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Elazar Shach

 
Elazar Shach

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Elazar Shach



 
 
Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach (or Rav Leizer Shach, at times his name is written as Eliezer Schach in English publications) (January 22, 1898 - November 2, 2001), was a leading Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
an-born and educated Haredi
Haredi Judaism

Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
 rabbi
Rabbi

Rabbi , in Judaism, means a religious ?teacher?, or more literally, ?my great one?, when addressing any master. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ?great?, used in many senses, including the sense of a ?master? and apprentice, whence someone who is a distinguished ?teacher?....
 who settled and lived in modern Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
.

He was the rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the Dean of a Yeshiva . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh ? meaning head, and yeshiva ? a school of religious Jewish education....
 ("dean") of the Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva

Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. It was originally established in the town of Paneve?ys, Lithuania....
 in Bnei Brak the pre-eminent yeshiva
Yeshiva

Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for Torah study, the study of Talmud, Rabbinic literature and History of responsa....
 of Lithuanian Jewry, and founded the Degel HaTorah
Degel HaTorah

Degel HaTorah is an Ashkenazi Jews Haredi Judaism List of political parties in Israel in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Israel under the name United Torah Judaism....
 political party representing Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews

Lithuanian Jews are Ashkenazi Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania .Lithuania was historically home to a large and influential Jewish community that was almost entirely eliminated during the Holocaust: see Holocaust in Lithuania....
 Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews

File:Juden 1881.JPGAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish ethnic divisions of the Rhineland in the west of Germany....
 in the Israeli Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
, many of whom considered him to be the Gadol HaDor
Gadol

Gadol or godol ???? , is a Hebrew term used mostly by Haredi Judaism Litvish Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of the Generation. These Rabbis are usually held in high esteem by other Haredi or Orthodox Jews, though not necessarily to the same degree as Litvish Jews do....
 ("great one of the generation") and used the honorific Maran ("[our] master") when referring to him.

He was recognized as a Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
ic scholar par excellence by scholars such as Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik
Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik

Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik , also known as Velvel Soloveitchik or as the Brisker Rov...
 (the Brisker Rav) and Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer

Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox Judaism rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....
 in their approbations to his works; he authored the Avi Ezri
Avi Ezri

Avi Ezri may refer to one of the following books:* Rabbi Elazar Shach's commentary on Mishneh Torah.* A book written by Rabbi Eliezer b. Joel ha-Levi....
 a commentary on the Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah

The Mishneh Torah , subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Chazaka , is a Legal code of Judaism religious law by one of the important Jewish authority Maimonides ....
.






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Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach (or Rav Leizer Shach, at times his name is written as Eliezer Schach in English publications) (January 22, 1898 - November 2, 2001), was a leading Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
an-born and educated Haredi
Haredi Judaism

Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
 rabbi
Rabbi

Rabbi , in Judaism, means a religious ?teacher?, or more literally, ?my great one?, when addressing any master. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ?great?, used in many senses, including the sense of a ?master? and apprentice, whence someone who is a distinguished ?teacher?....
 who settled and lived in modern Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
.

He was the rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the Dean of a Yeshiva . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh ? meaning head, and yeshiva ? a school of religious Jewish education....
 ("dean") of the Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva

Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. It was originally established in the town of Paneve?ys, Lithuania....
 in Bnei Brak the pre-eminent yeshiva
Yeshiva

Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for Torah study, the study of Talmud, Rabbinic literature and History of responsa....
 of Lithuanian Jewry, and founded the Degel HaTorah
Degel HaTorah

Degel HaTorah is an Ashkenazi Jews Haredi Judaism List of political parties in Israel in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Israel under the name United Torah Judaism....
 political party representing Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews

Lithuanian Jews are Ashkenazi Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania .Lithuania was historically home to a large and influential Jewish community that was almost entirely eliminated during the Holocaust: see Holocaust in Lithuania....
 Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews

File:Juden 1881.JPGAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish ethnic divisions of the Rhineland in the west of Germany....
 in the Israeli Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
, many of whom considered him to be the Gadol HaDor
Gadol

Gadol or godol ???? , is a Hebrew term used mostly by Haredi Judaism Litvish Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of the Generation. These Rabbis are usually held in high esteem by other Haredi or Orthodox Jews, though not necessarily to the same degree as Litvish Jews do....
 ("great one of the generation") and used the honorific Maran ("[our] master") when referring to him.

He was recognized as a Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
ic scholar par excellence by scholars such as Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik
Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik

Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik , also known as Velvel Soloveitchik or as the Brisker Rov...
 (the Brisker Rav) and Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer

Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox Judaism rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....
 in their approbations to his works; he authored the Avi Ezri
Avi Ezri

Avi Ezri may refer to one of the following books:* Rabbi Elazar Shach's commentary on Mishneh Torah.* A book written by Rabbi Eliezer b. Joel ha-Levi....
 a commentary on the Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah

The Mishneh Torah , subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Chazaka , is a Legal code of Judaism religious law by one of the important Jewish authority Maimonides ....
.

Life in Europe

Rav Shach was born in Wabolnick (Vabalninkas
Vabalninkas

Vabalninkas is a list of cities in Lithuania in the Bir?ai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located south of Bir?ai....
, pronounced Vaboilnik in Yiddish), a rural village in northern Lithuania
Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest....
 to Rabbi Ezriel and Batsheva Shach. The Shach family had been merchants for generations but Batsheva's family, the Levitans, were religious scholars who served various Lithuanian communities. Batsheva's brother, Rabbi Nisan Levitan, later became an important figure in the Union of Orthodox Rabbis
Union of Orthodox Rabbis

The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada also known as the Agudath Harabonim , and sometimes as the UOR, was established in 1901 in the United States and is among the oldest organizations of Orthodox Judaism rabbis which could be described as having a Haredi Judaism worldview....
. Elazar was a child prodigy, and was sent to study in the Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva

Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. It was originally established in the town of Paneve?ys, Lithuania....
 at age seven. At thirteen he moved on to the Slabodka yeshiva
Slabodka yeshiva

Slabodka yeshiva, also known as Knesses Yisroel, and later as Hebron Yeshiva or Yeshivas Hevron, was known colloquially as the "mother of yeshivas" and was devoted to high level study of the Talmud....
, where he caught the attention of its dean, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, as well as Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer

Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox Judaism rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....
, dean of the Slutsk
Slutsk

Slutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River 105 km south of Minsk. In 1995 it had a population of 62,800.Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116....
 yeshiva. Rav Shach soon became one of Rav Meltzer's favorite pupils, beginning a lifelong relationship of friendship and respect.

When World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 began in 1914, many of the Slabodka yeshiva students scattered across Europe. Rav Shach initially returned to his family but then began traveling across Lithuania from town to town, sleeping and eating wherever he could and studying with tremendous diligence in local synagogues, continuing to study Torah "as if there were no war" . After the war Rav Shach rejoined Meltzer and his son-in-law, Rabbi Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler

Rabbi Aharon Kotler was a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuanian Jews, and later the United States, where he built one of the first yeshivas in the US....
, in Kletsk
Kletsk

Kletsk is a city in the Minsk voblast of Belarus, located on the Lan river. , it had ca. 10,000 inhabitants....
, Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is 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 Enclave and exclave, to the north....
. When Meltzer returned to Slutsk, Shach followed him (the Slutsk yeshiva later gained fame as the Lakewood yeshiva in America).

Rav Meltzer became both a father figure and patron to the young Shach, even arranging his marriage with his niece, Guttel, in 1923. Rav Shach received rabbinical ordination
Semicha

Semicha , also semichut , or semicha lerabbanut 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....
 from Rav Meltzer and from 1927 to 1932 taught in the Kletsk yeshiva. He served as rosh yeshiva in Lublin
Lublin

Lublin is the largest city in Poland east of the Vistula, and the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 355,954 . It is List of cities and towns in Poland....
, then taught Talmud at the Novardok yeshiva
Novardok yeshiva

The Novardok yeshiva in Navahradak, then Lithuania, was one of the biggest and most important yeshivas in pre-World War II Europe, and a powerful force within the Mussar movement....
 as well. In 1936 he became rosh yeshiva at the Karlin
Karlin (Hasidic Dynasty)

Karlin-Stolin is the name of a hasidic dynasty originating with Rebbe Aaron the Great of Karlin in present-day Belarus. Karlin was one of the first centres of chasidim to be set up in Lithuanian Jews ....
 yeshiva in Luninets
Luniniec

Luninets is a town and administrative centre for the Luninets district in Brest Province, Belarus, before which it was in Poland and Russia and the Soviet Union ....
.

Escaping to the British Mandate of Palestine


Shortly before the start of World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 and the Holocaust
The Holocaust

The Holocaust , also known as , Churben is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, as part of a program of deliberate extermination planned and executed by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler....
, several yeshivas began considering evacuating their rabbis, students and families. Kotler eventually left for America, travelling across Siberia
Siberia

Siberia , is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of North Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the Soviet Union from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the 16th century....
 and arriving in the United States during the war. In 1939 Shach first went to Vilna, where he stayed with Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski

Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was a world renowned pre-war Dayan, Posek and Talmudic scholar in Vilnius....
. Later that year both Shach's mother and his eldest daughter fell ill and died. In early 1940 the Shach family decided to leave Lithuania. Shach's maternal uncle, Rabbi Aron Levitan, had helped Kotler get emigration visas, but Shach decided instead to go to Palestine, where Meltzer was serving as rosh yeshiva at 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....
 in Jerusalem, (Shach would later serve as rosh there as well). His uncle helped him and his family get immigration certificates and took them in after they arrived at his doorstep, destitute.

Several years after the re-establishment of the Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak

File:Location_bneibrak.pngFile:800px-Ponivez1.jpegBnei Brak is a city located on Israel's central Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, just east of Tel Aviv, in the Gush Dan and Tel Aviv District....
, he was asked to be one of its deans. He remained in the position until his passing. At this yeshiva, Shach taught many thousands of students, many of whom eventually assumed prominent positions as roshei yeshiva and rabbis.

Rabbinical career


Rav Shach was credited by many for helping revolutionize the concept of the "society of learners" in the post-war Haredi world. Under his leadership, the phenomenon of Haredi men studying in yeshiva
Yeshiva

Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for Torah study, the study of Talmud, Rabbinic literature and History of responsa....
s and kollel
Kollel

A kollel is an institute for advanced Torah study of the Talmud and of rabbinic literature for Jewish men, essentially a post-graduate yeshiva which pays married men a regular monthly stipend or annual salary to study Judaism's classic texts in depth....
s full-time, something that had been comparatively rare in Europe before World War II, became the standard in many Haredi communities in Israel, with the financial backing of Haredi communities and subsidies to young families with many children from the Israeli government. He has thousands of students occupying prominent positions in the Rabbinate, both in the United States and abroad. His works on the Mishneh Torah are regarded as classics.

Political life


Rav Shach was an unwilling member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah ????? ????? ????? is the name for the councils that are the supreme rabbinical policy-making bodies of the two Ashkenazi Jews Haredi Judaism political groups in Israel, Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel, and for the social and political group in the United States that serves as the highest ranking rabbinic policy b...
 beginning the 1970s, having been appointed to that body by the Chazon Ish, during which time he began to take special notice of the second-class situation of Sephardim in Israel, including Haredi Sephardim, who at that time were without any real political representation and generally voted for the Likud
Likud

Likud is the major center-right List of political parties in Israel in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin, largely as the "direct ideological descendant" of the Herut, in an alliance with several other right-wing and liberal parties....
 or Agudat Israel. In an attempt to give the Sephardim more political influence, Shach encouraged and guided the formation of the Sephardi Shas
Shas

Shas is a List of political parties in Israel in Israel, primarily representing Haredi Judaism Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews Judaism. Following the Israeli legislative election, 2006 in which Shas won 12 seats, it joined Ehud Olmert's coalition government and holds four cabinet posts....
 party, under the spiritual leadership of his ally, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is a Sephardi Jews Haredi Judaism rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and recognized halakha authority. He is the former Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the current spiritual leader of the Shas political party in the Israeli Knesset....
. Shas ran for the 11th Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
 in 1984, and Shach called upon his "Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews

Lithuanian Jews are Ashkenazi Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania .Lithuania was historically home to a large and influential Jewish community that was almost entirely eliminated during the Holocaust: see Holocaust in Lithuania....
" followers to vote for it in the polls, a move that many saw as key political and religious move in Shach's split with Agudat Israel. While initially Shas was largely under the aegis of Shach — who capitalized on his influence with the Sephardic party in order to pressure Agudat Israel — Yosef gradually exerted control over the party and moved it away from Shach, culminating with Shas' decision to support the Labor
Labor (Israel)

The Israeli Labor Party , generally known in Israel as Avoda is a center-left political party in Israel. It is a social democracy and Labor Zionism party, a member of the Socialist International and an observer member of the Party of European Socialists....
 party in the 13th Knesset in 1992, something both Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel opposed.

In 1988, Shach officially broke away from Agudat Israel and formed the Degel HaTorah
Degel HaTorah

Degel HaTorah is an Ashkenazi Jews Haredi Judaism List of political parties in Israel in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Israel under the name United Torah Judaism....
 ("Flag of Torah") party to represent the non-Hasidic Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews

File:Juden 1881.JPGAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish ethnic divisions of the Rhineland in the west of Germany....
 Haredim. After a bitter contest in the 1988 elections, Degel HaTorah agreed in the 1992 elections to work together with Agudat Israel under the name of United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism

United Torah Judaism is an Political alliance of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel, two small Israeli Haredi Judaism Politics of Israel in the Knesset....
, an agreement which has continued until the present.

Around 1995 Shach's political involvement slowed down, following deterioration in his health, and ceased altogether afterward. Since then the two main leaders of the party are Rabbis Elyashiv and Shteinman, of which Elyashiv is more dominant.

Rav Shach was deeply opposed to Zionism
Zionism

Zionism is the international Jewish political movement that originally supported the reestablishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine....
, both religious and secular. He was fiercely dismissive of secular Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i culture. For example, during a 1990 speech he derided kibbutz
Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a Intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The kibbutz is a form of communal living that combines socialism and Zionism....
niks as "breeders of rabbits and pigs" who did not "know what Yom Kippur is". In the same speech he said that the Labor Party had cut themselves off from their Jewish past and wished to "seek a new Torah". Shach was also critical of democracy, once referring to it "cancer", adding that "only the sacred Torah is the true democracy."

However, on diplomatic issues many considered Shach comparatively moderate to other rabbinical authorities. Shach quickly realized the tangible political benefits that Haredi society could reap if it cultivated relationships with both poles of the Israeli political spectrum, and also supported the withdrawal from land, in principle, under the Halakhic teaching of Pikuach Nefesh
Pikuach Nefesh

Pikuach nefesh is the principle in Halakha that the saving of a human life is paramount, overriding virtually any other religious consideration....
 ("the saving of a life"), in which the preservation of lives takes precedence over nearly all other obligations in the Torah, including those pertaining to the sanctity of land. Shach criticized Israeli settlements in the West Bank
West Bank

The West Bank is the eastern Part of the Palestinian territories on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel....
 and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
 (at that time mainly settled by secular and Religious Zionist
Religious Zionism

Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement is an ideology that combines Zionism and religious Judaism, basing Zionism on the principles of Torah, Talmud et al and authentic heritage....
 Jews) as "a blatant attempt to provoke the international community", and called on Haredim to avoid moving to such communities.

After the passing of Rabbi Shach, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon

is a former Israeli Prime Minister of Israel and military leader. Sharon served as Prime Minister from March 2001 until April 2006, though he was unable to carry out his duties after suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006, when he fell into a coma and entered a persistent vegetative state....
 noted the appreciation for the late Rabbi Shach's work over many years on behalf of the Torah world and all Jewish issues. "There is no doubt that we have lost an important person who made his mark over many years. I express condolences on behalf of all of us; we share in the mourning and sorrow of his family and the haredi community."

When a delegation of rabbis, headed by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein

Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Jews Orthodox Judaism rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America....
, begged him to travel to the United States to collect money for Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai

Chinuch Atzmai was founded in 1953 by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah to serve as an alternate school system for Orthodox children in Israel. It was initially led by Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin....
, he promised to think about it. They promised that he could return after three days at most, so as not to cause much bitul Torah. A short while later, Rav Shach phoned Rav Feinstein and told him that despite his desire to help the campaign, he would not be able to make the trip. “When I arrive in America, a large crowd will be waiting for me. I won’t be able to tolerate that honor,” he explained his refusal to go. “Every person has to make his utmost effort to help, but the honor that they accord me will be beyond what I can tolerate.”

Opposition to the Lubavitcher Rebbe


Rav Shach was involved in a number of public disputes with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Menachem Mendel Schneerson In 1950, upon the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, he assumed the leadership of Chabad Lubavitch....
 the Rebbe
Rebbe

Rebbe which means master, teacher, or mentor is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew language word Rabbi. It mostly refers to the leader of a Hasidic Judaism Jewish movement....
 of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch

Chabad-Lubavitch is one of the largest Hasidic Judaism movements in Orthodox Judaism, and is based in the Crown Heights, Brooklyn neighborhood of Brooklyn....
 movement from the 1970s through Rav Schneerson's death in 1994. Rav Shach accused his followers of false Messianism. Rav Shach accused Rav Schneerson of fomenting a cult of crypto-messianism around himself. He objected to Rav Schneerson's call for "forcing" the Messiah's appearance. When Rav Schneerson's followers identified him as possibly being the Messiah, Rav Shach called for a complete boycott of Chabad, its institutions and projects by its constituents. In 1988 Shach explicitly denounced Schneerson as a moshiach sheker (false messiah). Rav Shach also compared Chabad and Rav Schneerson to the followers of the 17th century false messiah Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi

Sabbatai Zevi, was a rabbi and Kabbalah who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, and later converted to Islam. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbateans movement and inspired the founding of a number of other similar sects, such as the D?nmeh in Turkey....
.

Pointing to an assertion by the Rebbe in a passage dealing primarily with his predecessor that a rebbe is ‘the Essence and Being [of G-d] placed into a body,’ Rav Schach described this as nothing short of idolatry. His followers refused to eat meat slaughtered by Lubavitch shochetim or to recognize Chabad Hasidim as adherents of authentic Judaism.

Rav Shach once described Rav Schneerson as "the madman who sits in New York and drives the whole world crazy.".

In addition to Rav Shach's objections to all Chabad members venerating Schneerson as the Messiah (both before and after his death), the two also disagreed on various issues of Jewish law and philosophy, but particularly politics. Chabad strongly opposed peace talks with the Palestinians or to relinquishing any Israeli territory under any circumstance, while Rav Shach alternately supported both left and right-wing parties in the Israeli elections. During the 1988 elections, Rav Schneerson endorsed Agudat Israel
Agudat Israel

Agudat Israel began as the original political party representing Haredi Judaism in Israel. It was the umbrella party for almost all Haredi Jews in Israel, and before that in the British Mandate of Palestine....
 over Rav Shach's newly-formed Degel HaTorah
Degel HaTorah

Degel HaTorah is an Ashkenazi Jews Haredi Judaism List of political parties in Israel in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Israel under the name United Torah Judaism....
 party, and instructed Israeli Chabad to campaign for it.

Rav Shach is quoted as saying, "Even if I knew for certain that they would burn me alive, I would still not desist in my campaign against false messianism, for this is bona fide avodoh zorah."

Rabbi Shach is quoted as saying: "I have heard claims made in my name that at a gathering connected with the upcoming elections, I said the people of Chabad are not Jews. I publicly announce that in malice do they distort my words! I spoke in Hebrew, and this is what I said: what they [Chabad] do is not the "Jewish" way. They distorted my words on purpose to damage and libel me for they think that from this they will derive some benefit and gather more votes in these elections. And when they claimed that I called them the children of an impure woman, I testify before heaven and earth that I never said words such as these but only criticized their effort to build a ritual bath that was not in line with the standards of the Chazon Ish, may the memory of this righteous man be a blessing... I do not forgive anyone who fabricates words on his own and then says that I said them. And with this I request that each and every one will pass these words to his fellow."

Despite Rav Shach's opposition to Rav Schneersohn he nevertheless recited Tehillim when Rav Schneerson fell ill. Rav Shach explained “My battle is against his erroneous approach, against the movement, but not against the people in any personal way. I pray for the Rebbe’s recovery and simultaneously, also pray that he abandon his invalid way.”

Rabbi Elya Svei
Elya Svei

Rabbi Elya Svei is the Rosh Yeshiva of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, and was internationally known for his incisive, brilliant and clear shiurim, and his ability to offer sage advice to thousands of Jews worldwide....
, one of the rosh yeshivas of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia
Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia

The Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, known as "Philly",is one of the Haredi Judaism Lithuanian Jews Yeshivas in the United States. Its rosh yeshiva are Rabbi Elya Svei and Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky....
, said in his eulogy for Shach that "Another area in which Rav Shach took the sole initiative and responsibility was in the less than popular task of protesting Messianic proclivities within Lubavitch. Rav Shach assumed the responsibility of decrying this perversion. Rav Shach started to fight this battle alone. He illuminated the truth so that others could also see the posed threat and follow his lead."

In a conversation that he had with an American rabbi in the 1980s, Rabbi Shach stated, "The Americans think that I am too controversial and divisive. But in a time when no one else is willing to speak up on behalf of our true tradition, I feel myself impelled to do so."

Position regarding Hassidim and Hassidut in general

Rav Shach wrote that he was not at all opposed to chassidim and chassidus (including Chassidus Chabad from the previous generations); he said he recognized them as "yera'im" and "shlaymim" (God-fearing and wholesome) and full of Torah and Mitzvos and fear of heaven. Shach often said and wrote that the slander spread against him about his persecution of chassidim was something he could never forgive, for it had transformed him into a baal machlokes, a disputant, at a time when he loved peace and pursued it to the nth degree. He is quoted as saying, "We are fighting against secularism in the yeshivas. Today, with Heaven's help, people are learning Torah in both Chassidic and Lithuanian yeshivos. In my view there is no difference between them; all of them are important and dear to me. In fact, go ahead and ask your Chassidic friends with us at Ponevezh if I distinguish between Chassidic and Lithuanian bochurim." In a letter which was printed together with his responsa and essays, he writes, "G-d forbid that it be said that there exists a controversy between misnagdim and chassidim. This is pure intentional maligning and hatemongering . . . a reprehensible sin, which cannot be pardoned. I do not forgive this libel, and all the students who studied with us can testify that we never differentiated or discriminated between chassidic students and yeshivish ones. Each one respects the other."

Rabbi Shach always showed great respect toward Chassidic bochurim who studied well.

Support from other Haredi leaders

In 1982, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein

Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Jews Orthodox Judaism rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America....
, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky
Yaakov Kamenetsky

Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , was a prominent rosh yeshiva, posek and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community.He was born in the hamlet of Kalushkove, Lithuania, in 1891....
, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, and others signed a document which protested the slander being said about Rabbi Shach. The document protested "the slander and vituperation [being leveled] against one of the greatest of our generation's gedolim, the elder of the roshei hayeshivos in Eretz Yisroel, who raises the banner of daas Torah high and expresses the Torah's views on every matter relating to Klal Yisroel."

Whenever it would come to signing a public proclamation or letter on behalf of Klal Yisrael, the Steipler insisted that Rav Shach's signature appear before his. It was not uncommon for the Steipler to come to Rav Shach unannounced in order to consult with him on a matter of vital concern for the Jewish people. Rabbi Shlesinger, son-in-law of Rabbi Shlomo Lorenzc, lived in Bnei Brak and served as an emissary between Rav Schach and the Steipler. On many occasions, when Rabbi Shlesinger would bring the Steipler documents and letters from Rabbi Schach to sign, the Steipler would sign them without even reading them. The Steipler constantly said that since Rav Schach did not move daled amos without Torah, the Ribono shel Olam gave him the ability to pasken in every aspect of this generation’s needs.

When Rabbi Schach was alive, few roshei yeshivot anywhere in the world would expel a student without consulting with Rabbi Schach and his investigating the matter.

Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum
Shmuel Berenbaum

Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum was the rosh yeshiva of the Mir yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York City which includes an elementary school and a high school, as well as its post-graduate Talmudical Academy....
 had wanted so much l’achar mei’ah v’esrim shanah to speak in learning with Rav Shach, zt’l, and Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l. But he was concerned that since they were tremendous tzadikim and had suffered greatly, he would not be put within their sphere in Shamayim. He felt he needed yesurim to reach their madreigah.

  • "Rabbi Shach is the Gadol Hador.” - Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
    Chaim Kanievsky

    Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky is a world-renowned Haredi Judaism rabbi and posek living in Bnei Brak, Israel.He is the author of several works of halakha, such as Derech Emunoh , on agricultural laws, Derech Chochmoh , on the laws of the Jewish temple rites, and Shoneh Halachos ....


  • The Brisker Rav, Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik once mentioned to a close student that since his father, 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....
    , passed away, he had no one with whom to “talk in learning” until he met Rabbi Shach. In his approbation to Avi Ezri
    Avi Ezri

    Avi Ezri may refer to one of the following books:* Rabbi Elazar Shach's commentary on Mishneh Torah.* A book written by Rabbi Eliezer b. Joel ha-Levi....
    , Rabbi Shach's work on the Rambam, the Brisker Rav wrote, "The gaon Rav Elozor Menachem, shlita, does not need any haskomoh from anyone, for he is a very great man and his power in Torah is great, [together] with acuity, thorough knowledge and a profound understanding of the pshat, on the level of the gedolim of our generation."


  • "Ha’emes ahuv etzlo, Truth is precious to him" - The Chazon Ish, Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz


  • ". . .since my relative, the Gaon Rav Eliezer Shach shlita joined the yeshiva as a maggid shiur, and I have it on reliable information from members of that Yeshiva that the learning is on a superior level especially now that my above relative has been accepted there, for he is great in Torah and influencing others in Torah " - Rabbi Aron Kotler in a letter to Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky


  • "Rav Shach shmekt ois. Rav Shach can sense a dangerous situation much quicker than I can."- Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld


  • "You should ask HaRav Shach. His guiding, primary axiom is daas Torah." "Yad, yad, peh, peh. His hand is my hand and his mouth is my mouth. Whatever he says or writes is as if it were coming from me." "I do not know how HaRav Shach studies. But one thing I am sure of: his initial impression is the psak halocho. He does not have to look it up in any sefer, just ask him the question and the first thing he tells you is the psak halocho." - the Steipler, Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky
    Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky

    Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, known as The Steipler or The Steipler Gaon , was a rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and posek .He was born in the Ukraine town of Horensteipl, from which his appellation, "the Steipler", was later derived....


  • "If you would cut his veins, you would not see blood flowing; you would see Rashbas and Rav Akiva Eigers!" "His limud is my amulet." - Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
    Isser Zalman Meltzer

    Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox Judaism rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....


  • "If Maran R' Shach is willing to join, he is no lesser versed in halochoh than in the chidushei Torah upon which he expounds in his yeshiva. He is a gaon beyond compare, and if he takes it upon himself to deal in halochoh, he will be the greatest of poskim." - Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
    Shlomo Zalman Auerbach

    Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach , was a renowned Rabbi, Posek and Rosh Yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Israel....


  • "I bear full witness that the Rosh Yeshiva was an averred hater of controversy and dissension; he despised it. One cannot describe to what extent it was abhorrent to him. He was an extreme pursuer of truth but without allowing any forgoing of kvod Shomayim in the least. He would not permit any leniency on fundamental, ideological issues of Torah and Yiddishkeit; these were things relegated to a trustworthy heart . . . Maran said to me, `This can I testify before the Heavenly Court: I dealt with communal matters with honesty and trustworthiness.' " "My father and rebbi zt"l [Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
    Shlomo Zalman Auerbach

    Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach , was a renowned Rabbi, Posek and Rosh Yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Israel....
    ] said Am Yisroel has not had such a leader for many generations, and I heard the same thing said by Rabban Shel Kol Bnei HaGoloh Maran HaRav Elyashiv shlita [Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv]. I heard this from both of them on several occasions. . . Once somebody asked avi mori gaon Yisroel [Rabbi S.Z. Auerbach] regarding a certain directive Rabbeinu Hagadol zt"l had issued. My father got very angry and told him that despite everything we know about Maran and his achievements and the strength of his decisions and approach, more of him remains hidden than revealed, and he is considered a tzaddik nistar. - Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach
    Shmuel Auerbach

    Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach is a prominent Haredi Judaism rabbi living in Jerusalem, Israel. He is regarded as one of the leading non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jews rabbis today....


  • "If someone takes the burden of the klal upon himself, it stems from concern for each and every individual. We find this with the gedolim. . . This means that although the foundation of our life and vitality is certainly limud hatorah, where there is no one to make the dejected happy, the Torah itself obligates those who study it to go and cheer them up. The Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh, Rav Shach zt"l, personified this. He was the father for individuals and therefore carried the burden of the klal." - Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro


Family

Rav Shach had three children, all born in Kletsk in the 1920s: Miriam Raisel, Devorah, and Ephraim. Miriam Raisel died as a teenager in 1939 of pneumonia
Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an Inflammation illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolus inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....
. Devorah married Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman, a Torah scholar in Israel, and had several children. Ephraim was unsatisfied with the Haredi lifestyle and eventually became a member of the Religious Zionist camp. He served in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew Acronym and initialism Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the GOC Army Headquarters, Israeli Air Force and Israeli navy....
, received a doctorate
Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree that in most countries represents the highest level of formal study or research in a given field. In some countries it also refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to practice in a specific profession ....
 in history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
 and philosophy
Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
, and presently works as a supervisor for the Israel Ministry of Education.

Rebbetzin
Rebbetzin

Rebbitzin or Rabbanit is the title used for the wife of a rabbi, typically from the Orthodox Judaism, or Haredi Judaism, and Hasidic Judaism movements....
 Guttel Schach died in 1969 from complications relating to diabetes.

Quotes


  • "I remember how I was educated in my parents' home: when my yarmulke fell off my head, I was taught that you had to cry from distress. They were guided by a concern for the punctilious observance of mitzvos
    Mitzvah

    This article is about commandments in Judaism. For the Jewish rite of passage, see Bar Mitzvah and Bat MitzvahMitzvah is a word used in Judaism to refer to the 613 Mitzvot given in the Torah and the Mitzvah#Rabbinical_mitzvot instituted later for a total of 620....
    . Once I woke up after the zman Krias Shema
    Shema Yisrael

    Shema Yisrael are the first two words of a section of the Torah that is a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish services. The first verse encapsulates the Monotheism essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." The Shema is considered the most important prayer in Judaism, and its twice-daily recit...
     according to the Magen Avraham
    Avraham Gombiner

    Abraham Abele Gombiner , known as the Magen Avraham, born in Gabin , Poland, was a rabbi, Talmudist and a leading religious authority in the Jewish community of Kalisz, Poland during the seventeenth century....
     and I burst out crying and continued to cry about it all day long."


Correspondence with other gedolim

  • Letter to R' Shach from the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz, regarding Torah discussion which R' Shach wrote in Knesses Yisroel publication
  • Letters from R' Shach to Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
    Chaim Ozer Grodzinski

    Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was a world renowned pre-war Dayan, Posek and Talmudic scholar in Vilnius....
     regarding various Torah subjects
  • Correspondnce between R' Shach and Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer
    Isser Zalman Meltzer

    Isser Zalman Meltzer, , was a famous Lithuanian Orthodox Judaism rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishne Torah....
     regarding various Torah subjects
  • Correspondnce between R' Shach and Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner
    Yitzchok Hutner

    Yitzchok Hutner was an Orthodox Judaism rabbi and American rosh yeshiva born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidic Judaism and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jews roots....
     regarding various Torah subjects
  • Correspondnce between R' Shach and Rabbi Mordechai Gifter
    Mordechai Gifter

    Rabbi Mordechai Gifter was the rosh yeshiva of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland and among the foremost religious leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the late 20th century....
     regarding various Torah subjects
  • Letter from R' Shach to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
    Moshe Feinstein

    Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Jews Orthodox Judaism rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America....
    , Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky
    Yaakov Kamenetsky

    Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky , was a prominent rosh yeshiva, posek and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community.He was born in the hamlet of Kalushkove, Lithuania, in 1891....
    , and Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum
  • Letters from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
    Moshe Feinstein

    Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Jews Orthodox Judaism rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America....
     to R' Shach


Bibliography


  • Avi Ezri
    Avi Ezri

    Avi Ezri may refer to one of the following books:* Rabbi Elazar Shach's commentary on Mishneh Torah.* A book written by Rabbi Eliezer b. Joel ha-Levi....
     - Commentary on Yad ha-Chazaka of Rambam
  • Yigias Erev - Lectures (from later years) on various masechtos
  • Bais Hamedrash - Lectures given in Yeshivas Rashbi in Bnei Brak
    Bnei Brak

    File:Location_bneibrak.pngFile:800px-Ponivez1.jpegBnei Brak is a city located on Israel's central Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, just east of Tel Aviv, in the Gush Dan and Tel Aviv District....
  • Gilyonos Minchas Chinuch - Comments on Minchat Chinuch
    Minchat Chinuch

    Minchat Chinuch is a legal commentary on the Sefer ha-Chinuch. It was written by Yosef Ben Moshe Babad , Av Beit Din of Ternopil#Jewish_Ternopil....
  • Mishnas Rabbeinu - Compilation of letters which include insights on various masechtos
  • Shiurei Rabbeinu Avi Ezri - Lectures on various mashectos
  • Kovetz Hadrachah L'ben Yeshiva - Guidance to yeshiva
    Yeshiva

    Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for Torah study, the study of Talmud, Rabbinic literature and History of responsa....
     students
  • Sefer Hagilyonos - Comments on various sefarim
  • Michavim U'maamarim - Six volumes of letters and articles
  • Hee Sichasi - Talks from later years
  • Machsheves Zikainim - Talks said at various times
  • Machsheves Mussar - Compilation of mussar talks
  • Shimusha shel Torah - By Rabbi Asher Bergman. Two volumes. Volume 1 is Rabbi Shach's memories of various gedolim. Volume 2 is about Rabbi Shach.
  • M'rosh Emanah - Thoughts on the weekly Torah portion
  • Torascha Shashuai - Thoughts on the weekly Torah portion
  • Hamelech Hamishpat - Talks for Elul
    Elul

    Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days....
     and Yamim Noraim
  • Orchos Hayeshiva - By Rabbi Asher Bergman - A collection of maamarim, sichot and stories from Rabbi shach. On limudei torah and yirat shumayim and hashkafah for bnei yeshivah
  • P'neenai Rabbeinu Ha'Avi Ezri - By Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Shulsinger
  • Lulei Toratcha - Stories from the life of Rabbi Shach, as it is related to the weekly Torah portion - Published by Ohr HaSefer
  • Haggadah - Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach - A Pesach Haggadah interwoven with fascinating stories related to Rabbi Shach - Published by Hotzaat Tvunah
  • Yeshurun - Volumes 11-12 (In memory of Rabbi Shach) - Contains many Torah discussions from Rabbi Shach


Biographies and stories:
  • Manhig Shel Dor - Published by Ohr HaSefer
  • Maran Rosh Hayeshiva Rav Shach - by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Stern. The first comprehensive biographical sketch to appear in Hebrew after the demise of Rabbi Shach - Published by Israel Book Shop
  • Maran Horav Shach - by Rabbi Asher Bergman
  • B'Mechitzasam Shel Gedolei HaTorah #1 - By Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz


English Books:

  • HaRav Schach: Conversations : Stories to Inspire the Yeshiva World - By El?azar Mena?em Man Shakh, Asher ben Me'ir Tsevi Bergman, Yaakov Blinder - Published by Feldheim Publishers, 2004 - ISBN 9781583306710 ISBN 1583306714
  • The Rav Shach Haggadah - By Rabbi Shalom Meir Wallach - Published by ArtScroll / Mesorah, 2003 - ISBN 1578-19737-6 ISBN 978-1578-19737-8
  • In Their Shadow: Wisdom and Guidance of the Gedolim Volume One: Chazon Ish, Brisker Rav, Rav Shach [Translated from the Hebrew title B'Mechitzasam Shel Gedolei Hador #1]- By Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz - Published by Feldheim - ISBN 978-1-59826-207-0
  • The Rosh Yeshiva Remembers - Stories that inspire the yeshiva world, as retold by Rabbi Eliezer Menachem Man Shach, shlita - [Translated from Vol. 1 of Shimusha shel Torah] By Rabbi Asher Bergman - Published by Mesorah Publications - ISBN 1578194598 ISBN 9781578194599
  • Rav Shach on Chumash - By Rabbi Asher Bergman - Published by Mesorah Publications - ISBN 1578193613 ISBN 781578193615
  • Rav Shach Speaks - A collection of the letters, speeches and writings of Maran HaRav Shach - By Rabbi Asher Bergman, Bnei Brak, Israel 1999. Translated by Gavriel Rubin ; edited for context by Dov B. Lederman ; final editing by M. Rosenzweig.


  • Torah Leaders - By The Jewish Observer Mesorah Publications - ISBN 1-57819-773-2


External links

Obituaries:
  • , by Lawrence Joffe, The Guardian
    The Guardian

    Sorry, no overview for this topic
  • by David Landau, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
    Jewish Telegraphic Agency

    The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news agency serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world. The JTA was founded on February 6 1917 by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and affecting the Jewish communities of the Jewish diaspora as wel...
  • by Joel Greenberg, The New York Times
    The New York Times

    The New York Times is an American daily newspaper published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"?named for its staid appearance and style?is regarded as a national newspaper of record....
  • in Telegraph


Eulogies and Articles about Rabbi Shach:
  • from Rav Dayan Binyamin Beeri of Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh
    Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh

    Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh is a major yeshiva in Israel near the city of Ashdod and adjacent to Kvutzat Yavne....
  • written by Shlomo Katz
  • from Yated Ne'eman
    Yated Ne'eman

    Yated Ne'eman is an Israeli daily Hebrew language newspaper based in Bnei Brak. The Hebrew edition is published daily except on the Jewish Sabbath....
  • by Rabbi Yisroel Friedman
  • by Rabbi Avi Shafran
    Avi Shafran

    Avi Shafran is a Haredi Judaism rabbi who serves as the Director of Public Affairs for Agudath Israel of America, an organization established to meet the needs and viewpoint of many Haredi Judaism Jews in the United States....
  • by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky [Printed in Jewish Observer]
  • by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky [Printed in Yated Neeman]
  • by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky [Printed in Yated Neeman]
  • given by Rabbi Elya Svei
    Elya Svei

    Rabbi Elya Svei is the Rosh Yeshiva of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, and was internationally known for his incisive, brilliant and clear shiurim, and his ability to offer sage advice to thousands of Jews worldwide....
  • given by Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman
  • from Jerusalem Post
  • by Rabbi Dovid Zaritsky
  • by Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz
  • by Jonathan Rosenblum
  • by Jonathan Rosenblum
  • by Yisroel Spiegel
  • by Rabbi Mordechai Friedman
  • by A. Cohen
  • by Rav Zvi Friedman
  • by Rav Zvi Friedman
  • by D. Saks
  • By Nosson Zeev Grossma
  • by Yated Ne'eman Staff
  • by Rabbi O. Bergman


Audio:

  • Rabbi Hanoch Teller
    Hanoch Teller

    Rabbi Hanoch Teller is a world-renowned Orthodox Judaism lecturer and prolific author who popularized the Jewish literary genre of true, contemporary stories to convey inspirational and ethical themes....
     discussing the life of Rabbi Shach:
  • by Rabbi Aharon Kahn of Yeshiva University
    Yeshiva University

    Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a leading research institution, ranked 50th in the United States among national universities in 2008.....


Videos:
  • at Binyanei HaUma.
  • at Yad Eliyahu Arena on March 26, 1990.


Misc.:
  • by Rabbi Gershon Eidelstein
  • by Rabbi Shach
  • by Yated Ne'eman Staff
  • by Yated Ne'eman Staff


Pictures: