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Meir Shapiro
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- For other people with a similar name, see Meyer Shapiro
Yehuda Meir Shapiro, (March 3, 1887 - October 27, 1933), was a prominent Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva. He is noted for his promotion of the Daf Yomi in 1923 and establishment of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva in 1930.
da Meir Shapiro was born in the city of Suczawa, Austria, in the recent territory of Romania, in 1887.
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- For other people with a similar name, see Meyer Shapiro
Yehuda Meir Shapiro, (March 3, 1887 - October 27, 1933), was a prominent Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva. He is noted for his promotion of the Daf Yomi in 1923 and establishment of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva in 1930.
Biography
Early years
Yehuda Meir Shapiro was born in the city of Suczawa, Austria, in the recent territory of Romania, in 1887. He was a descendant of Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro of Korets. After cheder, Rabbi Shapiro began to study with his grandfather, the “Minchas Shai”. Another of his early teachers was Rabbi Shulem Moshkovitz (popularly known as the Sitzutzer Rebbe. He was also a well know kabbalist). Shapiro began to get a reputation, and became known as the Illui of Shatz. From an early age, he was known as an outstanding leader and gifted speaker. He was soon ordained by many great scholars, including Rabbi Sholom Mordechai and the Cohen of Brezhin (the Maharsham). He was appointed Rabbi of Gliniany at the age of 24, founding a yeshiva there - a pattern he would repeat in Sanok and Petrakov.
His grandfather introduced him to the Chortkover Rebbe, and this began his passion for chassidus, and the beginning of his relationship with the Chortkover Rebbe.
Galina
His first rabbinical posting came at the age of 23, when he was appointed Rabbi of Galina. He spent ten years in the city, in which time he established a yeshiva called Bnei Torah. Construction commenced in 1920. The Yeshiva held a Talmud Torah, a place to train rabbis, and a kitchen to feed orphaned children. It ran at a budget of over half a million marks. This Yeshivah was served as a prototype for what was later to become Chachmei Lublin.
Sonok
After leaving Galina, Rabbi Shapiro began tenure as Rabbi of Sonok.
Petrakov
His next posting was to Petrakov.
Lublin
On 14 June 1931, he was appointed Rabbi of Lubin in the old synagogue of the Maharshal.
Daf Yomi
Rabbi Shapiro founded the revolutionary idea of (Heb. ?? ???? "page [of the] day" or "daily folio") is a yearly regimen undertaken to study the Babylonian Talmud one folio (a daf consists of both sides of the page) each day. Under this regimen, the entire Talmud is completed, one day at a time, in a cycle of seven and a half years.Rabbi Shapiro introduced his idea Sunday 19 August 1923 during the Kenesia Gedola (Great Assembly) in Vienna, of the first international Aguda convention. Daf Yomi has been taken up since by thousands of Jews worldwide. The last Siyum (public celebation marking the completion of the cycle) took place on 1 March 2005 with an estimated 120,000 in attendance, worldwide. It was organized by Agudath Israel of America. The next Siyum HaShas is scheduled to take place on 2 August 2012.
Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin
Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva was, along with Daf Yomi, the largest achievement of Rabbi Shapiro. He conceived of a yeshiva for Chassidic Poland, modeled on Lithuanian yeshivahs such as Volozhin, Slobodka and Novardok, but which would train Chassidic rabbis as the next generation to lead Polish Jewry. The Yeshiva was housed in a massive building, housed hundreds of students and had a vast library of over 100,000 books.
On May 22-28, 1924, the cornerstone laying ceremony took place for the construction of the yeshiva building. Approximately 20,000 people participated in the event.
The opening ceremony took place on June 24-25, 1930. Apart from thousands of local Jews, around 10,000 people arrived from all over Poland and abroad.
Rabbi Shapiro served as the yeshiva's teacher and rosh yeshiva until his death.
Lodz
In 1932 rabbi Shapiro was approached by leaders of the Jewish Community of Lodz, who wanted to offer him the position of Chief Rabbi of Lodz. Many people wanted to appoint Rabbi Mendel Alter of Kalish, (b. 1877, Ger) the brother to the Gerrer Rebbe (and youngest son of the Sfas Emes) to this position. Rabbi Shapiro negotiated that a large part of his wage would go to pay off the debts that Chachmei Lublin was still struggling to pay off. Eventually it was decided to give it to Rabbi Shapiro. After all the protracted negotiation that went on to get Rabbi Shapiro into this position, he tragically three days after being appointed Chief Rabbi.
Political Activities
Agudat Yisrael
Whilst serving in Galina, Rabbi Shapiro began his involvement with Agudat Israel. He was present at its founding conference in 1912. In 1914 he was appointed head of the Education Department of Agudas Yisrael in East Galicia, becoming president in 1922 of Agudas Yisrael in Poland. He played a role in the conference in the city of Lvov, which had the purpose of launching the Aguda in Galacia, some two years after its founding in Katovitz in 5672.
At the time, he was also added as a member to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. Rabbi Shapiro was initially very doubtful as to whether he should become an MP for the party, but was encouraged to do so by his rebbe, the Chortkover.
Rabbi Shapiro, together with Aron Levine and Zalmen Sirtzokin, chaired the committee which as a part of the Polish Ministry for Religious Affairs, held responsibility for delegating Rabbinical positions throughout Poland. He was also part of the Vaad HaChinuch.
Beginning in 1922, Rabbi Shapiro served as a parliamentarian to the Polish Sejm. In 1928 he stepped down as a politician so that he could devote all his energies to Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva.
Death
Rabbi Shapiro became ill with Typhus in 1933 and died within a month on 27 October 1933 aged 47. His death was marked by popular mourning across Jewish and non Jewish Poland. Countless newspapers across the entire political spectrum from orthodox to Yiddishist to Socialist featured front page biographies of Rabbi Shapiro.
Reinturnment
Rabbi Shapiro’s remains were reinturned in Israel in 1958, under the auspices of his brother. He was reburied in "Har Harnehos", with a full ceremony. Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Levin delivered a eulogy, as did those students of his who had survived the Holocaust.
Legacy
Rabbi Shapiro is widely revered throughout the Jewish world as the founder of Daf Yomi. An area of Bnei Brak called Zikron Meir was established by Yaakov Halperin in honor of Rabbi Shapiro. It is the area that hosts all the major yeshivas in Bnei Brak.
Works
Rabbi Shapiro is primarily remembered today as a leader, the founder of Daf Yomi, and founder of Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, he was aso considered a gaon in his lifetime. He studied Torah extensively and was a great scholar even by the high standards of the era he lived in. His two major works are Ohr HaMeir and Imrei Da'as.
- Ohr HaMeir - It was in Petrakov that he printed his book of responsa entitled Ohr HaMeir in 1926. As a work it operates on many different subjects, from philosophy to halacha.
- Imrei Daas - a compilation of Torah thoughts on Halacha and Aggada, which was lost in World war II. The book contained an approbation from The Gaon Rabbi Meir Arik of Meturnah.
- Vortelach - Rabbi Shapiro was a quick and brilliant thinker, and his numerous vortelach (punchy sayings) have been collected in numerous volumes, and quoted in many books.
See also
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