The Beis HaLevi The Soloveitchik dynasty began with Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, known as the
Beis HaLevi (1820–1892), who served as rabbi of Brisk for much of his life and pioneered aspects of what would become known as the
Brisker method of Talmud study. His works on the
Mishneh Torah and first five books of the
Torah which he authored were titled
Beis HaLevi (
Hebrew for "House of the Levites"). Many people therefore refer to him simply as the Beis HaLevi, which also avoids the confusion with two of his prominent great-grandsons who shared the same full name: (1) Rabbi
Moshe Soloveichik's son, Rabbi
Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–1993) who moved to the
United States; and (2) Rabbi
Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik's son, Rabbi
Berel Soloveitchik, who lived in Israel. Soloveitchik succeeded Rabbi
Yehoshua Leib Diskin as rabbi of Brisk when the latter moved to Jerusalem in 1876. He had previously served as the rabbi of
Slutzk, and before that, on the faculty of the Volozhin yeshiva.
Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik The
Beis HaLevi was succeeded as rabbi of Brisk by his son, Rabbi
Chaim Soloveitchik (1853–1918), most commonly known as "Reb Chaim Brisker" (Rabbi Chaim from Brisk). His primary work was
Chidushei Rav Chaim HaLevi, a volume of insights on the
Mishneh Torah which often would suggest novel understandings of the Talmud as well. His wife, the granddaughter of Rabbi
Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, served as his entree to teaching at the Volozhin yeshiva. He became famous enough that many people, however, refer to him simply as
der Brisker Rov ("the rabbi of Brisk"). In fact, many in the Brisker yeshiva world in Israel refer to him simply as "The Rov". (In the Modern Orthodox community, his nephew, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, is referred to as "the Rav".) Like his father, Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik published works based on the
Mishneh Torah, often suggesting novel insights on the Talmud in the process. He fled the
Holocaust and moved to the
British Mandate of Palestine. His children and grandchildren live in Israel today, and have founded several yeshivas there, all known as "Brisk", based in
Jerusalem.
Rabbi Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik Rabbi
Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik (known as Reb Dovid) was the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik. He was rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Brisk in the
Gush Shemonim section of Jerusalem. Like his father and grandfather he published works based on Mishnah Torah, and many of his lectures have been published by his students. He was considered by Briskers to be one of the last authentic remnants of a pre-World War II Jewish Lithuania. His students include
Moshe Twersky, Rebbi in Yeshivas Toras Moshe and Rabbi
Yitzchok Lichtenstein Rosh Yeshiva of
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, both grandsons of his cousin Rabbi
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik. He died on January 31, 2021, in Jerusalem, Israel.
Rabbi Berel Soloveitchik Rabbi
Berel Soloveitchik, commonly known simply as "Reb Berel," was one of the leading Brisker Rosh Yeshivas in
Jerusalem,
Israel. He was the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev, the Brisker Rav, and the cousin of Rabbi
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik. His son,
Rav Avrohom Yehoshua, succeeds him as Rosh Yeshiva of Brisk in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik was the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik and headed one of the Brisker Yeshivas in Jerusalem, which was attended by many Torah scholars, including the current
Radziner Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Moshe Leiner. He should not be confused with Rabbi
Meir Soloveichik, the son of Rabbi
Ahron Soloveichik's son Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik. He died at the age of 87 on April 2, 2016. his yeshiva is now headed by his son Rabbi Yechiel Soloveitchik together with his brother Rabbi Avrohom Soloveichick and another yeshiva by his son Reb Velvel and his brother
Rabbi Velvel Soloveitchik II Rabbi Yitzchok Zev "reb Velvel" Soloveitchik is the son of Rav Meshulam Dovid, as well as his successor as Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivas brisk. He carries the name of his grandfather, The Brisker Rov.
Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik's other famous son was Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik (1879–1941). His works on the
Rambam are known as the
Chiddushei HaGram haLevi and "Chiddushei haGram ve'haGrid." He served as the Rabbi of Rasseyn and then of Chaslavich. He then moved to Warsaw where he served as
rosh yeshiva of
Tachkemoni Rabbinical Seminary. He moved to America in 1929 and was appointed as a rosh yeshiva at
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). (While RIETS has at no point ever called itself a "Brisk yeshiva" per se, it was home for many decades to Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik and later his sons.) His sons were the famous Rabbi
Joseph Soloveitchik, who lived in Boston and commuted to teach Talmud at
Yeshiva University in Manhattan; Dr.
Samuel Soloveichik, a chemist as well as a Talmudic scholar; and Rabbi
Ahron Soloveichik, who taught at Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin and then at Yeshiva University. Rav Ahron founded and was the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Brisk in Chicago, Illinois.
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993) was a son of Moshe Soloveichik. In 1941, he succeeded his father as the senior Rosh Yeshiva of RIETS in New York. As he rose to become an important leader of Modern Orthodox Jewry, he ordained more than 2,000 rabbis over the course of almost half a century thereby strengthening his status as "The Rav"—as he was 'the rabbis's rabbi'. Maimonides maintains many of the Rav's radical educational posits including co-education and female
Talmud study. He is often credited with being a primary founder of
Modern Orthodoxy, a movement of Judaism which maintains that Jews must both practice a
Halakhic life without shunning the outside world. He also gave much needed validity to the Zionist effort in his famous work
Kol Dodi Dofek. Although he was primarily known as a Talmudist, his best-known works of
Lonely Man of Faith,
Catharsis,
Halachic Man, and
Uvikkashtem Misham are largely philosophical.
Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik (1918–2001) was a son of Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik. He taught at
Mesivta Rabbi
Chaim Berlin and then at
Yeshiva University. He eventually moved to Chicago and became rosh yeshiva at the
Hebrew Theological College and in 1974 founded his own yeshiva
Yeshivas Brisk of Chicago. After his brother Joseph became ill, beginning in 1986 he began to commute to New York City to lecture at
RIETS as well. Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik died in 2001, and Yeshivas Brisk of Chicago became defunct a few years later as a Mesivta but remains active today as a
Beth Medrash under Rabbi Ahron's eldest son, Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik. His grandchildren include Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, philosopher Rabbi Dr.
Meir Soloveichik, and political analyst Nechama Soloveichik. Rabbi Dr.
David Applebaum was considered one of his most outstanding and devoted disciples. ==References==