Chaim Soloveitchik

This article is about the founder of the Brisk rabbinical dynasty. For his great-grandson, the Jewish historian, see Haym Soloveitchik.

Reb Chaim Brisker

Ohel of Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and Chaim Soloveitchik, Jewish cemetery in Warsaw

Chaim (Halevi) Soloveitchik (Hebrew: חיים סולובייצ'יק), also known as Reb Chaim Brisker, (1853-July 30, 1918) was a rabbi and Talmudic scholar credited as the founder of the popular Brisker approach to Talmudic study within Judaism. He was born in Volozhin in 1853, where his father, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik served as a lecturer in the famous Volozhiner Yeshiva. After a few years, his father was appointed as a Rav in Slutzk, where young Chaim was first educated. While still a youngster, his genius and lightning-quick grasp were widely recognized. Eventually, following many years as a senior lecturer in the renowned Volozhiner Yeshiva, he accepted a position as Rav of Brest, Belarus (Brisk in Yiddish), then in Imperial Russia, now in Belarus.^[1] A member of the Soloveitchik-family rabbinical dynasty, he is commonly known as Reb Chaim Brisker ("Rabbi Chaim [from] Brisk").

He is considered the founder of the "Brisker method" (in Yiddish: Brisker derech; Hebrew: derekh brisk‎), a method of highly exacting and analytical Talmudical study that focuses on precise definition/s and categorization/s of Jewish law as commanded in the Torah with particular emphasis on the legal writings of Maimonides.

His primary work was Chiddushei Rabbeinu Chaim, a volume of insights on Maimonides' Mishnah Torah which often would suggest novel understandings of the Talmud as well. Based on his teachings and lectures, his students wrote down his insights on the Talmud known as Chiddushi HaGRaCh Al Shas. This book is known as "Reb Chaim's stencils" and contains analytical insights into Talmudical topics.

He married the daughter of Rabbi Refael Shapiro and had two famous sons, Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik (also known as Rabbi Velvel Soloveitchik) who subsequently moved to Israel and Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik who moved to the United States and subsequently served as a Rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Yitzchak Elchonon (YU/RIETS) in New York and who was in turn succeeded by his own son Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993). Rabbi Velvel 's sons, Rabbbis Yosef Dov, Meshulem Dovid, and Meir all head renowned Yeshivas in Jerusalem.

He had six main students; his sons Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik and Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebowitz, Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, and Rabbi Shimon Shkop.

A witty anecdote serves to illustrate how the three of them differed in their approaches and relation to their teacher: it is said that had Reb Chaim said, "This table is a cow," Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik would say that the table had the same Talmudic laws as a cow, Rabbi Shimon Shkop would say the molecules in a table could be rearranged into a cow, but Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz would attempt to milk the table.

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Rabbi Yosef Dov (Reb Berel) Soloveitchik]]     Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik                                                                                                     Rabbi Meshulam Dovid (Reb Dovid) Soloveitchik                                                                               Rabbi Yosef Dov (HaLevi) Soloveitchik author of Beis HaLevi   Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik "Reb Chaim Brisker"     Rabbi Yitzchak Zev (Reb Velvel) Soloveitchik "The GRIZ" The Brisker Rov     Lifsha Soloveitchik Feinstein       Dr. Tovah Soloveitchik Lichtenstein                                                                                                       Lifsha Shapiro daughter of Rav Refael Shapiro               Rabbi Refoel Soloveitchik       Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein                                                                                                     Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik       Dr. Atarah Soloveitchik Twersky       Rabbi Mosheh Twersky                                                                                                               Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. (Yosef Dov) Soloveitchik "The Rav"       Rabbi Dr. Isadore Twersky       Rabbi Mayer Twersky                                                                                         Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik     Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik         Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik       Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik                                                                                                   Peshka Feinstein Soloveichik     Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Soloveitchik                   Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik                                                                                                         Shulamit Soloveitchik Meiselman     Rabbi Moshe Meiselman       Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik                                                                                                 Anne Soloveitchik Gerber                 Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik                                                                                       Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik       Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Soloveitchik                                                                                                     Rabbi Yitzchok Soloveitchik       Rabbi Yisroel Soloveitchik                                                                                         Rabbi Yisroel Gershon Soloveitchik     Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik       Rabbi Boruch Soloveitchik                                                                                                             Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Soloveitchik                                                                                                     Daughter Soloveitchik, Wife of Rabbi Shlomo Zev Karlibach

References

1. ^ Ishim v'Shittos, S.Y.Zevin, p.43

• Understanding Reb Chaim, Rabbi Yonoson Hughes, June 2010

Persondata
Name	Soloveitchik, Chaim
Alternative names
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Date of birth	1853
Place of birth
Date of death	1918
Place of death