliai County Municipality Šiauliai city municipality Elderate Number of elderates 2 Coordinates 55°56′N 23°19′E General information Capital of Šiauliai County Šiauliai city municipality Šiauliai district municipality Population (rank) 129,075 in 2005 (4th) First mentioned 1236 Granted city rights 1589 Šiauliai... Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky is a Haredi rabbi and posek (decisor of Jewish law) living in Bnei Brak, Israel. ... Mentioned as one of the cities in the portion of the Tribe of Dan (Yehoshua 19:45), Bnei Brak is famous in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 32b) as the seat of Rabbi Akivas court, and in the Pesach Haggada as the site of the all-night Pesach Seder of Rabbi...

Work and influence

Rabbi Eliashiv is the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah party in the Israeli Knesset (Israel's parliament) and holds great influence over the policies of the party, currently united with Agudat Israel through the umbrella United Torah Judaism list in the Knesset. Degel HaTorah abides by all his rulings and instructions. Similarly, he has great influence over the formal Orthodox rabbinate of the State of Israel, and it is reported that Israel's most recent Chief Rabbis were appointed because of his recommendations. This article needs cleanup. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... Categories: Organization stubs | Israel-related stubs | Israeli political parties | Orthodox Judaism ... United Torah Judaism (In Hebrew: יהדות התורה which translates as Judaism [of the] Torah) (UTJ) is a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. ... Chief rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognised religious leader of that countrys Jewish community. ...

He does not head a congregation, or a yeshiva, or a community as such, but spends his days in deep Talmudical study, delivering some highly specialized classes in Talmud and Shulkhan Arukh at a local synagogue in the Meah Shearim area in Jerusalem where he lives, and receives supplicants from all over the world, answering multitudes of complex Halakhic inqueries. Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, which Jewish tradition considers authoritative. ... The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, which Jewish tradition considers authoritative. ... The Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: Prepared Table), by Rabbi Yosef Karo is considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish law since the Talmud. ... Lesko synagogue, Poland A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ... Meah Shearim, Hundred Gates, is one of the oldest neighborhoods of extra-mural Jerusalem. ... Jerusalem (31°46′N 35°14′E; Hebrew: (help· info) Yerushalayim; Arabic: (help· info) al-Quds, Greek Ιεροσόλυμα), is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ...

Most rosh yeshivas ("yeshiva deans") associated with the Agudath Israel of America movement actively and frequently seek out his opinions and follow his advice and guidelines concerning a wide array of policy and communal issues affecting the welfare of Orthodox Judaism. A Rosh yeshiva (Hebrew: ראש ישיבה) (plural in Hebrew: Roshei yeshiva, but also referred to in the English form as Rosh yeshivas) is a rabbi who is the academic head, or rosh (ראש), of a yeshiva (ישיבה), a college of higher Talmudic study. ... Agudath Israel of America or Agudas Yisroel of America or Agudas Yisrael of America or simply the Agudah (agudah is Hebrew for gathering or union ), is an Orthodox Jewish communal organization affiliated with the international Agudath Israel movement. ... Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary...

Among many Torah scholars, he is also regarded as a Kabbalist, but this aspect of his work is almost never publicly revealed. This article is about the overall Jewish mysticisms tradition. ...

The Halakhic rulings and insights of Rabbi Eliashiv have been recorded in many books. The multi-volume Kovetz Teshuvos contains the responsa resulting from questions asked of him over the years. His insights on the Torah are in his book called Divrei Aggadah. A Haggadah for Pesach including Rabbi Eliashiv's insights and Halachic rulings was recently printed. Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions addressed to them. ... Aggadah ( Aramaic אגדה: tales, lore; pl. ...

Rulings

Most of Rabbi Eliashiv's opinions in matters of Jewish law have been recorded by rabbis seeking his opinion and are considered to be Daat Torah. This phenomenon, rare before the 20th century, has occurred with several other prominent decisors, such as Rabbis Moshe Feinstein and Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. He has not published all his rulings himself (while Rabbis Feinstein and Auerbach mostly did). There is some quiet debate as to why he has chosen not to put all his major rulings into print, and opinion varies that it may be because he has issued some lenient rulings that may anger some to the right of his positions, or that his decisions are of a highly secretive and confidential nature. Daat Torah (or Daas Torah) (Hebrew: דעת תורה. Literally, Knowledge of Torah) is an important basic concept in present-day Jewish Haredi society. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach July 20, 1910 (23 Tammuz 5670)- February 20, 1995 (20 Adar 5755), was a renowned rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva. ...

As an example of his rulings, in 1999 he was asked if Kollel scholars who engage in outreach work by teaching basic Judaism to secular or assimilated Israelis should still be paid as "full time scholars" even though they must leave the study halls of their yeshivas in order to go out and teach those with a lesser background. Rabbi Eliashiv stated forcefully that it would be a sin to decrease the stipend, as the time taken off was spent on matters affecting the whole Jewish people, and not for the students' own pursuits. By doing so, he "gave [...] recognition to the principle that doing [outreach] work one evening a week is a mandatory obligation incumbent upon every single member of the [...] community.¹ 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... A Kollel is an institute for Jewish learning for adults; they have traditionally been a Yeshiva for married men. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 14 million followers (as of 2005 [1]). It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ...

Due to some of his position, he has been involved in several controversies. A notable example is his ban on the use of hair procured from certain Hindu religious ceremonies in the wigs worn by many observant Jewish women as sheitels, a form of head covering.² A Hindu (archaic Hindoo), as per modern definition is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of the Indian subcontinent and the island of Bali. ... WIG, originally an acronym for Warszawski Indeks GieÅ‚dowy (Warsaw Stock Exchange Index) is the oldest index for the Warsaw Stock Exchange. ...

Policy positions

As is somewhat typical with many Haredi political and spiritual figures, it is difficult to identify Rabbi Eliashiv's religious politics accurately. In 1998, he issued a ruling permitting the IDF to relocate graves in the Gaza Strip in order to make new roads. He suffered a small backlash from angry protestors, who engaged in minor vandalism against his property.³, ⁴, ⁵ The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ...

Various reports had him endorsing George W. Bush during the 2004 elections, who he deemed an Oheiv Yisrael ("lover of Israel"). ⁶, ⁷ Eliashiv quietly opposed the Gaza disengagement of 2005, but repeatedly stated his support for a public referendum, in contrast to some of his rabbinical colleagues who opposed any measure that would have granted the plan "legitimacy", such as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.⁸ Although Rabbi Eliashiv's Degel HaTorah MKs voted against Sharon's plan in 2004 Knesset sessions ⁹, he later permitted them to join Sharon's coalition in January 2005, mainly in exchange for funding Haredi schools and for maintaining the status quo not to conscript Haredi youth into the Israeli army.¹⁰, ¹¹ George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States and former governor of Texas. ... Presidential election results map. ... Israels unilateral disengagement plan (Hebrew: תוכנית ההתנתקות (the official name) or תוכנית ההנתקות; also known as the disengagement plan, Gaza Pull-Out plan, and Gaza Expulsion plan by its opponents) is a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to remove all permanent Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip and from northern Samaria... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... Bold textOvadia Yosef (born Abdullah Youssef in 1920) is an Israeli Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Talmud scholar and a recognized authority in halakha (Jewish Law). He is the former Sephardic chief rabbi of the State of Israel and is the current spiritual leader of the Shas political party in Israel. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ...

In 2004, Rabbi Eliashiv was the subject of some controversy in the secular Israeli media, following the publication of a collection of his responsa in which he claimed cancer was a "punishment (because) people distanced themselves from religion".¹² The comment, found in the introduction to Rabbi Eliashiv's responsa, attributes a general increase of cancer among the population to the population's sins. This is in line with common custom in rabbinical responsa to attribute maladies and problems affecting the Jewish people in general (not to the exclusion of those problems additionally affecting other populations) to the Jewish people's sins in general. Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions addressed to them. ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ...

In 2005, he signed a document along with several other prominent Haredi rabbis banning the books of Rabbi Natan Slifkin (known as the "Zoo rabbi") citing concerns about "heretical comments". This referred to perceived incongruities between Slifkin's published opinions about Judaism's views of science and the positions held some of the sages in the Talmud. Natan (Nosson) Slifkin (born 1975) is an Orthodox rabbi best known for his interest in biology, zoology, and natural history, and for his books on these topics. ... The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, which Jewish tradition considers authoritative. ...

See also

• Posek
• Daat Torah
• Halakha

Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ... Daat Torah (or Daas Torah) (Hebrew: דעת תורה. Literally, Knowledge of Torah) is an important basic concept in present-day Jewish Haredi society. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

Footnotes

• Note 1: Moshe Schapiro. Halachic Ruling Redefines Role of Kiruv Work in Eretz Yisroel. Dei'ah veDibur, April 21, 1999 (article).
• Note 2: Yosef Shalom Eliashiv. Letter from HaRav Eliashiv. Dei'ah veDibur, June 2, 2002 [1]
• Note 3: Rachel S. Hallote and Alexander H. Joffe. The Politics of Israeli Archaeology: Between 'Nationalism' and 'Science' in the Age of the Second Republic. Israel Studies, 7:3, 2002.

"Also in 1998, an interesting dispute arose within the ultra-Orthodox community when Rabbi Shalom Eliashiv of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Council ruled that a Roman burial ground on the course of a planned road to the new suburb of Pisgat Ze'ev could be moved, a decision which was met by denunciations and stoning of the elderly rabbi's car." Baal teshuva (or baal teshuvah) (Hebrew: master of repentance) or chozer bi-teshuva (one who returns in repentance) refers to a Jew (often secular) who has adopted strict observance of Judaism, or a more Jewishly observant lifestyle than previously practiced. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2 June is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ...

• Note 4: Associated Press, September 7, 1998. (only cache available)

"On Thursday night, protesters who accuse Eliashiv of disrespect for the dead threw stones and bottles at the rabbi's car and at the windows of a yeshiva, or religious school, where he was teaching a lesson at the time. Abraham Ravitz, an ultra-Orthodox member of the Israeli parliament, condemned the attacks, calling the stone throwers "hooligans and fanatics."" September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

• Note 5: Amy Klein. Graves removal resumes today on Jerusalem's Route 1. Jerusalem Post, September 30, 1998.
• Note 6: Shahar Ilan. The long arms of Rabbi Elyashiv and of the Knesset. Ha'aretz, November 18, 2004. (only cache available)
• Note 7: Avishai Ben-Haim. Orthodox leader Rabbi Elyahsiv rules Haredis should vote for Bush. Ma'ariv International, October 27, 2004. only cache available
• Note 8: Referendum supporters win chance to put vote before Knesset plenum. Israel Insider, March 23, 2005. [2]
• Note 9: Knesset Approves Disengagement Plan, from Jewish Virtual Library, October 26, 2004.
• Note 10: Joshua Brilliant. Sharon has a new coalition. United Press International, January 6, 2004. [3]
• Note 11: Attila Somfalvi. Sharon urges Likud to back budget. Yediot Aharonot (English), March 23, 2004. [4]
• Note 12: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich. Rabbi slammed for saying cancer is punishment. Jerusalem Post, August 5, 2004.(Reproduction of article)

September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in...

External links

• A Jewish listerv with several archived discussions of Eliashiv's ruling on wigs.
• A blogger's reaction to the wig ruling.
• A short discussion of Eliashiv's cancer comment on a Jewish listerv.
• An atheist reaction to Eliashiv's cancer comment
• A short description of listening to one of Eliashiv's lectures
• Description of of Yosef Shalom Eliashiv's grandfather (article in russian)