Hanoch Teller
Encyclopedia
Hanoch Teller is an Orthodox
Jewish
rabbi
, author and lecturer who popularized the Jewish literary genre of true, contemporary stories to convey inspirational and ethical themes. Author of over 25 books, Teller is also a tour guide in Jerusalem, Israel
.
, Austria
and raised in Stamford
, Connecticut
. He received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Yeshiva University
of New York, and continues to study at the Mir Yeshiva
in Jerusalem. He received rabbinic ordination from the previous Rav of the Kotel
, Rabbi Meir Yehuda Getz.
He and his wife, Aidel, have 18 children. They reside in the Arzei HaBira
neighborhood of Jerusalem.
, Moment Magazine
, The Jerusalem Post
, and Jewish Women's Outlook. He received the My Jerusalem Prize of 5742 (1982) in an international essay competition marking the fifteenth anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem
.
His first series of books, Once Upon a Soul, Souled! and Soul Survivors, introduced the genre of true, contemporary stories promoting the themes of hashgacha pratis
(Divine Providence) and human kindness. Teller later branched out into biographies of contemporary Orthodox Jewish personalities — such as Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
, Baltimore
Torah day school principal Rabbi Binyamin Steinberg, and Toronto
philanthropist Joseph Tanenbaum — using anecdotes as the vehicle for moral and ethical lessons.
A large section of his corpus presents stories on specific ethical concepts, such as: judging others favorably (Courtrooms of the Mind), integrity (Above the Bottom Line), avoiding argumentation and strife (Give Peace a Stance), and the impact of a small positive gesture (It's a Small Word After All). Several of his books have been translated into Hebrew
, Russian
and Spanish
.
functions, learning seminars, fundraising
dinners, and organizational meetings in North America, South America, Europe and Israel. In his talks, he teaches Torah topics interweaved with inspiring stories about Torah leaders
and other Jewish heroes.
He is an instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel
for men and teaches at numerous Jerusalem women's colleges. He is a faculty member at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim College of Jewish Studies for Women, Darchei Binah Women's School, Afikei Torah Women's School for Advanced Torah Studies, Midreshet Moriah, Michlala-Jerusalem College, Bnot Torah Institute, Neve Yerushalayim Institutes, Naaleh Online Torah School, and others.
Teller is an independent guide licensed by Yad Vashem
to lead tours in its new Holocaust Memorial Museum. He leads tours combining his knowledge of the sites and events of the Holocaust with stories describing the experiences of individual victims, and produced an eleven-part CD lecture series on the subject (Comprehending the Incomprehensible: The History, Heroism and Lessons of the Holocaust.
In the late 1990s, Teller produced a docudrama
exploring miracles in everyday life (Do You Believe in Miracles?).
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, author and lecturer who popularized the Jewish literary genre of true, contemporary stories to convey inspirational and ethical themes. Author of over 25 books, Teller is also a tour guide in Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Biography
Teller was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and raised in Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. He received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
of New York, and continues to study at the Mir Yeshiva
Mir yeshiva (Jerusalem)
The Mir yeshiva , known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, is an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel. With 6,000 students, it is the largest yeshiva in Israel. Many of the students are from the United States and Canada. It is also believed to be the largest yeshiva in the world...
in Jerusalem. He received rabbinic ordination from the previous Rav of the Kotel
Western Wall
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
, Rabbi Meir Yehuda Getz.
He and his wife, Aidel, have 18 children. They reside in the Arzei HaBira
Arzei HaBira
Arzei Habira is a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel. It is bordered by Ma'alot Dafna to the north, the Shmuel Hanavi quarter to the west, Beit Yisrael to the south, and Road 1 and Sheikh Jarrah to the east.-Name:...
neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Author
Teller began his writing career penning articles for The Jewish ObserverThe Jewish Observer
The Jewish Observer is an American Orthodox Jewish magazine published by the Agudath Israel of America.The magazine generally presents a Haredi viewpoint. Published since 1963, it is printed nine months a year; the January and February issues are combined, and there are no issues in July or August...
, Moment Magazine
Moment (magazine)
Moment is an American Jewish magazine. It publishes articles related to Jewish culture, lifestyle, politics, and religion. Moment is not affiliated with any Jewish organization or religious movement, and its articles and columnists represent a diverse range of political views.-History:Nobel Peace...
, The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
, and Jewish Women's Outlook. He received the My Jerusalem Prize of 5742 (1982) in an international essay competition marking the fifteenth anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem
Jerusalem Day
Jerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in June 1967...
.
His first series of books, Once Upon a Soul, Souled! and Soul Survivors, introduced the genre of true, contemporary stories promoting the themes of hashgacha pratis
Divine providence (Judaism)
In Judaism, Divine Providence is discussed throughout Rabbinic literature, by the classical Jewish philosophers, and by the tradition of Jewish mysticism.The discussion brings into consideration the Jewish understanding of Nature, and its reciprocal, the Miraculous...
(Divine Providence) and human kindness. Teller later branched out into biographies of contemporary Orthodox Jewish personalities — such as Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach , was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel...
, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
Levi Yitzchak HeLevi Horowitz was a rabbi and the second Rebbe of the Boston Hasidic dynasty founded by his father, Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz...
, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
Torah day school principal Rabbi Binyamin Steinberg, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
philanthropist Joseph Tanenbaum — using anecdotes as the vehicle for moral and ethical lessons.
A large section of his corpus presents stories on specific ethical concepts, such as: judging others favorably (Courtrooms of the Mind), integrity (Above the Bottom Line), avoiding argumentation and strife (Give Peace a Stance), and the impact of a small positive gesture (It's a Small Word After All). Several of his books have been translated into Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Public speaker
Teller is a popular speaker for schools, women's groups, synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
functions, learning seminars, fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
dinners, and organizational meetings in North America, South America, Europe and Israel. In his talks, he teaches Torah topics interweaved with inspiring stories about Torah leaders
Gadol
Gadol or godol גדול , is a Hebrew term used mostly by Haredi Litvish Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of their generation. These rabbis are usually held in high esteem by other Haredi or Orthodox Jews, though not necessarily to the same degree as by Litvish Jews...
and other Jewish heroes.
He is an instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel
Yeshivat Hakotel
Yeshivat Hakotel is a modern-Orthodox religious Zionist hesder yeshiva situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built in 1857. The yeshiva overlooks the Kotel ; hence its name. The Yeshiva is famous among tourists and tour guides for its entrance to the prayer plaza at the Kotel on Sabbath...
for men and teaches at numerous Jerusalem women's colleges. He is a faculty member at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim College of Jewish Studies for Women, Darchei Binah Women's School, Afikei Torah Women's School for Advanced Torah Studies, Midreshet Moriah, Michlala-Jerusalem College, Bnot Torah Institute, Neve Yerushalayim Institutes, Naaleh Online Torah School, and others.
Teller is an independent guide licensed by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
to lead tours in its new Holocaust Memorial Museum. He leads tours combining his knowledge of the sites and events of the Holocaust with stories describing the experiences of individual victims, and produced an eleven-part CD lecture series on the subject (Comprehending the Incomprehensible: The History, Heroism and Lessons of the Holocaust.
In the late 1990s, Teller produced a docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
exploring miracles in everyday life (Do You Believe in Miracles?).
Publishing history
- Once Upon A Soul: Stories of Striving and Yearning, NYC Publishing, 1984
- Soul Survivors, NYC Publishing, 1985
- Souled!, NYC Publishing, 1986
- The Story of the Steipler Gaon : The Life and Times of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, Artscroll, 1986
- Sunset: Stories of Our Contemporary Torah Luminaries and Their Spiritual Heroism, NYC Publishing, 1987
- Courtrooms of the Mind: Stories and Advice on Judging Others Favorably, NYC Publishing, 1988
- Pichifkes: Stories Heard on the Road and By the Way, NYC Publishing, 1989
- The Bostoner: Stories and Recollections from the Colorful Chassidic court of the Bostoner Rebbe, Rabbi Levi I. Horowitz, Feldheim, 1990
- Bridges of Steel, Ladders of Gold: Joseph Tanenbaum, Builder of Bridges to Torah, NYC Publishing, 1990
- Hey, Taxi!: Tales Told in Taxis and Recounted by Cabbies, NYC Publishing, 1990
- It’s a Small Word After All: The Amazing Impact of a Kind Gesture or a Thoughtful Remark on Human Lives and Events, NYC Publishing, 1990
- Welcome to the Real World, NYC Publishing, 1990
- Best of Storylines, NYC Publishing, 1991
- Give Peace a Stance: Stories and Advice on Promoting and Maintaining Peace, 1992
- A Matter of Principal: A Tribute to Rabbi Binyamin Steinberg, NYC Publishing, 1994
- And From Jerusalem, His Word: Stories and Insights of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, NYC Publishing, 1995
- A Midrash and a Maaseh: An Anthology of Insights and Commentaries on the Weekly Torah Reading, Including Hundreds of Old Favorites and New Stories (2 vol.), NYC Publishing, 1996
- The Mini A Midrash and a Maaseh: NYC Publishing, 1998
- Above the Bottom Line: Stories and Advice on Integrity, NYC Publishing, 1998
- In an Unrelated Story: A Compelling Collection of Newsworthy Tales, NYC Publishing, 1999
- Builders: Stories and Insights into the Lives of Three Paramount Figures of the Torah Renaissance, NYC Publishing, 2000
- Too Beautiful: Stories So Uplifting They Have To Be Shared, NYC Publishing, 2009
Audio tapes and CDs
- The Righteous Live On: Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (2-tape set)
- The Righteous Live On: Frau Sarah Schenirer and How the Mirrer Yeshiva Escaped to Shanghai (2 tapes)
- The Righteous Live On: Rabbi Aharon Kotler (2 tapes)
- The Righteous Live On: Appease Process (2 tapes)
- The Righteous Live On: Breaking Open the Potential Vault
- The Righteous Live On: We're Too Small a People, To Be a Small People
- The Righteous Live On: Remembering the Chofetz Chaim
- Comprehending the Incomprehensible: The History, Heroism and Lessons of the Holocaust, 11-CD album, 2007