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Ahron (Aaron) Soloveichik (Template:Lang-he; May 1, 1917 – October 4, 2001) was a renowned Orthodox rosh yeshiva, and scholar of Talmud and halakha.

Biography

The youngest of five children, Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik was born to Moshe Soloveichik in Khislavichi, Russia, at which time his father was the rabbi of that town. Joseph Soloveitchik and Samuel Soloveichik were his older brothers.

His family first moved to Poland in 1920. Before his father moved to New York in 1929, Moshe engaged his student Yitzchok Hutner to become Ahron's tutor. Ahron was Hutner's first student. Soloveichik celebrated his bar mitzvah in Warsaw, and then immigrated with his family to join his father in the United States in 1930. After he graduated from Yeshiva College, he went to law school at New York University and graduated with a law degree in 1946. He then spent the next 20 years teaching at yeshivas in New York City.

Soloveichik's first teaching position was in Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem then headed by Moshe Feinstein, from whom he received his semikhah (rabbinic ordination). Shortly thereafter Soloveichik was appointed by Yitzchak Hutner to give the highest daily lecture in Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. Soloveichik's final position in New York was at Yeshiva University, where he instituted a popular weekly hashkafa class in addition to giving one of the advanced daily Talmud classes. It was during this time that Soloveichik was honored as Lecturer of the Year at Yeshiva University, the first rabbi to be so honored.

In 1966, he moved to Chicago to head the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois. After differing with the administration there on certain key issues, he was let go in 1974 and opened his own yeshiva as the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Brisk (Brisk Rabbinical College) in Chicago, an American incarnation of the Brisk yeshivas and methods.

Soloveichik taught Torah for 58 years, the last 34 of which were in Chicago. He was well known for being a humble, kind man yet one with an iron will and unquestionable integrity. Although the stroke he suffered in 1983 left him partially paralyzed, in nearly-constant pain and often in need of a wheelchair, he continued his duties at Yeshivas Brisk in Chicago and flew to New York every week to deliver a Talmudic lecture at Yeshiva University (a position he accepted after his older brother became ill and was unable to continue lecturing).

His wife, Ella Shurin, was a writer and teacher. The couple raised six children all of whom are rabbis or women married to rabbis: Moshe Soloveichik of Chicago, USA; Eliyahu Soloveichik of New York City, USA; Yosef Soloveitchik of Jerusalem, Israel; Chaim Soloveichik of Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel; Rochel Leah Marcus of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Tovah Segal of Newton, Massachusetts, USA.

He was buried beside his wife Ella and near his grandson Yisroel Yosef Soloveichik on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. His grandchildren include Meir Soloveichik.

Works

Other works in Hebrew include commentaries on the works of Maimonides (Parach Mateh Aharon) and the laws of mourning (Od Yisrael Yosef Beni Chai) which was dedicated in memory of his grandson who died young after a long battle with cancer.

Additional works in English include Logic of the Heart Logic of the Mind - Wisdom and reflections on topics of our times.

Notes

1. It is common to find his name spelled other ways, but his preference was for Ahron or Aaron, rather than Aharon or Aron, and for Soloveichik without the letter t, which many other members of his extended family preferred to include. His choice of the spelling Aaron can be seen on his letterhead and of Ahron on the cover of his book, "The Warmth and the Light" ISBN 0-9630936-2-2, which was published in his lifetime.
2. Soloveitchik Meiselman, Shulamith (1995). The Soloveitchik Heritage - A Daughter's Memoir. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 150. ISBN 0-88125-525-4.
3. Soloveitchik Meiselman, Shulamith (1995). The Soloveitchik Heritage - A Daughter's Memoir. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 236. ISBN 0-88125-525-4.

Articles

• HaDarom, No. 22, Tisrei 5726 (Oct. 1955): בענין קידוש החודש
• HaDarom, No. 23, Nissan 5726 (April 1956): דין שימור במצות מצוה
• Bais Yitzchak, 1987: בענין יהרג ועל יעבור

External links

• Famous Rabbis
• My Grandfather, Rav Ahron by Nachama Soloveichik.
• Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik (by Schulamith Halevy (he))
• Filmed interview regarding anusim (March 23, 1998)
• Rabbi Soloveichik responsum to Schulamith Halevy (he) PDF

v t e Brisker family tree
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Rabbanit Esti Rosenberg, director of Migdal Oz (seminary) Rabbi Yitzchok Lichtenstein, Co-Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas; Rabbi Bais Avrohom, Monsey, NY Rabbi Yosef Dov (Reb Berel) Soloveichik Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveichik Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein, Co-Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion Rabbi Meshulam Dovid (Reb Dovid) Soloveichik Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveichik Rabbi Mayer Lichtenstein, Rabbi Ohel Menachem Bet Shemesh Rabbi Yosef Dov (HaLevi) Soloveichik author of Beis HaLevi Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik "Reb Chaim Brisker" Rabbi Yitzchak Zev (Reb Velvel) Soloveichik "The GRIZ" The Brisker Rov Lifsha Soloveitchik Feinstein Dr. Tovah Soloveitchik Lichtenstein Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt Rabbi Refael Shapiro, Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin yeshiva Lifsha Shapiro Rabbi Refoel Soloveichik Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein Tzipporah Rosenblatt Rabbi Meir Soloveichik Dr. Atarah Soloveitchik Twersky Rabbi Mosheh Twersky z"l, Maggid Shiur at Yeshiva Toras Moshe Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. (Yosef Dov) Soloveitchik "The Rav" Rabbi Dr. Isadore Twersky, Talner Rebbe of Boston Rabbi Mayer Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik, Rosh Yeshivas Brisk (Chicago); Rav of Kehilas Beth Sholom Ahavas Achim Peshka Feinstein Soloveichik Dr. Samuel Soloveichik Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, Rosh Yeshiva at Lander College's Beis Medrash L'Talmud Rabbi Meir Yaakov Soloveichik Shulamit Soloveitchik Meiselman Rabbi Moshe Meiselman, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras Moshe Rabbi Yosef Soloveichik Sarah Orenshein Anne Soloveitchik Gerber Rabbi Chayim Soloveichik, Maggid Shiur at Yeshivat Reishit; Morah D’Asrah of Kehillat Ohr Shalom, Ramat Beit Shemesh Moshe Soloveichik Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Soloveichik Rabbi Yitzchok Soloveichik Rabbi Yisroel Soloveichik Rabbi Yisroel Gershon Soloveichik Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik Rabbi Boruch Soloveichik Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Soloveichik Daughter Soloveichik
Notes: Rabbi Chaim Halevi Soloveichik (the second)

• Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty
• 1917 births
• 2001 deaths
• American Orthodox rabbis
• Jews and Judaism in Chicago
• Rosh yeshivas
• Russian Orthodox rabbis
• Lithuanian Orthodox rabbis
• Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas
• 20th-century rabbis
• Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
• Rabbis from Illinois