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Refael Shapiro

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Rabbi
Refael Shapiro
Rabbi Refael Shapiro
TitleToras Refael
Personal
Born1837
Russia
Died1921
Volozhin, Russia (now Valozhyn, Belarus)
NationalityBelarusian
ChildrenFather-in-law of Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik
Notable work(s)Toras Refael
Known forRosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin yeshiva, reopening it in 1899
OccupationRabbi, Rosh Yeshiva

Refael Shapiro (Hebrew: רפאל שפירא‎; 1837–1921) was the famed Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin yeshiva located in the town of Valozhyn, and a son-in-law of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv).[1] After the Volozhin yeshiva was closed down in 1892 by order of the Russian government, he reopened it, albeit on a smaller scale in 1899.

He was the father-in-law of Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik of Brisk, now in Belarus, and is known as the Toras Refael after his primary work.

Biography

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Shapiro was born in the month of Adar 1837 in the city of Smorgon, to Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapiro, the rabbi of Kovno, known as "Rabbi Leibale Kovner." In 1852, at the age of fifteen, he was chosen by Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, the Netziv, as a match for his daughter, Sarah Rasha. In 1870, he was appointed as assistant to the Rosh Yeshiva at the Volozhin Yeshiva, alongside his father-in-law, the Netziv, and began delivering lectures three times a week. In 1881, he relinquished his position to his son-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk, and took on a rabbinic position in the community of Novo-Alexandrovsk in Lithuania.[2]

In 1886, he moved to serve as the rabbi of the community in Bobruisk in what is now Belarus. In 1899, upon the reopening of the Volozhin Yeshiva, thanks to the efforts of its supporters in Vilnius and Minsk and with the consent of the community leaders of Volozhin, Rabbi Refael was invited to serve as the rabbi and head of the Volozhin Yeshiva. Like all the heads of the Volozhin Yeshiva, Rabbi Refael included a unique phrase alongside his signature:

"The worker in the service of Torah in Volozhin."

In 1915, close to the outbreak of World War I, the yeshiva dispersed, and Rabbi Refael relocated to Minsk, where he passed away on the 23rd of Adar II, 5681 (1921).

Teaching method

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Rabbi Refael Shapiro is the originator of a unique teaching method known as "Leshitato," which combines depth and sharpness. This method seeks to draw connections between different laws and opinions of a Tanna, Amora, or Talmudic commentator, aiming to prove that these laws and opinions have a common foundation and internal similarity. By identifying a consistent feature across varied sources from the same author, contradictions between these sources can be resolved.[3]

Scholarly legacy

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From a young age, Rabbi Refael Shapiro contributed to the work of his father-in-law, the Netziv, on Ha'amek She'ela on the She'iltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, as the Netziv wrote about him:

And my son-in-law, Rabbi Raphael, the son of the gaon Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapiro zt"l, Av Beit Din of Kovno, sits with me in study... his power in Torah is great... his mind is pure... to discuss and clarify the depths of halacha, and he also added numerous annotations through rigorous investigation.

— Ha'amek She'ela, Introduction to Ha'amek

Among his many innovations is his book Torat Refael, along with famous Talmudic principles named after him. He refrained from using a steel pen for his writings and letters, instead using a bird's quill, due to halachic concerns regarding the prohibition of "do not raise iron upon them."[4] His sons describe the extent and fate of his manuscripts during the Holocaust:

Our father, the gaon zt"l... left behind numerous writings, his Torah innovations in Talmudic subjects... and in areas of halacha... for all parts of Shulchan Aruch, responsa on practical halachic decisions, and innovations in aggadah... After the outbreak of war, these writings were transported at great effort and risk to Vilna... all of these numerous manuscripts were left in Lithuania, and our hearts ache over their fate amidst the storm of this war.

— Introduction to Torat Refael

Works

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  • Torat Refael, innovations in halacha and explanations on Talmudic and halachic discourse, in two parts. The first part on Orach Chaim and the third part a collection of responsa and selections, Jerusalem, 1943. Available on hebrewbooks.

A holy soul, a pure heart, and a noble character I found in Rabbi Refael. He was slow, easy-going, and forgiving in all his traits; his large, beautiful eyes shone with mercy and love. Humble as Hillel, respected and beloved by all sections of the people. Even the Hasidim revered him. The enlightened and progressive youth respected him greatly. Yet he lived in a small, poor house, led a life of poverty, and was engaged in Torah day and night.

— Zvi Hirsch Masliansky, Book of Memories and Journeys, Chapter 22

Descendants

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From his first wife, Sara Rasha (daughter of the Netziv of Volozhin):

From his second wife, Dreisel (also the daughter of the Netziv of Volozhin):

  • Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, who succeeded his father as head of the Volozhin Yeshiva and was its last head. His two sons, Yitzchak Moshe and Zalman Yosef, arranged and edited Rabbi Refael's writings. They perished in the Holocaust.
  • Rabbi Aryeh Shapira, rabbi in Bialystok, and father of Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapira of Be'er Ya'akov Yeshiva.
  • Rabbi Yisrael Isser Shapira, rabbi in Lapitch and head of the Shaarei Torah Yeshiva in Jaffa.
  • His daughter, Mirel, married Rabbi Yisrael Rif, rabbi of New Zagare in Lithuania.
  • Two sons died young: Levi, who died in Volozhin, 9th of Nissan 5664 (1904); and Menachem Zundel, who died in Jerusalem on the 4th of Cheshvan 5668 (1907) and was buried on Mount of Olives.

Students

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Family tree

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Further reading

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  • Moshe Tsinowitz, Etz Chaim - First Book, Tel Aviv, 1972, pp. 353-360.

References

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  1. ^ Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin, Rav Refael Shapiro, accessed 20 April 2016
  2. ^ As recorded in the introduction by his sons, Rabbi Aryeh and Rabbi Yisrael Isser, in his book Torat Refael, it is noted: 'Around 1865.'
  3. ^ Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Ishim V'Shitot, Tel Aviv, 1952, p. 35; Rabbi Shimon Langburt, "Beit Ulfana Raba Etz Chaim D'Volozhin," in Sefer Volozhin, Tel Aviv, 1970, p. 192
  4. ^ Rabbi Shimon Langburt, op. cit.


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