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{{Short description|American rabbi}}
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{{Infobox Jewish leader
'''Zev Leff''', ] of ] ], ], is an American-born ] ]ish rabbi and Torah educator who teaches and lectures regularly at English-speaking ], girls' schools, community centers, ] functions, and other events in Israel, as well as in England, South Africa and the United States. Leff's taped lectures on Torah and Jewish themes are distributed worldwide, he is also the author of a book on the ] and a columnist for English-language newspapers and magazines.
| honorific-prefix = Rabbi
| name = Zev Leff
| title =
| image =
| caption =
| synagogue =
| synagogueposition =
| yeshiva =
| yeshivaposition =
| organisation = ], Israel
| organisationposition = ''Mora d'asra''
| began = 1983
| ended =
| successor =
| rabbi =
| rebbe =
| kohan =
| hazzan =
| rank =
| other_post = Rav of the ] of Greater ], Florida (1974–1983)
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = ], New York, US
| death_date =
| death_place =
| yahrtzeit =
| buried =
| nationality =
| denomination = ]
| residence = Moshav Matityahu, Israel
| parents =
| spouse = Rivkah Minkoff
| children =
| occupation =
| profession =
| alma_mater =
| semicha = ]
| signature =
}}
'''Zev Leff''' is an American-born ] rabbi, educator, author, and speaker. After serving as ] of the ] of ], Florida, for nine years, he and his family moved to ], Israel, in 1983, where he is the ''mara d'asra'' (rabbinic communal leader).<ref name=ZevLeff.JA/>


==Early life== ==Early life and education==
Zev Leff was born in ], ], to a Jewish family.<ref name=ami>Frankfurter, Rabbi Yitzchok. "Leading the Field". '']'', December 5, 2018, pp. 68-81.</ref> His parents and grandparents were all American-born.<ref name=ami/> He attended public school and an Orthodox ] in the afternoons.<ref name=ami/> After his family moved to ], he attended a ] ] run by religious teachers, who convinced him to transfer to a ].<ref name=ami/> He was accepted at the Hebrew Academy of Greater Miami and subsequently attended the ] of Greater Miami.<ref name=ami/>
Born in the ], ] to non-observant Jewish parents, Rabbi Leff attended a local ]. When his family moved to the ], he decided to increase his religious observance and enrolled at the Hebrew Academy of Greater Miami. Since his learning skills were not up to par with other boys his age (fifth grade), he was placed in a third-grade class. Within two years he had caught up to his grade, and also made the decision to become ].<ref name="Outlooks"></ref>


At age 17 he progressed to the ] in ], Ohio, where he received his ]<ref name=ZevLeff.JA>{{cite magazine |magazine=] |date=Spring 2016
For high school, Rabbi Leff attended the Mesivta of Greater Miami, where he was regularly assigned to the yeshiva's most advanced ]. Afterwards he studied at the ] in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received his ] and became a close ''talmid'' (student) of Rabbi ]
|url=https://jewishaction.com/jewish-world/israel/a-chareidi-zionist-moshav-moshav-matityahu
|title=A Chareidi Zionist Moshav: Moshav Matityahu |author=Eli Fischer}}</ref> and became a close ''talmid'' (student) of Rabbi ].<ref name=ami/>


In late 1968, he married Rivkah Minkoff of ]. The couple settled in Cleveland, where Rabbi Leff learned in ] and supervised the Telshe dormitory. In 1968, he married Rivkah Minkoff of Ellenville, New York. The couple settled in Cleveland, where Leff studied in the Telshe ] for the next six years.<ref name=ami/> He also taught in the Yavneh girls' high school and seminary.<ref name=ami/>


==Entering the rabbinate== ==Rabbinic career ==
In 1974, Leff was appointed Rav of the ] of Greater Miami, located in North Miami Beach, Florida.<ref name=ami/> At the time, the congregation consisted of about 150 families, of whom 90 percent were ].<ref name=ami/> By the time he left nine years later, the congregation numbered 300 families.<ref name=ami/><ref name=Elaine>{{citation|url=http://www.wherewhatwhen.com/read_articles.asp?id=66 |last=Berkowitz|first=Elaine|title=An Interview with Rabbi Zev Leff|work=]|date=December 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212200733/http://www.wherewhatwhen.com/read_articles.asp?id=66 |archive-date=December 12, 2007 }}</ref>
During a ] visit to Miami in 1974, Rabbi Leff delivered holiday sermons at the Young Israel of Greater Miami in North Miami Beach. His sermons were so well received that after the holiday, he was invited to apply for the position of rabbi. With the encouragement of Rabbi Gifter, he accepted a one-year contract.


In 1983, Leff and his family decided to make ] to Israel, where he became the Rav and ''mora d'asra'' (rabbinic communal leader) of ], a small ] now adjacent to ] (Kiryat Sefer).<ref name=ami/><ref name=mish>{{cite journal |journal=] |title=Eye on the Goal|url=http://mishpacha.com/Browse/Article/11511/Eye-on-the-Goal|first=Eytan|last=Kobre|date=November 28, 2018}}</ref> At the time, the moshav was home to 11 families.<ref name=Elaine/> Leff characterized the residents of Matityahu as "American chareidi, people who had a tremendous love for ]. We were very pro-Eretz Yisrael and not against the ''medinah'' , but we also didn't say ] on ]".<ref name=ami/> As of 2018, the moshav is home to approximately 150 families, of whom 30 to 40 percent are Israeli.<ref name=ami/> Leff also serves as dean of the moshav's ].<ref name=Elaine/> From 2006 to 2016, he headed the moshav's ],<ref>{{cite book |author=Seltzer |first=Nachman |author-link=Nachman Seltzer |title=It Could Have Been YOU |date=2010 |publisher=Shaar Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4226-0952-1 |page=120 |quote=Yeshiva Gedola Matisyahu, or YGM as the ''bachurim'' like to call it}}</ref> which was geared to American-born students.<ref name=ami/>
Rabbi Leff served as the Rav of the 300 families of Young Israel of Greater Miami for nine years.<ref></ref> He worked with the ] chapter in his ] and also taught at the mesivta (high school) he attended as a teenager. His ability to understand both religious and secular Jews made him a popular leader and advisor.


In addition to his communal duties, Leff teaches in several girls' seminaries in Jerusalem. He is a faculty member of Darchei Binah Women's School for Advanced Torah Studies<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725220039/http://darcheibinah.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=2 |date=July 25, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yu.edu/israel-program/women-schools/darchei-binah|title= Guide to Israel Schools – Darchei Binah|publisher=]|access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> and the Jewish Learning Exchange of London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jle.org.uk/showperson.php?id=40 |publisher=The Jewish Learning Exchange|title=Meet the Staff: Rabbi Zev Leff|access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> He also teaches at Seminar Yerushalayim, ]'s Midreshet Tehillah,<ref>{{cite web
==Torah educator in Israel==
|url=http://midreshettehillah.nevey.org/staff_member/rabbi-zev-leff
In 1983, the Leff family made ] to Israel, where Rabbi Leff became the rav and ''mara d’atra'' (leader of the community) of ], a small ] now adjacent to ] (Kiryat Sefer). Matityahu is adjacent to the newer city of ].
|title=Rabbi Zev Leff |publisher=Midreshet Tehillah|year=2018|access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> Michlala Women's College, and Bnot Torah; he formerly taught at the ] College for Jewish Women. He teaches "practical rabbinics" for the Ohr Lagolah Institute (based in ]).<ref name=ami/> He delivers a twice-monthly '']'' to a group of English-speakers in ].<ref name=ami/>


Leff has been a featured speaker at the conventions of the ], ], ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beyondbt.com/?p=989 |last=Frankel|first=Mark|title=Report from the Torah Umesorah Convention – Raising Maaminim in a Disbelieving World|date=May 22, 2008|access-date=March 24, 2019|publisher=Beyond Teshuva}}</ref> and the ].
In addition to his communal duties, Rabbi Leff serves as ] of Yeshiva Gedolah Matityahu and oversees a 20-member ]. He also teaches a group of unaffiliated Israelis who live near the moshav.<ref name="Outlooks" /> Every ], he opens his ] to hundreds of English-speaking Jews from across Israel for an hours-long running commentary on the ].


He is a rabbinic consultant for the Refuah Institute<ref>{{cite web |title=Life Coaching Inspired by Gedolei Yisroel|url=http://www.refuah.net/life-coaching-inspired-by-gedolei-yisroe-c1aqn |date=February 10, 2010|access-date=January 28, 2019|publisher=Refuah Institute}}</ref> and Baruch Rofeh Cholim.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.savealife.org/AboutUs/Rabbinical.htm |title=About Us|publisher=Baruch Rofeh Cholim|access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref>
Rav Leff's Torah ] are known for their depth of knowledge, personal insights, wit and humor. He has spoken about and recorded lessons on a wide range of themes, including the weekly Torah portion, ], ]s, ], ], the role of women in Judaism, and current events.


==Soccer game coverage==
Leff is a faculty member of Darchei Binah Women's School for Advanced Torah Studies,<ref></ref> and the Jewish Learning Exchange of London.<ref></ref> He also teaches at Seminar Yerushalayim, ], EYAHT College of Jewish Studies for Women, Michlala Women's College, Bnot Torah, Ohr Lagolah Institute (based in ]), Darchei Noam, and the Institute for the Training of Religious Family Counselors in ],<ref></ref> among others. His regular Monday-morning shiur at the NCSY-] Israel Center in Jerusalem is popular among senior citizens.
In November 2018, a '']'' video of Leff engrossed in a '']'' at a Scotland–Israel ] soccer game, oblivious to the excitement in the stadium after Israel scored its first goal, went viral.<ref>{{cite web
|website=OU.org ]
|url=https://www.ou.org/blog/rav-leff-learning-torah-goes-viral
|title=Rav Leff Learning Torah Goes Viral |date=November 25, 2018}}</ref> Leff and his wife had been visiting their daughter and son-in-law, the latter a UK Rabbanut chaplain for all the universities in ], and accompanied the entire community to dinner and the game.<ref name=ami/> As he personally had no interest in the match, Leff brought his ] along to study the ].<ref name=ami/> The sight of the rabbi studying his ''sefer'' during the game generated jokes and memes across social media platforms.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=]
|url=https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Rabbi-studying-during-ISR-SCO-game-goes-viral-572440
|title=Rabbi Studying During Israel–Scotland Soccer Match Goes Viral |first=Amy |last=Spiro
|date=November 21, 2018 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=]
|url=https://forward.com/schmooze/414635/orthodox-rabbi-caught-studying-torah-during-soccer-game-goes-viral
|title=Orthodox Rabbi Caught Studying Torah During Soccer Game Goes Viral
|first=Jenny |last=Singer |date=November 21, 2018 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>


==Opinions==
Leff has been a featured speaker at the conventions of the Orthodox Union, ], ],<ref></ref> and the ].<ref></ref> He is a rabbinical consultant for the Refuah Institute<ref></ref> and Baruch Rofeh Cholim.<ref></ref>
In '']''{{'s}} "Is It Proper" series on the topic of the loudness of music played at religious weddings, Leff remarked, "Music (even music with lyrics that are based on verses from ] or ]) whose beat, tempo, or volume creates a mood of wild abandon (''hefkerus''), or could accompany primitive natives dancing around a cauldron cooking a human being, is not kosher irrespective of who composed it or is playing it – be they non-Jews or religious Jews".<ref>{{cite web|work=] |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/halacha-hashkafa/is-it-proper-is-the-music-at-frum-weddings-too-loud/2019/03/13|title=Is it proper .. Is The Music at Frum Weddings Too Loud? |date=2019-03-13}}</ref>


==Bibliography ==
He was a regular columnist for the now-defunct ''Jewish Women's Outlook'' and the English-language '']'' (Israel).
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UAMNAAAACAAJ|title=Outlooks and Insights on the Weekly Torah Portion|publisher=]|year=1993|isbn= 9780899065311}}

*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7i2MOKNdyMIC|title=Shemoneh Esrei: the Depth and Beauty of our Daily Tefillah|publisher=Targum Press|year=2008|isbn= 9781568714714}}
==Books==
*{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5VAAQAAIAAJ |title=Festivals of Life: the Depth and Meaning of the Moadim|publisher=Targum Press|year=2009|isbn= 9781568715179}}
*''Outlooks and Insights On the Weekly Torah Portion'' (ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, 1999).
*''Shemoneh Esrei: the Depth and Beauty of our Daily Tefillah'' (Targum Press, 2008). *{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_8FrgEACAAJ|title= Shemoneh Esrei for Shabbos: The Depth and Beauty of Our Shabbos Tefillos|year=2014|isbn= 9781614651796|last1= Leff|first1= Zev}}
*''Festivals of Life: the Depth and Meaning of the Moadim'' (Targum Press, 2009).


==CDs== ==CDs==
*''Jewish Heritage Journey with Rabbi Leff: A Multimedia Jewish Heritage Journey to Lithuania, Poland & Belarus'' (Shorashim Productions and Grafix Mediaworx, distributed by Torah Educational Software). *''Jewish Heritage Journey with Rabbi Leff: A Multimedia Jewish Heritage Journey to Lithuania, Poland & Belarus'' (Shorashim Productions and Grafix Mediaworx, distributed by ])


==References== ==References ==
{{Reflist|30em}} {{reflist|30em}}


==External links== ==External links==
* *
*{{YouTube|wfClLX1wHa8|Rabbi Leff's Tisha B'Av kinot}} *
* '']'', November 12, 2008
*
*
*
*


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Latest revision as of 13:04, 7 January 2025

American rabbi
RabbiZev Leff
Personal life
BornBronx, New York, US
SpouseRivkah Minkoff
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
DenominationHaredi Judaism

Zev Leff is an American-born Haredi rabbi, educator, author, and speaker. After serving as rabbi of the Young Israel of Greater Miami, Florida, for nine years, he and his family moved to Moshav Matityahu, Israel, in 1983, where he is the mara d'asra (rabbinic communal leader).

Early life and education

Zev Leff was born in Bronx, New York, to a Jewish family. His parents and grandparents were all American-born. He attended public school and an Orthodox Talmud Torah in the afternoons. After his family moved to North Miami Beach, Florida, he attended a Conservative Hebrew school run by religious teachers, who convinced him to transfer to a yeshiva. He was accepted at the Hebrew Academy of Greater Miami and subsequently attended the Mesivta of Greater Miami.

At age 17 he progressed to the Telshe yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received his rabbinic ordination and became a close talmid (student) of Rabbi Mordechai Gifter.

In 1968, he married Rivkah Minkoff of Ellenville, New York. The couple settled in Cleveland, where Leff studied in the Telshe kollel for the next six years. He also taught in the Yavneh girls' high school and seminary.

Rabbinic career

In 1974, Leff was appointed Rav of the Young Israel of Greater Miami, located in North Miami Beach, Florida. At the time, the congregation consisted of about 150 families, of whom 90 percent were Sabbath-observant. By the time he left nine years later, the congregation numbered 300 families.

In 1983, Leff and his family decided to make aliyah to Israel, where he became the Rav and mora d'asra (rabbinic communal leader) of Moshav Matityahu, a small settlement now adjacent to Modi'in Illit (Kiryat Sefer). At the time, the moshav was home to 11 families. Leff characterized the residents of Matityahu as "American chareidi, people who had a tremendous love for Eretz Yisrael. We were very pro-Eretz Yisrael and not against the medinah , but we also didn't say Hallel on Yom Haatzma'ut". As of 2018, the moshav is home to approximately 150 families, of whom 30 to 40 percent are Israeli. Leff also serves as dean of the moshav's kollel. From 2006 to 2016, he headed the moshav's yeshiva gedola, which was geared to American-born students.

In addition to his communal duties, Leff teaches in several girls' seminaries in Jerusalem. He is a faculty member of Darchei Binah Women's School for Advanced Torah Studies and the Jewish Learning Exchange of London. He also teaches at Seminar Yerushalayim, Neve Yerushalayim's Midreshet Tehillah, Michlala Women's College, and Bnot Torah; he formerly taught at the EYAHT College for Jewish Women. He teaches "practical rabbinics" for the Ohr Lagolah Institute (based in Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem). He delivers a twice-monthly shiur to a group of English-speakers in Netanya.

Leff has been a featured speaker at the conventions of the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, Torah Umesorah, and the Association for Jewish Outreach Programs.

He is a rabbinic consultant for the Refuah Institute and Baruch Rofeh Cholim.

Soccer game coverage

In November 2018, a Sky News video of Leff engrossed in a sefer at a Scotland–Israel UEFA Nations League soccer game, oblivious to the excitement in the stadium after Israel scored its first goal, went viral. Leff and his wife had been visiting their daughter and son-in-law, the latter a UK Rabbanut chaplain for all the universities in Glasgow, and accompanied the entire community to dinner and the game. As he personally had no interest in the match, Leff brought his Talmud Yerushalmi along to study the Daf Yomi. The sight of the rabbi studying his sefer during the game generated jokes and memes across social media platforms.

Opinions

In The Jewish Press's "Is It Proper" series on the topic of the loudness of music played at religious weddings, Leff remarked, "Music (even music with lyrics that are based on verses from Tanach or tefillah) whose beat, tempo, or volume creates a mood of wild abandon (hefkerus), or could accompany primitive natives dancing around a cauldron cooking a human being, is not kosher irrespective of who composed it or is playing it – be they non-Jews or religious Jews".

Bibliography

CDs

  • Jewish Heritage Journey with Rabbi Leff: A Multimedia Jewish Heritage Journey to Lithuania, Poland & Belarus (Shorashim Productions and Grafix Mediaworx, distributed by Torah Educational Software)

References

  1. ^ Eli Fischer (Spring 2016). "A Chareidi Zionist Moshav: Moshav Matityahu". Jewish Action.
  2. ^ Frankfurter, Rabbi Yitzchok. "Leading the Field". Ami, December 5, 2018, pp. 68-81.
  3. ^ Berkowitz, Elaine (December 2005), "An Interview with Rabbi Zev Leff", Where What When, archived from the original on December 12, 2007
  4. Kobre, Eytan (November 28, 2018). "Eye on the Goal". Mishpacha.
  5. Seltzer, Nachman (2010). It Could Have Been YOU. Shaar Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-4226-0952-1. Yeshiva Gedola Matisyahu, or YGM as the bachurim like to call it{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. Darchei Binah Faculty and Staff. Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Guide to Israel Schools – Darchei Binah". Yeshiva University. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  8. "Meet the Staff: Rabbi Zev Leff". The Jewish Learning Exchange. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  9. "Rabbi Zev Leff". Midreshet Tehillah. 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  10. Frankel, Mark (May 22, 2008). "Report from the Torah Umesorah Convention – Raising Maaminim in a Disbelieving World". Beyond Teshuva. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  11. "Life Coaching Inspired by Gedolei Yisroel". Refuah Institute. February 10, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  12. "About Us". Baruch Rofeh Cholim. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  13. "Rav Leff Learning Torah Goes Viral". OU.org Orthodox Union. November 25, 2018.
  14. Spiro, Amy (November 21, 2018). "Rabbi Studying During Israel–Scotland Soccer Match Goes Viral". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  15. Singer, Jenny (November 21, 2018). "Orthodox Rabbi Caught Studying Torah During Soccer Game Goes Viral". The Forward. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  16. "Is it proper .. Is The Music at Frum Weddings Too Loud?". The Jewish Press. 2019-03-13.

External links

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