שלמה זלמן אבל

Rav Shlomo Zalman HaLevi Abel (15 Adar 5617/1857–13 Tishrei 5647/1886), known by the acronym Shaza, was among the founders of Yeshivat Telz and the author of Beit Shlomo. He was born in Naumiestis, called Neustadt, in the Kovno region of Lithuania, to Rav Kalman David HaLevi Abel; his grandfather, Rav Moshe of Sugind, was a great-grandson of Rav Avraham, the brother of the Gra. His gifts showed early: at twelve, lying ill, he wrote a commentary on Iyov, and two years later a work in rhymed verse on the life of David HaMelech which he called Chezyon Chayei David.

As a young man he settled in Telz, printed chiddushei Torah in the Torah journals of the day, and published in HaLevanon a series on the life of plants. Together with Rav Meir Atlas and Rav Tzvi Yaakov Oppenheim he set in motion the bringing of Rav Eliezer Gordon to Telz as rav of the city and rosh yeshiva, and from then on he stood at Rav Gordon’s side at the head of the yeshiva, taking nothing for the work. He was a brother-in-law of Rav Shimon Shkop.

He was niftar in Telz at the start of 5647, just short of his thirtietch birthday. His father gathered his writings and printed them in Vilna in 5653/1893 as Beit Shlomo, a sefer on hilchot mekach u’memkar together with divrei mussar on matters between a man and his fellow, opening with his own words written, as he put it, out of a broken heart.