Rabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("28897")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Posek">posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive....
affiliated with the
Edah HaChareidis rabbinical council of Jerusalem, and spiritual leader of the Bnos Rochel girl's schools in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
and Beit Shemesh.
Rabbi Sacks lives in the
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
neighborhood
Kiryat MattersdorfMattersdorf is a Haredi neighborbood in Jerusalem, Israel. It is located on the northern edge of the mountain plateau on which central Jerusalem lies. It is named after Mattersburg , a town in Austria with a long Jewish history. It borders Unsdorf and Romema...
. He is often referred to as the
Matnas Moshe, after the multiple volume commentary he authored on the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
,
Shulchan AruchThe Shulchan Aruch is a codification, or written manual, of halacha , composed by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 16th century...
, and
TalmudThe Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
.
He was a student of Rabbi
Joel TeitelbaumRabbi Joel Teitelbaum, known as Reb Yoelish or the Satmar Rav , was a prominent...
of Satmar and Rabbi
Aharon KotlerRabbi Aharon Kotler was a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States of America, where he built one of the first yeshivas in the US.-Early life:...
. All three volumes of Matnas Moshe are dedicated to both of his teachers.
In keeping with the normative Satmar position, Rabbi Sacks accounts the State of Israel itself as an entity strictly forbidden by Jewish law, and he forbids voting in Israeli elections, service in the Israeli military, or voluntary acceptance of Israeli citizenship. In 1998, in the Chasam Sofer synagogue of
Kiryat MattersdorfMattersdorf is a Haredi neighborbood in Jerusalem, Israel. It is located on the northern edge of the mountain plateau on which central Jerusalem lies. It is named after Mattersburg , a town in Austria with a long Jewish history. It borders Unsdorf and Romema...
, Rabbi Sacks engaged in an impromptu public debate with
posekPosek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive....
and educator Rabbi Yitzchok Izby, a
GerrerGer, or Gur is a Hasidic dynasty originating from Ger, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland....
hasid, over whether the story of the twelve spies recounted in the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
proves it's a
mitzvahThis 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 commandments given in the Torah and the seven rabbinic commandments instituted later for a total of 620...
to vote in Israeli elections or the opposite. The engagement was friendly, but intense. The vast knowledge displayed by both rabbis left even learned bystanders deeply impressed and made it impossible for the congregants to determine a clear winner.
Rabbis Sacks's opinion is sought after by poskim and rabbis from various congregations and hasidic sects due to his vast knowledge in the practical application of halacha (Jewish religious law) and reputation for ignoring the various feuds within the hasidic world. Due to his fluency in English, converts and those newly introduced to
haredi JudaismHaredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism, sometimes referred to as Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, though the term is considered pejorative by some, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism...
are disproportionately represented among the private individuals who seek his opinion.
In June 2006 Rabbi Sacks was hospitalized and after lengthy surgery, recovered. He continues to guide the community that has grown around him.