Those were the words Rabbi Jonathan Sacks used earlier this week to describe his mentor and teacher Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz ob”m, who passed away this week in Israel at the age of 92. Rabbi Sacks made a video tribute to him that is available on Youtube and is a moving Eulogy for the scholar who most influenced Rabbi Sacks when he was studying in Jews College in London and later in Israel when he was preparing to be the Chief Rabbi of England. Rabbi Sacks used the high praise of “Gadol HaDor”, which is reserved for the leading Jewish scholars in the world, when describing the scholarship of Rabbi Rabinowitz.
Gratitude dictates that the Charleston Jewish community overall, and especially the Addlestone Hebrew Academy community convey our thanks to the founding Rabbi of our day school in its first iteration in the 1950’s called CHI-the Charleston Hebrew Institute as part of his numerous achievements in Charleston as the young Rabbi of BSBI Synagogue. An anonymous donor has approached AHA and generously sponsored next week’s learning in AHA in his memory. More detailed information will be circulated at the beginning of next week. We also will be studying Torah over Shavuot to mark his Shloshim, the thirty day period of his passing.
His great genius was overshadowed by his great humility, but any serious student of Torah could easily recognize that he was in a league of his own as far as his scholarship was concerned. He was truly an “Ish Haeshkolot”-a person that mastered all aspects of wisdom, a real Renaissance Man. His expertise in Jewish Law and Literature was well known by his prolific works of Jewish writings and responsa on all areas of Jewish life, especially the writings of Maimonides.
He studied as a teenager in Montreal with the Chabad genius Rabbi Pinchus Hirschprung ob”m who was one of the remaining great post-Holocaust surviving luminaries from Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in Poland who became chief Rabbi of Montreal and was world renowned for his Encyclopedic knowledge. He later learned in my alma mater, Ner Israel Ribbinical College in Baltimore where he was a primary disciple of the great Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Ruderman ob”m.
He studied as a teenager in Montreal with the Chabad genius Rabbi Pinchus Hirschprung ob”m who was one of the remaining great post-Holocaust surviving luminaries from Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in Poland who became chief Rabbi of Montreal and was world renowned for his Encyclopedic knowledge. He later learned in my alma mater, Ner Israel Ribbinical College in Baltimore where he was a primary disciple of the great Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Ruderman ob”m.
While there he completed a Masters Degree in Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University. Later after his time in Charleston as a Rabbi and Professor in Toronto he completed his PhD by writing the definitive work on Mathematical Probability in the Talmud that set the scholarly standard for years to come. Perhaps his crowning achievement was his final period of life in Israel where he led Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Maalei Adumim as Rosh Yeshivah.
His profound influence is felt around the world and will resonate for years to come. We are honored and privileged to be involved with continuing his legacy that began in Charleston many years ago and take inspiration from his efforts. May his memory be for a Blessing.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Elisha Paul
