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| {{Short description|Lithuanian rabbi and Talmudic scholar (1863–1940)}} | |||
| Rabbi '''Chaim Ozer Grodzinski''' (]-]) was a world renowned pre-war ], ] and ]ic scholar in ]. | |||
| {{Infobox Jewish leader | |||
| |honorific-prefix = Rabbi | |||
| |name = Chaim Ozer Grodzinski | |||
| |honorific-suffix = | |||
| |title = | |||
| |image = Chaim_Ozer_Grodzinski.jpg | |||
| |caption = | |||
| |denomination = ] | |||
| |synagogue = | |||
| |synagogueposition = | |||
| |yeshiva = | |||
| |yeshivaposition = | |||
| |organization = | |||
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| |predecessor = | |||
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| |semicha = | |||
| |rabbi = | |||
| |rank = | |||
| |other_post = Leader of Lithuanian and European Jewry | |||
| |birth_name = | |||
| |birth_date = {{birth date|1863|8|24}}<br/>{{nowrap|<small>9 ] 5623 ] (])</small>}} | |||
| |birth_place = ], ] <br/>(now ]) | |||
| |death_date = {{death date and age|1940|8|9|1863|8|24}}<br/>{{nowrap|<small>5 ] 5700 ] (])</small>}} | |||
| |death_place = ], ] | |||
| |buried = | |||
| |nationality = | |||
| |residence = | |||
| |parents = Rabbi David Shlomo Grodzinski | |||
| |spouse = | |||
| |children = | |||
| |occupation = Rav of ], ] | |||
| |profession = | |||
| |employer = | |||
| |alma_mater = ] | |||
| |signature = | |||
| |website = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Chaim Ozer Grodzinski'''<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=] | |||
| |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/features-on-jewish-world/a-letter-from-r-chaim-ozer/2021/03/05 | |||
| |title=A Letter From R'Chaim Ozer |date=March 5, 2021}}</ref> ({{langx|he|חיים עוזר גראדזענסקי}}; August 24, 1863 – August 9, 1940) was a '']'' (rabbinical chief justice), '']'' (halakhic authority), and ]ic scholar in ], ] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for over 55 years.<ref name="glimpses" /> He played an instrumental role in preserving ] during the ], and Polish and Russian yeshivas of Poland and during the ] ] in 1939, when he arranged for these yeshivas to relocate to Lithuanian cities. | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ==Early years== | |||
| Rabbi Grodzinski was born in 1863 in ], ], a small town near Vilna where his father served as Rabbi for forty years, preceded by his grandfather who had also been a Rabbi there for a similar length of time. Rabbi Chaim Ozer was gifted with an infallible memory - never experiencing "forgetting", as he himself remarked, until his old age. | |||
| ==Biography== | |||
| At fifteen, he went to the world-renowned ] of ]. In spite of his tender age, he was immediately accepted into Rabbi ]'s select group. By the age of twenty, when he passed through Vilna, his fame preceded him. He followed the suggestion of his father, a pupil of Rabbi ], who advised him to marry the daughter of Rabbi Lazer (Eliezer Eliyahu) Grodzinski, son-in-law of Rabbi Salanter and a the Dayan in Vilna. | |||
| Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was born on 9 ] 5623 (24 August 1863)<ref name="glimpses">Rabbi ]. ''Glimpses of Greatness: Reb Chaim Ozer ''Is'' Klal Yisrael''. ] Features, 22 July 2010, p. C3.</ref> in ], ], a small town near Vilnius. His father, David Shlomo Grodzinski, was rabbi of Iwye for over 40 years,<ref name="glimpses" /> and his grandfather was rabbi of the town for 40 years before that.<ref name="observer" /> | |||
| When he was 12 years old he went to study with the ''perushim'', a group of Lithuanian Torah scholars in ] where he became ].<ref name="glimpses" /> | |||
| ==Leadership== | |||
| Rabbi Grodzinski had expected to engage full-time in ] study in his father-in-law's house, but after two years Rabbi Lazer died, and the community of Vilna requested him to take his father-in-law's place. Since the time of the ], Vilna never had an official rabbi. Instead, a group of ''Dayanim'' (rabbinical judges) formed the rabbinate, all of whom were elderly and great scholars and ]. Now the twenty-two year old Rabbi Grodzinski joined their ranks and over the following fifty-five years emerged as the unofficial Rabbi of Vilna, for it was apparent from the start that his vast Torah knowledge was complemented by great wisdom. | |||
| At the age of 15, he began studying at the ] and was accepted into ]'s ].<ref name="glimpses" /> He was married in his early twenties to Leah Grodnenski. Her father, Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnenski, was the head of the ] of Vilna (this was the most senior rabbinical position in Vilna). In 1887, after two years of marriage and at only 23 years old, Grodzinski took over his father-in-law's position, upon the latter's sudden passing.<ref name="glimpses" /> | |||
| While Rabbi Chaim Ozer did have a yeshiva, it was not a yeshiva in the usual sense, for he could not give the students much of his time. The group studied independently, and only on ] would the boys gather in his home for discussions. In spite of the limited hours he spent with his pupils, he had vast influence over them and a number of great men emerged from his ''Kibbutz'' - among others, Rabbi ], Rabbi ], Rabbi Avigdor Amiel (]), and Rabbi ]. Rabbi Grodzinski was also the uncle of Rabbi ]. | |||
| == |
===Leadership=== | ||
| In 1887 he was appointed as a dayan (religious judge) of the ] of Vilna.<ref name="Ben-Sasson">{{cite EJ|last=Ben-Sasson|first=Haim Hillel|title=Grodzinski, Ḥayyim Ozer|volume=8|pages=91-92}}</ref> He was a participant in the founding conference of ] (in ], Silesia, in 1912) and served on the party's Council of Sages.<ref name="Ben-Sasson"/><ref>Eisenberg, Ronald (2014). ''''. Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson. p. 241-242.</ref> He also was a co-founder and active leader of the ] (Council of the Yeshivot),<ref name="Ben-Sasson"/> based in Vilnius, an umbrella organization that offered material and spiritual support for yeshivot throughout the eastern provinces of Poland from 1924 to 1939. He wrote a three-volume work ''Achiezer''.<ref name="observer" /> | |||
| Rabbi Chaim Ozer was one of the founders of ] and the pillar of the movement throughout his life, participating in every ''Knessia Gedolah'' (great convention) as long as his health permitted. He was also honorary president of the movement. When the ] was established, he was the first chairman and remained so throughout his life. | |||
| He assisted in the management of the Rameilles Yeshiva of Vilnius. His students included ], ], ], and ].<ref name="glimpses" /> | |||
| When his pupil Rabbi Eliezer Silver became the founding president of ], he sent personal greetings. Moreover, he instructed Rabbi ], revered ] of ], to participate in the first American Agudath Israel Convention in ] in ], and to accept the vice-presidency of the budding organization. Rabbi Heiman customarily shied away from public affairs, but Rabbi Grodzinski urged him to make an exception. | |||
| In 1909, there was a meeting in Hamburg, Germany, that was the precursor of ], whose main goal was to combat the Zionists and the Mizrachi against Zionism.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Yaakov|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1156725117|title=The empty wagon : Zionism's journey from identity crisis to identity theft|date=2018 |isbn=978-1-64255-554-7|pages=718|publisher=Bais Medrash Society |language=En|oclc=1156725117}}</ref> Grodzinski was the first chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei Torah, the rabbinical advisory board to the Agudah.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) and his relationship to the Rabbi Meir Baal Haneis charity in Israel|url=https://www.rabbimeirbaalhaneis.com/Rabbi%20Chaim%20Ozer%20Grodzinski.asp|access-date=2022-01-28|website=www.rabbimeirbaalhaneis.com}}</ref> | |||
| Rabbi Grodzinski was a founding member and administrator of the Vaad HaYeshivos in Lithuania. He also established a network of Jewish schools that provided traditional Jewish education and the ''Agudas HaRabbanim'' of ]. | |||
| ===Death=== | |||
| The ] would not initiate any public action, or sign any public document, until he consulted with Rabbi Grodzinski, considering him to be a living embodiment of Torah. Rabbi Grodzinski died in 1940 after a protracted illness, thought to be cancer. His death prompted massive grief and a huge funeral was held, attended by most of | |||
| Grodzinski died of cancer<ref name="observer">{{cite web|url=http://www.tzemachdovid.org/gedolim/jo/tpersonality/achiezer.html |title=Ish HaEshkolos: He led world Jewry from Vilna |last=Brafman |first=Rabbi Aaron |accessdate=14 December 2010 |work=] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721031516/http://www.tzemachdovid.org/gedolim/jo/tpersonality/achiezer.html |archivedate=July 21, 2010 }}</ref> on 9 August 1940 (5 ]<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=] | |||
| Lithuanian Jewry and many war refugees from Poland, led by the most eminent rabbis of the time. | |||
| |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/letters-to-the-editor/letters-to-the-editor-257/2013/06/19/2 | |||
| |title=Letters |date=June 19, 2013 | |||
| |quote= the 5th of Menachem Av, the yahrzeit of both the AriZal and Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski.}}</ref> 5700). | |||
| ==Works |
==Works== | ||
| Grodzinski's ] was highly regarded among the rabbis of his generation. His best known work is "''Ahiezer''" a collection of his ''"shutim''" (]). The work is known for its lengthy discussions centered on analysis as opposed to final ruling. <ref>See ] and ]</ref> In this work he often quotes Rabbi ]. | |||
| Rabbi Grodzinski's brilliance as well as the scope of his leadership are reflected both in the ''sha'alos'' (] queries) that were sent to him from all parts of the world and in the ] he sent in return. He would write each responsum personally, not entrusting this to a secretary. His mind was so disciplined, that he would simultaneously write a responsum in halachah, give orders to two secretaries, and speak on the telephone. Rabbi Grodzinski was known to use an electric bulb in place of a ] candle, in line with his opinion that in Halachic terms, electricity constitutes a fire. Rabbi Grodzinski authored: | |||
| Other works include two collections of correspondences by Rabbi Grodzinski on more general communal and '']'' matters. | |||
| *'''Shut Achiezer''', a three-volumed collection of responsa | |||
| == |
==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| *, tzemachdovid.org | |||
| {{Volozhin Yeshiva}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:41, 25 October 2024
Lithuanian rabbi and Talmudic scholar (1863–1940)| RabbiChaim Ozer Grodzinski | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1863-08-24)August 24, 1863 9 Elul 5623 AM (Hebrew calendar) Iwye, Russian Empire (now Belarus) |
| Died | August 9, 1940(1940-08-09) (aged 76) 5 Av 5700 AM (Hebrew calendar) Vilnius, Soviet Lithuania |
| Parent | Rabbi David Shlomo Grodzinski |
| Alma mater | Volozhin yeshiva |
| Occupation | Rav of Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Denomination | Orthodox |
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (Hebrew: חיים עוזר גראדזענסקי; August 24, 1863 – August 9, 1940) was a Av beis din (rabbinical chief justice), posek (halakhic authority), and Talmudic scholar in Vilnius, Lithuania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for over 55 years. He played an instrumental role in preserving Lithuanian yeshivas during the Communist era, and Polish and Russian yeshivas of Poland and during the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, when he arranged for these yeshivas to relocate to Lithuanian cities.
Biography
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was born on 9 Elul 5623 (24 August 1863) in Iwye, Belarus, a small town near Vilnius. His father, David Shlomo Grodzinski, was rabbi of Iwye for over 40 years, and his grandfather was rabbi of the town for 40 years before that.
When he was 12 years old he went to study with the perushim, a group of Lithuanian Torah scholars in Eishyshok where he became bar mitzvah.
At the age of 15, he began studying at the Volozhin yeshiva and was accepted into Chaim Soloveitchik's shiur. He was married in his early twenties to Leah Grodnenski. Her father, Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnenski, was the head of the Beth Din of Vilna (this was the most senior rabbinical position in Vilna). In 1887, after two years of marriage and at only 23 years old, Grodzinski took over his father-in-law's position, upon the latter's sudden passing.
Leadership
In 1887 he was appointed as a dayan (religious judge) of the beth din of Vilna. He was a participant in the founding conference of Agudath Israel (in Kattowitz, Silesia, in 1912) and served on the party's Council of Sages. He also was a co-founder and active leader of the Va'ad ha-Yeshivot (Council of the Yeshivot), based in Vilnius, an umbrella organization that offered material and spiritual support for yeshivot throughout the eastern provinces of Poland from 1924 to 1939. He wrote a three-volume work Achiezer.
He assisted in the management of the Rameilles Yeshiva of Vilnius. His students included Yehezkel Abramsky, Eliezer Silver, Moshe Shatzkes, and Reuven Katz.
In 1909, there was a meeting in Hamburg, Germany, that was the precursor of Agudas Yisroel, whose main goal was to combat the Zionists and the Mizrachi against Zionism. Grodzinski was the first chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei Torah, the rabbinical advisory board to the Agudah.
Death
Grodzinski died of cancer on 9 August 1940 (5 Av 5700).
Works
Grodzinski's halachic opinion was highly regarded among the rabbis of his generation. His best known work is "Ahiezer" a collection of his "shutim" (responsa). The work is known for its lengthy discussions centered on analysis as opposed to final ruling. In this work he often quotes Rabbi Akiva Eiger. Other works include two collections of correspondences by Rabbi Grodzinski on more general communal and Hashkafic matters.
References
- "A Letter From R'Chaim Ozer". The Jewish Press. March 5, 2021.
- ^ Rabbi Aharon Sorasky. Glimpses of Greatness: Reb Chaim Ozer Is Klal Yisrael. Hamodia Features, 22 July 2010, p. C3.
- ^ Brafman, Rabbi Aaron. "Ish HaEshkolos: He led world Jewry from Vilna". The Jewish Observer. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
- ^ Ben-Sasson, Haim Hillel (2007). "Grodzinski, Ḥayyim Ozer". In Berenbaum, Michael; Skolnik, Fred (eds.). Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 8 (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-0-02-866097-4.
- Eisenberg, Ronald (2014). Essential Figures in Jewish Scholarship. Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson. p. 241-242.
- Shapiro, Yaakov (2018). The empty wagon : Zionism's journey from identity crisis to identity theft. Bais Medrash Society. p. 718. ISBN 978-1-64255-554-7. OCLC 1156725117.
- "Biography of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) and his relationship to the Rabbi Meir Baal Haneis charity in Israel". www.rabbimeirbaalhaneis.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- "Letters". The Jewish Press. June 19, 2013.
the 5th of Menachem Av, the yahrzeit of both the AriZal and Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski.
- See He: חיים עוזר גרודזנסקי#תורתו and He: חיים עוזר גרודזנסקי#מספריו
