Rabbi Gershon Edelstein

Early Life in Russia 

Rabbi Edelstein was born in Shumyatch, Soviet Union near the border with Belarus in 1923. In his early years, he and his brother Yaakov learned Torah secretly. His mother passed away from typhus when R’ Edelstein was young. He, his brother, and his father immigrated to Palestine in 1934, eventually settling in Ramat Hasharon. 

Life in Eretz Yisrael 

R’ Edelstein and Yaakov learned at the Lomzha Yeshiva in Petach Tikvah for a year, until their father remarried. They returned home to study Torah full-time until 1943 when the Ponevezh Yeshiva was established. R’ Edelstein taught young students in Ponevezh as well as Holocaust refugees at the Batei Avot orphanage. 

In 2000, he became head of the Yeshiva together with Rabbi Baruch Dov Povarsky and Rabbi Shmuel Markowitz.  

In 2003, he was added to the Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages) of the Degel HaTorah political party. 

In 2017, Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, spiritual leader of Degel HaTorah, passed away and R’ Adelstein became its joint leader with R’ Chaim Kanievsky. 

In 2022, R’ Chaim Kanievsky passed away, leaving R’ Adelstein as the sole leader of Degel HaTorah. 

Tributes

Upon his passing on 10-Sivan, tributes poured in. 

UTJ leader Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf wrote, “Together with all the House of Israel, his many students, and those who cherish his memory, I bitterly mourn the passing of the great Maran HaGaon Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, of blessed and pious memory. Edelstein was entirely focused on Torah and reverence for God, fought courageously for the holy people of Israel and the observance of Shabbat, was a remnant of a generation of thought that had the honor of raising up thousands of students, and received every person who turned to him for advice and wisdom with a warm welcome.” 

Aryeh Deri, head of the Mizrahi Haredi party Shas wrote, “Woe to the ship that lost its captain. He was a remnant of a generation which preached the Torah to thousands and taught generations of geonim, yeshiva heads and students. [He was] a faithful shepherd to his flock.” 

Israel’s chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau wrote, “R’ Edelstein strongly and decidedly led the Jewish People even at his ripe age. I had the privilege to be near him during my studies at the Ponevezh Yeshiva and through guidance and wise advice in all religious matters until very recently.”  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote, “Today, the world of Torah, along with the entire people of Israel, has lost a wise and renowned leader – the President of the Council of Torah Sages and head of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, whose entire life was holiness. I mourn his passing and send my most heartfelt condolences to the members of his family.”

“Rabbi Edelstein always remembered the days of his youth in Soviet Russia in which he was obliged to study Torah in secret. In contrast to this, here in Israel, he openly spread his wings over the Lithuanian yeshiva world.”

“He never took anything for granted. On the contrary, the responsibility for shaping the spiritual image of masses of Jews guided him day and night. Rabbi Edelstein was imbued with love of Israel for everyone. His sensitive attention to the challenges of the generation led him to guide, direct, strengthen and encourage.”

“His lessons in Talmud and Jewish law gave expression to his immense diligence. His great persistence will continue to inspire those who listen to his teachings.”

“I was fortunate to meet with Rabbi Edelstein several months ago, and the light that shone in his eyes was full of understanding; Jewish wisdom left an indelible mark in him. The importance of instilling the heritage of Israel in the children of Israel sprang from the depths of his soul.”

“Rabbi Edelstein passed away a few days after we read in the Torah portion of Naso the opening words: ‘Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families’ (Numbers 4:22). His good name will be remembered by everyone – in this generation and in generations to come. May his memory be for a blessing.”

President Isaac Herzog wrote that R’ Edelstein “was a spiritual leader of enormous stature whose Torah and pious greatness influenced our generation and will influence generations to come.”  

National Unity opposition party leader Benny Gantz called Edelstein a “mentor” who “showed extraordinary leadership” during Israel’s national fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “I will never forget his call to his believers: ‘Reading the Torah in public — will be a sin,’” Gantz wrote. “For someone who prayed in public his whole life, this statement to his many believers was an extraordinary magnanimity that saved many lives. In this way, he revealed himself not only as great in Torah, but also as a lover of people.”