A mourning in the Jewish world: Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the Talmud Interpreter, passed away

August 7, 2020   

Baruch Dayan, the true judge:  This morning (Friday), the late Rabbi Adin Even Israel (Steinsaltz) passed away at the age of 83. Regular income from National Insurance? Check your eligibility for a monthly pension today The late Ztz"l became famous throughout the Israeli diaspora for his comprehensive and annotated work on the Talmud. If you do what he did, there's a good chance you'll be settled in life. Want to too? He was a Chabad follower and a prolific author of books on Jewish thought and commentaries, especially on the Talmud and Hasidism. Winner of the Israel Prize for Jewish Studies in 1988, a decoration from the President of the State of Israel in 2012, and a Jerusalem Beloved in 2017. He served as president of the Mekor Chaim and Sfa Mekor Chaim high school yeshiva, as well as president of the Tekoa Yeshiva. For about 50 years, he served as rabbi of the 'Tzemach Tzedek' Chabad synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. With the encouragement of the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l, he changed his family name to 'Even Israel'. About 4 years ago, he suffered a stroke and has since lost his speech. A few days ago, his condition worsened, and this morning, to the sorrow of his family and many students, he passed away. His funeral will leave at 2:00 PM from 'Shamgar', to the Chabad plot on the Mount of Olives, where he will be buried.

His life story: 

Rabbi Adin Even Israel-Steinsaltz was born in Jerusalem on the 3rd of Av 37 to a secular family. His father, Avraham Steinsaltz, was the great-grandson of the first Rebbe of Slonim. He immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1924 from Warsaw, Poland, and was a member of Lehi and a communist. In his teens, Rabbi Adin repented. He began the process with the help of the devout Rabbi Shmuel Elazar Heilferin. He studied at the Chabad Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva in Lod. He later studied chemistry and physics at the Hebrew University and Torah studies in yeshivas in Jerusalem. At the age of 24, he was appointed the youngest school principal in the country. In 1965, he married Chaya Sara, daughter of the late Rabbi Chaim Hillel Azimov.

Photo: Courtesy of COL

His sons, Menachem Yaakov Zvi and Avraham Moshe Haim Hillel, are at the head of the publishing of his books. In 1965, he founded the 'Israeli Institute for Talmudic Publications', currently located in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem, which deals with the commentary of the Talmud with the aim of making it accessible to the Israeli reader of today. The Talmud in his publication, known as the 'Steinsaltz Talmud'. The first volume was published in 1967. In 2010, the project ended with the publication of the last volume. In 1984, he founded the Mekor Chaim High Yeshiva in Jerusalem, which closed after four years. At the same time, the Mekor Chaim High Yeshiva was opened in the Mekor Chaim neighborhood of Jerusalem under his presidency, which later moved to Kfar Etzion. In 1989, near the fall of the Iron Curtain, he founded the first yeshiva in Moscow to be recognized by the Soviet authorities. In 1999, the Tekoa High Yeshiva was established under his presidency. In 1988, he was selected to receive the Israel Prize in the field of Jewish studies. At the time of the award ceremony, Rabbi Steinsaltz was in the United States and was criticized for this, by the award committee and others. In 1992, he was awarded a decoration by the President of the State of Israel. In 1994, he was among the speakers at the Congressional Gold Medal presentation ceremony for the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l. In 1996, he opened the Steinsaltz Center for Jewish Knowledge in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem, where classes and workshops are held. He has authored dozens of books, including commentary on the Tanya, Maimonides, and more.