Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Biography

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was born in 1937 in Jerusalem, an only child of secular, socialist parents. In early adolescence, his father provided him with a Talmud teacher, declaring “I do not care if my son is an apikores (heretic), but no son of mine will be an am-haaretz (ignoramus). His religious learning was supplemented with studies in physics, mathematics and chemistry. At age 24, he became the youngest high school principal in Israel.

Around the same time, Rabbi Steinsaltz began giving shiurim around the country. In 1967, with the encouragement of President Zalman Shazar, who was one of his students, Rabbi Steinsaltz published the Tractate Berachot, the first volume of his monumental project of translating and interpreting the Babylonian Talmud. Since then, 35 volumes have been published in Hebrew and the Steinsaltz Talmud has been acknowledged as one of the most significant undertakings in the Jewish world. Rabbi Steinsaltz has devoted his life to making Jewish learning accessible to everyone, and in recognition of this undertaking, Rabbi Steinsaltz received the Israel Prize in 1988. The Steinsaltz Talmud has also been translated into English, Russian and French.

In 1984, Rabbi Steinsaltz established the Mekor Haim Educational Institutions in Jerusalem, which now have over 700 students from preschool through post high-school yeshivat hesder. He has a strong, personal involvement with the schools and students. His vision for the Mekor Haim schools is to create young leadership who can become role models through their devotion to Ahavat Torah, Ahavat Eretz Yisrael and Ahavat Am Yisrael, and at the same time being a part of both the worlds of “heaven and earth.”

In 1989, the Rabbi created Mekor Haim Yeshiva in Moscow, and the Institute for Jewish Studies in the CIS, which has built an educational network of seminars for Jewish teachers and community leaders, study circles, publication of books, and a website in Russian. Rabbi Steinsaltz travels frequently to Russia and the Republics, and his most recent visit was to Siberia in June 2002.

Rabbi Steinsaltz has published works on mysticism and Chassidut, philosophy and prayer. He has authored over 60 books, which have been translated into a dozen languages, including Chinese and Japanese.

Rabbi Steinsaltz has devoted his entire life to the benefit of Am Yisrael, and he is not linked to any social, religious or political organization.

Main offices for Rabbi Steinsaltz:
Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications, P.O.B. 45187, Jerusalem 91450, Israel.
Contact: Thomas Nisell
Telephone: 972-2-5879511, Fax: 972-2-5879626, E-mail: steinsaltz@milta.co.il

Aleph Society Inc.-
American Friends of Rabbi Steinsaltz
Contact: Margy-Ruth Davis
E-mail: mrdavis@perrydavis.com

Aleph Society Trust –
British Friends of Rabbi Steinsaltz
Contact: Esther Englemayer
E-mail: bfrs@dial.pipex.com

Books by Steinsaltz

Archives