Pinchas Hirschsprung
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Pinhas Hirschprung (1912-1998) was a Polish
rabbi
of Hasidic ancestry, who later emigrated to Montreal
, Canada
, where he served as Chief Rabbi
.
, in Poland
(Galicia) in 1912. He first studied with his grandfather Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Zehmin (who was also the teacher of the Rebbe of Klausenburg
, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam
) and later became the prime student of Rabbi Meir Shapiro
, Dean of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva
and founder of the Daf Yomi
movement. Rabbi Shapiro once said about him that already as a youth he knew all 2,200 folio pages (4,400 column pages) of the Talmud
by heart.
After he reached the age of bar-mitzvah, he wrote his first book of Torah
novellae, "Pri Pinchas" and then went on to write another book "Ohel Torah" soon after. After Rabbi Shapiro died in 1933, Rabbi Hirschprung would test prospective students for admittance to the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva
, where entry required the memorization 200 Talmudic folio pages (400 column pages).
He was endowed with an eidetic memory
that enabled him to memorize the hundreds of volumes of rabbinic literature verbatim. Only a few other known scholars of the post WWII generation attained such a level of vast Talmudic fluency, including Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe), Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth
, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
.
, he escaped to Kobe
, Japan
via Lithuania
and then traveled on to Shanghai
. In 1941, he reached Canada on the last boat to leave before the attack on Pearl Harbor
.
) of the Rabbinical College of Canada yeshiva
Tomchei Tmimim Montreal
.
Rabbi Hirschprung shared a very close relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
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
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...
of Hasidic ancestry, who later emigrated to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he served as Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
.
Life
He was born to Rabbi Chaim Hirschprung in the city of DuklaDukla
Dukla ; , Duklya] is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodship. The town is populated by 2,127 people . while the total population of the commune containing the town and the villages surrounding it is 16,640...
, in 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...
(Galicia) in 1912. He first studied with his grandfather Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Zehmin (who was also the teacher of the Rebbe of Klausenburg
Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty)
Klausenburg , also known as Sanz-Klausenburg, is a Hasidic dynasty that originated in the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca , Romania....
, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam
Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam
Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam was an Orthodox rabbi and the founding rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidic dynasty....
) and later became the prime student of Rabbi Meir Shapiro
Meir Shapiro
Yehuda Meir Shapiro , , was a prominent Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva, also known as the Lubliner Rav...
, Dean of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva
Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva
Founded by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, , was an important centre for Torah study in Poland.-History:On May 22–28, 1924, the cornerstone laying ceremony took place for the construction of the yeshiva building. Approximately 20,000 people participated in the event.The opening...
and founder of the Daf Yomi
Daf Yomi
Daf Yomi "page [of the] day" or "daily folio") is a daily regimen undertaken to study the Babylonian Talmud one folio each day...
movement. Rabbi Shapiro once said about him that already as a youth he knew all 2,200 folio pages (4,400 column pages) of the 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....
by heart.
After he reached the age of bar-mitzvah, he wrote his first book of Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
novellae, "Pri Pinchas" and then went on to write another book "Ohel Torah" soon after. After Rabbi Shapiro died in 1933, Rabbi Hirschprung would test prospective students for admittance to the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva
Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva
Founded by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, , was an important centre for Torah study in Poland.-History:On May 22–28, 1924, the cornerstone laying ceremony took place for the construction of the yeshiva building. Approximately 20,000 people participated in the event.The opening...
, where entry required the memorization 200 Talmudic folio pages (400 column pages).
He was endowed with an eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
that enabled him to memorize the hundreds of volumes of rabbinic literature verbatim. Only a few other known scholars of the post WWII generation attained such a level of vast Talmudic fluency, including Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson , known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or just the Rebbe among his followers, was a prominent Hasidic rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He was fifth in a direct paternal line to the third Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Menachem Mendel...
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe), Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth
Chaim Kreiswirth
Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth was an Orthodox rabbi who served as the longtime Chief Rabbi of Congregation Machzikei Hadass Antwerp, Belgium...
, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef is the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, a recognised Talmudic scholar and foremost halakhic authority.He currently serves as the spiritual leader of the Shas political party in the Israeli parliament...
and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
Chaim Kanievsky
Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky, , is an Israeli rabbi and posek. Kanievsky is considered a leading authority in Haredi Jewish society.-Biography:...
.
Escape from Nazi Occupied Lublin
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he escaped to Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
via Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and then traveled on to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. In 1941, he reached Canada on the last boat to leave before the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
Rabbinate
He served as the chief Rabbi of Montreal from 1969 until his passing on January 25, 1998 and served a dean (rosh yeshivaRosh 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...
) of the Rabbinical College of Canada 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...
Tomchei Tmimim Montreal
Rabbinical College of Canada
Rabbinical College of Canada , is a Chabad rabbinical institution of higher education. It is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
.
Rabbi Hirschprung shared a very close relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.