Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung

Rabbi Hirschprung

Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung (1912 - January 1998) was the Chief Rabbi of Montreal, Canada, and the head of the Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva of Montreal.

Life History

Born in the town of Dukla in 1912 to his father, Rabbi Chaim, who was the son-in-law of Rabbi David Tzvi Zahman. He studied Torah with his grandfather and later became a distinguished student of Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the genius of Lublin. During that period, his teacher Rabbi Shapiro testified that he knew 2,200 pages of Talmud by heart.

When he reached bar mitzvah age, he published his first work "Pri Pinchas," and afterward began editing the monthly journal "Ohel Torah," which contained Torah insights from the scholars of his time. Rabbi Shapiro appointed him at that time to test new students who came to study at the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva where he learned. To serve as an examiner at the yeshiva required vast knowledge. The entrance exam included testing on 400 pages of Talmud with commentaries.

During World War II, he managed to escape the Holocaust. He successfully crossed the border to the Soviet-controlled area in Lithuania. He began a journey to Kobe, Japan through Siberia, and remained in Shanghai. In 1941 he arrived in Canada.

He described his tribulations in his memoirs published in 1935. There he was appointed as Rabbi of the "Adas Yeshurun" community in Montreal and head of the "Mercaz HaTorah" Yeshiva. Later he was appointed director of the Rabbinical Council and head of the Montreal Beit Din, Canada, as well as Chief Rabbi of Canada.

Rabbi Hirschprung was one of the few survivors among Polish rabbis. He was considered one of the greatest experts of our generation in Talmud and Jewish law, which he knew by heart. This was in addition to his sharp understanding in learning, which was expressed in the depth of his sermons and insights. Nevertheless, he was a humble person who took no credit for himself. He pursued peace, was charitable, and was faithfully involved in his community's needs.

The third part of the book Vayoel Moshe written by the Satmar Rebbe was written to him.

His Connection with the Rebbe

He regularly visited the Rebbe to discuss Torah matters and participate in farbrengens. When he wrote his first composition, he sent a letter to the Rebbe. The scholar sent the book "Minchat Solet" on Sefer HaChinuch written by his grandfather to the Rebbe - and the Rebbe responded with notes on the book.

His first meeting with the Rebbe took place in 1957.

When he entered the Rebbe's room, before opening his mouth and giving the Rebbe the Pan, the Rebbe stood up and asked: "Are you the Akiva ben Yosef whose name goes from one end of the world to the other?" After a slight pause, the Rebbe continued and said: "Indeed, you are like Akiva ben Yosef"... When the scholar protested, the Rebbe smiled and asked: "Heaven forbid, why? Isn't this an explicit Talmud?..." Until Rabbi Hirschprung humbly replied: Heaven forbid to say that I am like Akiva ben Yosef...

His Torah Study Meeting with the Rebbe

Rabbi Hirschprung visited the Rebbe several times. But he couldn't discuss Torah learning with him, since the Rebbe directed the conversation toward spreading Judaism. On this occasion, he asked the Rebbe if he could also discuss some Torah learning with him, despite the Rebbe's precious time, and the Rebbe agreed.

He told the Rebbe that he had several difficult questions which he had asked all the Torah giants, none of whom could answer. Some of them weakened the force of the questions, but he couldn't find someone who could give him true answers to the questions. The Rebbe looked at him warmly and said with surprise: All the geniuses you mentioned cannot answer your questions, and I can? Rabbi Hirschprung answered that he was sure the Rebbe would correctly resolve his difficulties.

The Rebbe nodded and instructed Rabbi Hirschprung to ask. Rabbi Hirschprung asked questions on one of the most difficult topics in the Jerusalem Talmud, but despite this the Rebbe sat in a relaxed manner, until Rabbi Hirschprung wondered if the Rebbe was listening to what he was saying. Had he not heard about the Rebbe's genius, he would have stopped talking, being sure that the Rebbe didn't understand the questions, but knowing about the Rebbe's tremendous genius he continued presenting the questions.

When he finished, the Rebbe said: This is indeed difficult, but it's not the Jerusalem Talmud's fault but your fault, since you didn't learn the topic properly. If you had learned the Jerusalem Talmud properly, you wouldn't have questions. Without opening a book, the Rebbe began lecturing on the Jerusalem Talmud topic as if reading from the book. He showed him that through proper learning, his questions weren't difficult at all, to the surprise of Rabbi Pinchas, who had already presented his questions to the foremost Jewish leaders, none of whom thought there was no basis for his questions. And here the Rebbe, through proper learning of the topic, proved that the question came from an initially misdirected study of the Jerusalem Talmud passage.

The Rabbi later expressed: "I never encountered such depth in learning in my life. I saw giants in my life, but I never met someone approaching the Rebbe in genius."

From then on, his connections with the Rebbe and the Chabad community grew stronger, and in a certain sense he became a Chabad chassid.

The Merit of Being at the Rebbe's Farbrengen

For some reason, Rabbi Hirschprung was perceived by many as an intellectual follower of the Rebbe, but not emotionally connected. However, this was a mistake.

The scholar would regularly travel to the Rebbe's farbrengens. After the Rebbe's heart attack on Simchat Torah 1977, the scholar was concerned that the Rebbe wouldn't hold a farbrengen on the 19th of Kislev. His joy was indescribable when he learned that the Rebbe would attend the farbrengen after all.

After the farbrengen, on the way home, the scholar couldn't stop talking about the great privilege he had to be present at the Rebbe's farbrengen. He said only a fool could go to sleep after such a farbrengen. "We must go out to the street and dance with joy, that we are worthy to gather with the Rebbe shortly after what happened."

A True Chassid

One of his students related:

One year, his wife became ill with a cancerous tumor. The doctors said the situation was critical and doubted if surgery would help. Rabbi Hirschprung was deeply heartbroken upon hearing this, and a severe change came over him. He changed from an active person to an exhausted, lifeless man. He stopped coming to the yeshiva and didn't speak with anyone there. The only thing he didn't neglect was the general lecture he gave, but even this lacked his usual enthusiasm.

One day I met his son, and during our conversation he said, "Do you know that my father is a great chassid of the Lubavitcher Rebbe!" When I didn't react, his son continued saying, you should know that not only is he a chassid, but he is also connected heart and soul with the Rebbe, and I don't know if you can find a greater chassid than him.

As proof, he told the following story: When my mother's health was in serious condition, my father's mood was terrible. It became so serious that we children sat and cried over both parents. Over our mother who lay in bed, and over our father, who sat beside her in depression.

One day I was alone at home with my parents when a letter from the Rebbe arrived in the mail. My father was sitting and learning, and when I told him a letter arrived from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, he got up, went to the kitchen to wash his hands, put on his hat and jacket, and then stood to read the Rebbe's letter.

I stood aside and watched. Suddenly he rushed to my mother's room and said: I just received a letter from the Rebbe. The Rebbe wrote the letter in Hebrew but I'm willing to translate it to Yiddish.

It was a letter from the Rebbe. At the end of the letter, the Rebbe added several handwritten lines: Regarding what you wrote about your wife - this is only the evil inclination's advice wanting to weaken you. Therefore don't pay attention to it, it's not true at all, and only the evil inclination's claim, and you and your wife will merit long days and good years.

Father stood next to mother, called her by name and said, thank God there is a Rebbe, the Rebbe said it will be good and there's nothing to worry about. In an instant, he changed drastically from one extreme to another in a 180-degree turn. And returned to being an active and lively person as before.

In the weeks that followed, until my mother's complete recovery - things were reversed. While the family was worried, it was impossible to talk to him about his wife's health condition. Even on the day of surgery, when they took her to the operating room he wasn't concerned, and didn't understand why his family was worried, after all the Rebbe said she was healthy. When the doctors said the tumor had stopped growing, he wasn't excited to the family's amazement, since he had no doubt otherwise.

His son concluded: Is there another chassid like him? Is there anyone more connected than he is?"

The Rebbe as Moshiach

According to his student Rabbi Meir Plotkin, it was clear to him that the Rebbe is King Moshiach. When he asked his teacher: What did you see in the Rebbe that you didn't see in anyone else? Rabbi Hirschprung replied: There are two things that make the Rebbe unique, and there is no one like him. 1) His Torah study. 2) Leader of the generation. And I tell you that there is no one like him, not only in our generation but also in previous generations. I was with Rabbi Meir Shapiro in Lublin, with Rabbi Menachem Zemba, and all the geniuses of the previous generation, and I didn't find one who resembles the Rebbe's greatness in all areas of Torah. And it's unnecessary to elaborate on his leadership... He is the only one about whom it can be said that he is presumed to be Moshiach.

In his Shabbat HaGadol sermon after the 27th of Adar 1992, almost half of his sermon revolved around the fact that the head of the Jewish people was ill. He expanded on the topic of the head of the Jewish people, and said that every Jew needs the Rebbe healthy, because he and only he is the leader of the generation. With tears in his eyes, the scholar cried to heaven and aroused the congregation, which was mostly composed of Lithuanian Jews, to pray for the Rebbe's recovery.

His Connection with the Rebbe

Once Rabbi Hirschprung gave a lecture at a summer Torah gathering in 1987 in the Catskill Mountains, New York. When the audience expressed amazement at his incredible knowledge of the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud by heart, Rabbi Hirschprung said: "You think this is expertise? Do you want to see true expertise? Open any of the dozens of volumes of Likkutei Sichos, study each talk with the footnotes and then you'll understand what expertise is!"

On one occasion, Rabbi Hirschprung told about one of the first times he had a private audience with the Rebbe. During their conversation, the halachic definition of "immediately" and "at once" came up. He was stunned by the Rebbe's ability to "walk" with him through the entire Talmud and later commentaries to collect all the places where these definitions are mentioned.

The Rebbe showed special affection toward Rabbi Hirschprung. On many occasions, the Rebbe called him a "living Torah scroll." Every time he came to a farbrengen or dollar distribution, the Rebbe blessed him warmly.

On one occasion, during the controversy against the Rebbe in the 1980s, Rabbi Hirschprung was invited to a family celebration in Israel, and was sent free flight tickets, with the ultimate goal being to defame - God forbid - the Rebbe's honor. When the Rabbi heard about this, he immediately canceled his trip, and this was the day before the flight, when all his suitcases were packed. It happened that one of America's great rabbis was invited to a political conference in government circles in Israel. During this period, the Rebbe was fighting to amend the "Who is a Jew?" law, and Rabbi Hirschprung's participation could have been interpreted as supporting the government's position not to amend the law. Rabbi Hirschprung didn't hesitate and called to tell him not to go. The rabbi told Rabbi Hirschprung that only if he would rule according to Jewish law that it's forbidden for him to go would he not go. Rabbi Hirschprung immediately responded that according to Jewish law there is a complete prohibition to travel to that place.

A similar thing happened when the Rebbe said that all rabbis should sign a halachic ruling that stated it's forbidden to give any part of the Land of Israel to Arabs. Rabbi Hirschprung sat for several hours with an acquaintance's phone, dialed the numbers of various rabbis, and explained to them the importance of their signatures. Dozens of rabbis understood the serious implications of returning territories from the Land of Israel, and they opposed the move.

His Torah Learning Connection with the Rebbe

Rabbi Hirschprung would ask the Rebbe about all his doubts in learning.

On one occasion he expressed about the Rebbe: "I visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe many times, and I testify about him that there isn't a Rashi in the Talmud that he doesn't know and there isn't a Midrash in the world that he doesn't know."

During the Tefillin campaign, he sent together with the other Montreal rabbis a letter of support for the Rebbe's campaign.

Regarding "Yechi"

From Rabbi Hirschprung's letter published on 13th of Iyar, 1997:

"I hereby state my clear opinion on this (without elaborating on all the discussions, as I have already heard the matter in detail, and this is not the place to elaborate). All the debate about the singing and printing and the matter of 'Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V'Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L'olam Va'ed' and everything connected to it - there is not even a shadow of a halachic question about it, and it has explicit sources in the Talmud, Zohar, and from the great Kabbalists upon whom we (all of Israel) rely even for practical law. (Besides this, the Lubavitcher Rebbe's authority is great etc. - in the category of a Rabbi who is also a Tanna, and if he used these letters regarding his father-in-law, and hundreds of times, this alone can be an authoritative source)."

"And similarly regarding the ways of influencing fellow Jews etc., the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Chabad Chassidim themselves have already proven their expertise, and who knows better than them what is the correct approach to bring Jews closer, and in a way that only this and nothing else etc..."

In the same letter he writes further:

"Whose opinion will be more accepted - the opinion of Lubavitch, who are engaged throughout the world and America in general, with great friendship, and continue to capture the hearts of fellow Jews, or the words of some Rosh Yeshiva (even several of them). And when Lubavitch will print - the source for their conduct, how it is founded on our Sages in both revealed and hidden Torah (and on the Rebbe's own words), what will it help if someone declares his own 'Torah opinion'."

Rabbi Hirschprung gave his approbation to the book "Yechi HaMelech HaMoshiach" in which Rabbi Sholom Dovber Wolpo proves that the Rebbe is presumed to be Moshiach.

He passed away on the 27th of Tevet 1998.

Further Reading

• Rabbi Sholom Dovber Wolpo, "Shemen Sasson Mechaveirecha" Part 1 pp. 272-282, Chapter on Rabbi Hirschprung - His History and Connection with the Rebbe
• Machon B'Ohalei Tzaddikim, "B'Sod Siach" pp. 130-133
• "Siach Sarfei Kodesh" pp. 167-173
• Heichal HaBaal Shem Tov, Issue 31, Nissan 2011 p. 30 onwards (Rabbi Hirschprung's correspondence with the Rebbe)
• Mendy Korts, "'Expertise in Sources is Special with You'", Kfar Chabad Weekly, Issue 2081, 'Guests' Supplement p. 12 (Sukkot 5785)