Rabbi Naftoli Shapiro was an Orthodox

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...

 Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

ic scholar

Talmid Chacham

Talmid Chacham is an honorific title given to one well versed in Jewish law, in effect, a Torah scholar....

 and rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 for 40 years.

Born in 1906 in the town of Mir

Mir, Belarus

Mir is an urban settlement in Kareličy raion, Hrodna Voblast, Belarus on the banks of Miranka River, about 85 kilometers southwest of the national capital, Minsk....

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, Rabbi Shapiro studied at the prestigious Mir yeshiva

Mir yeshiva (Poland)

The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...

 from the age of twelve. He also learned at the Raduń Yeshiva

Radun Yeshiva

Raduń Yeshiva, originally located in Raduń, Poland , was established by the Chofetz Chaim in 1869.-Origins:In 1869 when the Chofetz Chaim returned from Vashilyshok to Raduń his first action was to establish a group to whom he could spread the knowledge of Torah...

, and was a pupil of the Chofetz Chaim

Yisrael Meir Kagan

Yisrael Meir Poupko , known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life...

. Rabbi Shapiro studied at the Łomża yeshiva

Yeshiva

Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...

, where he was appointed teacher to senior students preparing for semicha

Semicha

, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...

. He studied in the Łomża Kollel

Kollel

A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...

 under the renowned Gaon

Gaon (Hebrew)

Gaon originally referred in Ancient Hebrew to arrogance and haughty pride . Later became known as pride in general: whether good or bad . Today it may refer to:...

 Rabbi Aaron Yosef Bakst, and received semicha at the age of 23 from Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor

Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor

Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor was a Russian rabbi, Posek and Talmudic sage of the 19th century.- Early struggles :...

.

Due to a directive from Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman

Elchonon Wasserman

Elchonon Wasserman was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva in pre-World War II Europe. He was one of the Chofetz Chaim's closest disciples and a noted Torah scholar.-Biography:...

 for a permanent yeshiva with a head to be set up in Glasgow, a "call" was sent to Rabbi Shapiro, who arrived to lead the fledgling institution in 1936, three years after its founding.

Rabbi Shapiro went on to lead the yeshiva for forty years until 1976. During this period, he married a daughter of Rev. Dr. Israel W. Slotki of Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 and founded the Glasgow Vaad Hayeshivos (yeshiva council), the Tiferes Bochurim youth movement and the Sabbath

Shabbat

Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...

 Observance Organisation. He also obtained an MA

Master of Arts (Scotland)

A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...

 from the University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...

. In 1956, he was appointed rabbi of the newly amalgamated Great Central Synagogue, Glasgow, and later became vice-president of the Glasgow Association of Rabbis.

During his extensive tenure in Glasgow, Rabbi Shapiro delivered several long-running shiurim in the city and lectured extensively; he was a tireless advocate of traditional Jewish life and learning. Rabbi Shapiro retired to Jerusalem in 1976, where he died in 1981. He was buried on Har HaMenuchot

Har HaMenuchot

Har HaMenuchot is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel. It is located at the western edge of the city adjacent to the neighborhood of Givat Shaul, with commanding views of Mevaseret Zion to the north, Motza to the west, and Har Nof to the south.-History:...

, and eulogies were delivered by the head of the Vaad Hayeshivos and the rabbi of the Gerrer

Ger (Hasidic dynasty)

Ger, or Gur is a Hasidic dynasty originating from Ger, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland....

 shtibl where Rabbi Shapiro prayed in his final years. He was survived by his widow Shulamit Rose.