Rabbi Aryeh Leib Baron (March 2, 1912 – October 3, 2011) was a Russian-born Canadian Haredi Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshiva Merkaz HaTorah and the rabbi of Beis Medrash Merkaz HaTalmud in Montréal, Canada, as well as the founder of Yeshiva Ahavas Torah Baranovich in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Baron | |
|---|---|
 with Rabbi Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik | |
| Personal | |
| Born | March 2, 1912 Horodok, Minsk Region, Russian Empire |
| Died | October 3, 2011 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Baranovich Yeshiva Mir Yeshiva |
| Position | Rabbi |
| Synagogue | Beis Medrash Merkaz HaTalmud |
| Position | Rosh yeshiva |
| Yeshiva | Yeshiva Merkaz HaTorah Beis Medrash Merkaz HaTalmud Yeshiva Ahavas HaTorah Baranovich |
| Yahrtzeit | ו' תשרי תשע"ב |
| Buried | Har HaMenuchot |
Early life
editRabbi Aryeh Leib Baron was born on March 2, 1912, in the town of Horodok in the Minsk Region of Belarus, then part of the Russian Empire,[1] to Reuven Baranovich (his last name, Baron, is a shortened version of "Baranovich"). His Hebrew birthday was on the Fast of Esther.[2] In his youth, he studied under Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz in Rakov and later at a yeshiva in Stowbtsy, Belarus.[3] As a younger man, he studied in the Baranovich Yeshiva under Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman and Rabbi David Rappoport. Wasserman used the notes that he took in shiur (class) to publish his sefer, Kovetz He'aros. In the early 1930s, Baron went to study in the Mir Yeshiva, where he stayed until the outbreak of World War II, when the yeshiva escaped to Vilnius. In 1940, with the aid of Chiune Sugihara, then-Japanese consul to Kaunas, the yeshiva fled from Nazi-occupied Europe to Kobe, in Japan, from where they were transferred to Shanghai, in China.[4] After several years, much of the yeshiva immigrated to the United States, including Baron. He then married the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Samson, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in Baltimore.[5]
Rabbinic career
editIn 1948, Baron was appointed rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Merkaz HaTorah in Montréal,[3] replacing Rabbi Eliyahu Simcha Chazzan who had become rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaath in New York City in 1945.[6] He was rosh yeshiva for 24 years. In 1973, he founded Beis Medrash Merkaz HaTalmud which he led until his move to Israel. He also founded Yeshiva Ahavas HaTorah Baranovich in Jerusalem.[7] Baron died on October 3, 2011,[8] a few months after his hundredth birthday. He was buried on Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.[9]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Shuchat, Raphael (Spring 2016). "A LITVAK IN MONTREAL: THE THOUGHT OF RABBI ARYEH LEIB BARON". Tradition. 49 (1). New York: 8–30. ProQuest 1808321286.
- ^ Sever, Yechiel. "HaRav Aryeh Leib Baron zt"l". Chareidi.org.
- ^ a b Shuchat, Raphael (Spring 2016). "A Litvak in Montreal: The Thought of Rabbi Aryeh Leib Baron". Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought. 49 (1): 8–30. JSTOR 44736762.
- ^ "The Rescue of the Mir Yeshiva". Yadvashem.org. Yad Vashem. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Rav Aryeh Leib Baron zt"l". October 3, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Moreinu Horav Eliyohu Simcha Halevi Chazan zt"l" (PDF). Torahvodaath.org. Yeshiva Torah Vodaath.
Moreinu Horav Eliyahu Simcha HaLevi Chazan zt'l. 5668/1908 – 5742/1982. With Torah Vodaath form 1945-1982.
- ^ "Baranovich Today". Baranovich.org. Yeshiva Ahavas Torah. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
- ^ "Rav Aryeh Leib Baron zt"l". Matzav.com.
Oct 3, 2011 - It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Rav Aryeh Leib Baron ... Rav Baron was a longtime member of the Montreal community
- ^ Sever, Yechiel. "Harav Aryeh Leib Baron zt"l". Chareidi.org.