Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff

Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff
Rothkoff in 2009
Personal life
Born	Arnold Rothkoff (1937-12-02) December 2, 1937 (age 87) New York City, U.S.
Nationality	Israeli, American
Spouse	Malkah Grund
Children	3
Alma mater	Yeshiva University
Religious life
Religion	Judaism
Denomination	Orthodox Judaism

Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff (born December 2, 1937) is an Israeli-American professor of rabbinic literature at Yeshiva University's Caroline & Joseph Gruss Institute in Jerusalem.^[1]

Biography

Rabbi Rakeffet attended Bnei Akiva as a youth. Meir Kahane was one of his madrichim (counselors). Rabbi Rakeffet met his future wife Malkah while giving a shiur at Bnei Akiva.^[2]

Rabbi Rakeffet started his career in 1961 as a pulpit rabbi at Lower Merion Synagogue in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.^[3] In 1962, he moved from Lower Merion to become the spiritual leader of the first Orthodox synagogue in suburban Essex County, Congregation Beth Ephraim of Maplewood and South Orange, New Jersey. During that time, he also served as a high school rebbe at the Manhattan Talmudical Academy of Yeshiva University. In 1969, he moved to Israel and worked as a Staff Editor for the Encyclopaedia Judaica.^[4] He also wrote numerous entries, including the one for Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik^[5] and Rabbi Eliezer Silver.^[6]

Upon the conclusion of the Encyclopaedia Judaica project, Rabbi Rakeffet pursued his love of teaching. He was a pioneer in Torah education for diaspora students in Israel. He was a member of the initial 1969 faculty of Jerusalem Torah College (BMT) and taught there for twenty years. He also taught at Machon Gold and Michlalah. He was also a founding faculty member at Midreshet Moriah, an advanced Torah study program for women.^[7]

By 1976, BMT had outgrown its campus and was exploring options to construct a new home. At that time, Joseph Gruss had completed construction on a Jerusalem campus for Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and Yeshiva University. Unfortunately, Rabbi Soloveitchik declined the invitation to teach there. Gruss then considered other options for the campus, such as giving it to the Technion or to the David Yellin College of Education. Rabbi Moshe Horowitz, the director of BMT, asked Rabbi Rakeffet to speak with Mr. Gruss about obtaining the campus for BMT. Rabbi Rakeffet impressed upon Mr. Gruss that BMT would propagate Rabbi Soloveitchik’s teachings and heritage to future generations in the Jewish homeland. Mr. Gruss then agreed to give the campus to BMT and to Yeshiva University. BMT moved to the campus and YU started the Gruss Kollel in the fall of 1976.^[8] Rabbi Rakeffet joined the Gruss Kollel faculty ^[9] and recruited Dr. Nechama Leibowitz to teach there as well.

Rabbi Rakeffet served in the Israel Defense Forces until the maximum allowable age. He served in Lebanon during the 1982 Lebanon War.^[10]

In 1980, he was recruited by Aryeh Kroll to join the Mossad's clandestine Nativ operation to teach Torah in the Soviet Union.^[11] Rabbi Rakeffet visited the Soviet Union in 1981, 1985, and 1989 together with his wife Malkah, and recruited 200 others to also visit. His initial visit motivated him to help found the Shvut Ami organization.

After the Iron Curtain fell, Rabbi Rakeffet followed his daughter into focusing on a new cause, the International Coalition of Missing Israeli Soldiers. At first, he spoke at fund-raising events. He soon became close with the Baumels and participated in evaluating the various leads they had. Unfortunately, no tangible outcome was realized. He then conceived the idea of using the standards for permitting agunot to marry for these cases. If the evidence indicated that the soldiers were no longer alive, the families might realize a sense of closure and the Israeli government might more easily negotiate with the enemies who held the bodies. Rabbi Rakeffet's idea was accepted by the Israel Defense Forces. In 2001, he formed a beit din which was given the necessary clearance to analyze all available evidence.^[12] After 2.5 years, the beit din concluded the soldiers had died.^[13] Rabbi Rakeffet's halakhic innovation of "Presumed Dead; Place of Burial Unknown" (מקל'ן), is currently used by the IDF to declare a missing soldier "Presumed Dead" in similar cases.^[14]

Rabbi Rakeffet felt strongly that a documentary should be made about Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. After much effort, he found Ethan Isenberg to produce the film, and a donor to subsidize it. The documentary "The Lonely Man of Faith: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik" was first shown in November 2006.^[15][16]

Rabbi Rakeffet finished his 10-year effort of writing his personal scholarly memoir, "From Washington Avenue to Washington Street", with its publication in 2011. Published by the OU Press in conjunction with Gefen Publishing House.^[9] It was his seventh published volume. ^{[17] [18]} One critic hailed the memoirs: "Although serious to the core, his wonderful sense of humor shines in this inspiring life story of a true intellectual who continues to devote his talents to the Jewish people and the State of Israel."^[19]

In June 2016, Rakafot Aharon Vol 3 was published by Shvut Ami. Rabbi Dr. Yaakov S. Weinstein of East Brunswick, NJ compiled and annotated it based on contemporary Halachic topics presented by Rabbi Rakeffet between 1998 – 2002 in his advanced shiurim given at YU's Gruss Kollel. The topics include: The classic Agunah, Mamzerut and Artificial Insemination.

In July 2019, Rakafot Aharon Vol 4 was published, also by Shvut Ami. The first section on Hilkhot Kiddushin was compiled by Rabbi Dr. Weinstein, based on Rabbi Rakeffet's shiurim. The second section on the Russian Saga consists of material on Rabbi and Mrs. Rakffet's visits to the Soviet Union while working for the Mossad during the 1980s. The third section includes a portion of Rakeffet's published scholarship since 1993. The fourth section contains unique documents and pictures, including the identification of every student in a famous picture of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik's 1960 classroom.

In July 2023, Rabbi Rakeffet published "Theodore Herzl and Contemporary Zionism in the Context of Joseph and His Brothers".^[20] This essay was originally published in Maaseh Harav by Rabbi Mendi Gopin which commemorated Rabbi Soloveitchik’s 120th birthday and 30th Yahrtzeit. Rabbi Rakeffet expands upon the theme in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s lecture ‘Joseph and His Brothers’, which recognizes the need for the Mizrachi to work with secular Jews to build the State of Israel. Rabbi Rakeffet quotes sources which encourage the appreciation and recognition by religious Jews of Theodore Herzl’s dedication and accomplishments to create a Jewish state. Furthermore, he explores the contemporary meaning of ‘Daat Torah’. Per Rabbi Teichtal, “The rabbis must constantly evaluate their outlook on non-Halakhic issues in accordance with reality and the aftereffects of their viewpoints.”

In October 2023, Rabbi Rakeffet published "Rabbinic Authority and Leadership on the Contemporary Scene".^[21] This essay explores the origins of Daas Torah, its impact on Israeli society, and how various rabbis dealt with this approach to Rabbinic authority.

Positions

• Spiritual leader of Lower Merion Synagogue in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (1961–1962)
• Spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Ephraim and Maplewood Jewish Center in New Jersey (1962–1969)
• High School Rebbe at Manhattan Talmudical Academy of Yeshiva University (1962–1969)
• Staff Editor for Encyclopaedia Judaica (1969–1971)
• Jerusalem Torah College (BMT) (1969–1989)
• Machon Gold (1971–1989)
• Michlalah (The Jerusalem College for Women) (1971–1986)
• Midreshet Moriah (1987–2002)
• Gruss Kollel (1976 – Present)

Works

• Bernard Revel: Builder of American Jewish Orthodoxy (1971)
• The Silver Era: Rabbi Eliezer Silver and His Generation (1982)
• Rakafot Aharon (1997) – Collected published writing, (two volumes) Published by Shvut Ami
• Rakafot Aharon Vol 3 (2016) - In Response to Life: The Classic Agunah, Mamzerut, and Artificial Insemination. Published by Shvut Ami.
• Rakafot Aharon Vol 4 (2019) - Hilkhot Kiddushin, The Russian Saga, Published Contemporary Torah History, Documents and Pictures. Published by Shvut Ami.
• The Rav – The World of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1999) – 2 volumes, KTAV Publishing House, Inc. ISBN 0-88125-614-5 (vol 1) and ISBN 0-88125-615-3 (vol 2)
• From Washington Avenue to Washington Street (2011), Gefen Publishing House and OU Press. ISBN 978-965-229-565-1

Articles

• Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought: Rakeffet-Rothkoff entries
• The Commentator: The Torah and Rabbinics of the Early YC Years
• Jewish Action: Rabbi Meir Kahane: His Life and Thought
• Theodore Herzl and Contemporary Zionism in the Context of Joseph and His Brothers
• Rabbinic Authority and Leadership On the Contemporary Scene

Lectures

• Online archive of articles and talks at YUTorah.org
• Hesped for Joe DiMaggio #1
• Hesped for Joe DiMaggio #2

Notes

1. Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Aaron (2011). From Washington Avenue to Washington Street. Gefen Publishing House. p. 3. ISBN 978-965-229-565-1.
2. "Lecture by Rabbi_Aaron_Rakeffet-Rothkoff 2009-11-16_JH_07, Minute 90". YUTorah.org. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
3. "History of the Lower Merion Synagogue, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania: The Early Years 1954 – 1981, by Rabbi Abraham A. Levene" (PDF). Lower Merion Synagogue. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
4. Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 1, p.24
5. Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 15, pp.133–134. [A.Ro] at the end of the article represents Aaron Rothkoff, as listed in Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 1, p.41.
6. Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 14, pp.1544–1545.
7. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff (1999). The Rav The World of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Vol. 1. KTAV Publishing House. p. 297. ISBN 9780881256147.
8. Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Aaron (2011). From Washington Avenue to Washington Street. Gefen Publishing House. pp. 247–261. ISBN 978-965-229-565-1.
9. Per interview with Rabbi Rakeffet by Noah Cheses, December 2009.
10. Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Aaron (2011). From Washington Avenue to Washington Street. Gefen Publishing House. p. 301. ISBN 978-965-229-565-1.
11. "YUTorah: Teaching Torah in Russia by Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff". Yeshiva University. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
12. Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Aaron (2011). From Washington Avenue to Washington Street. Gefen Publishing House. pp. 429–435. ISBN 978-965-229-565-1.
13. "Rabbi Rakeffet-Rothkoff In KGH: Paskening On The IDF Missing". Queens Jewish Link. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
14. "SPECIAL SHIUR - Zach Baumel, ז'ל - History and Halakhah". YUTorah.org. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
15. "The Making of "The Lonely Man of Faith" by Binyamin Ehrenkranz in the Commentator". Yeshiva University. Archived from the original on 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
16. "The Art of the Rav: A Documentary by Chana Wiznitzer in the Commentator". Yeshiva University. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
17. "Responsa 23, The Printers Rule the Rabbis, Minutes 0 – 2". YUTorah.org. Retrieved 2011-04-06.
18. "OU Press web site". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
19. "Living History". Jerusalem Post. 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
20. "Theodore Herzl and Contemporary Zionism in the Context of Joseph and His Brothers" (PDF). TorahTidbits. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
21. "Rabbinic Authority and Leadership On the Contemporary Scene" (PDF). Hakira Fall 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-26.