הרב אהרן ליכטנשטיין

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein (28 Iyar 5693/1933–1 Iyar 5775/2015) was the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a winner of the Israel Prize for Torah literature. Born in Paris to Reb Yechiel and Bluma Lichtenstein, he escaped with his family to the United States in 5700/1940, months after the Nazi conquest of France. He learned in Yeshivat Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin under Rav Yitzchak Hutner and under Rav Ahron Soloveichik, but his rebbi muvhak was Rav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik, from whom he received semichah at Yeshiva University in 5719/1959 and whose daughter, Dr. Tovah, he married. Alongside his learning he earned a doctorate in English literature at Harvard in 5717/1957.

After heading a kollel at Yeshiva University, he accepted Rav Yehuda Amital‘s invitation to stand with him at the head of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion — on condition that Rav Amital remain rosh yeshiva at his side — and moved to Eretz Yisrael in 5731/1971. He also served as rosh kollel of the Gruss Institute in Yerushalayim. His shiurim carried the derech of Brisk, the lomdut of his rebbi’s house, to a new generation, and his essay Zot Torat HaHesder laid out the Torah foundation for joining yeshiva learning with army service in the hesder yeshivot.

His talmidim wrote down and published his shiurim as Shiurei HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein — volumes on Zevachim, Taharot, Pesachim, Bava Metzia, Bava Batra, Horayot, Gittin, and the Ramban‘s kuntres Dina DeGarmi — for which he received the Rav Kook Prize in 5773; his own chiddushim appeared as Minchat Aviv (5774/2014), his sichot on avodat Hashem as Be’or Panecha Yehalechun, and further volumes of essays were printed after his petirah. In 5774/2014 he was awarded the Israel Prize for Torah literature. His eldest son Rav Mosheh was appointed rosh yeshiva alongside him in 5769/2008; Rav Aharon was niftar on 1 Iyar 5775 (2015), at eighty-one, in Alon Shvut, the home of his yeshiva.