YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of Rabbi Berel Wein ZT”L. He was 91.
The levaya will take place Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. at Beis Knesset Hanassi in Jerusalem. Kevurah will be on Har HaZeisim.
Rabbi Wein was born in Chicago into a family descended from Lithuanian rabbanim. After working as a successful attorney in Chicago, he left the legal field in 1964 to assume the pulpit of Beth Israel Congregation in Miami Beach, Florida, where he served until 1972.
In 1973, he became the Rav of Congregation Bais Torah in Monsey (Suffern), New York, where he remained for 24 years. During that time, he also served as Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union (OU) and as Rabbinic Administrator of the OU Kashrus Division.
In 1977, Rabbi Wein founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Suffern, which grew into a major yeshiva with both high school and post-high school divisions. He served as its Rosh Yeshiva until 1997.
That year, Rabbi Wein and his wife moved to Jerusalem, where he continued teaching and writing. In 2002, he was invited to become Mora D’asra of Beit Knesset Hanassi.
Rabbi Wein authored numerous seforim and English-language works, including Chikrei Halacha (1976) and Iyunim B’Masechtos HaTalmud (1989). He became world-renowned for his Torah teachings and his many historical writings, lectures, and recordings, which inspired countless Jews across the globe.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Rabbi Berel Wein, One of the Most Prolific Historians in Jewish History of His Generation, Dies at 91
JERUSALEM – Rabbi Berel Wein, legendary Jewish historian, author, yeshiva founder, rabbi, and Giant Talmud Chacham, passed away Saturday in Israel at 91. Known for his extraordinary oratory and scholarship, he captivated audiences worldwide with thousands of recorded lectures on Jewish history and Torah, shared over decades via tapes, CDs, and online platforms.
Born in Chicago, Rabbi Wein led Congregation Bais Torah and founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Monsey, New York, before moving to Jerusalem in 1997 to serve as rabbi of Beit Knesset Hanassi. He also transformed kosher supervision in North America through his leadership of the OU’s Kashrut Division, leaving a global impact on Jewish life.
Renowned for bridging generations, Rabbi Wein was personally connected to pre-Holocaust rabbinic leaders. He famously recounted meeting Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe—despite being an anti-Zionist while Rabbi Wein was pro-Zionist—and described him as one of the greatest minds and tzadikim he had ever encountered.
His funeral will be held Sunday at Beit Knesset Hanassi in Jerusalem, with burial on the Mount of Olives.
4 comments:
B'D'E - HaRav Berel Wein, ztl, a great loss to our people.
Famous for being the great Jewish historian of our times,
which also matched his great oratory voice. When he spoke,
it made you listen; interesting and so informative where one can
almost envision, the time and place of the subject matter.
A great loss to our people; may his name andd memory be for a Blessing!
Yes you put it so nicely. He was one of a kind.
I am very sad reading this… not only the Jewish community… but the gentile as well…
Thank you Annie, people all over the world have read Rabbi Wein. His voice will be missed very much on this blog; he represented a clear vision of Jewish history and its wisdom that reflects on the now.
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