By Leibel Estrin
Rabbi Yosef Rosen (1858-1936) was known for his diligence in Torah study. Even as a young boy, he spent his time pouring over religious texts. It wasn’t long before the teachers in his town of Rogotchov, Russia, said he was beyond them, so his father took over. When he was 13, his father brought him to Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik and asked the renowned scholar to accept Yosef as a student. Rabbi Soloveichik asked the bar mitzvah boy if he was familiar with the 63 tractates of the Talmud. The lad replied that he knew half. “Which half?” Rabbi Soloveichik wanted to know. The boy let out a slight smile, “Which ever half you ask me.”
An excerpt from the book “Judaism From Above The Clouds.”
Leibel Estrin has been writing about Jewish topics for four decades. He is working as a Jewish chaplain for the Aleph Institute. Leibel has recently published a work on Jewish perspectives and values entitled “Judaism From Above The Clouds.” To read more of Leibel’s writings and to purchase his book click here.
