Biographies
Bechor Shor
Rabbi Yoseph Bechor Shor (sometimes called Ri M’Orleans) lived in 12th century France, was one of the Tosafot, and was a noted poet. He was a talmid of Rabbeinu Tam. His noted commentary focuses on peshat, though includes some midrash, and he often adds psychological perspective and investigates the motives behind certain actions and characters. He also used facts about science and nature to help his explanations.
Be’er Yosef
Rabbi Yoseph Tzvi Salant (1885-1981) was a talmid chacham known for his derashot, mostly delivered in the “Churva Shul” in the Old City of Yerushalayim. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Nota Tzvi Weiss, the Maggid of Yerushalayim. He received smicha at the age of 25 from Rav Chaim Berlin (and others). His collection of derashot was published as the Be’er Yoseph.
HebrewBooks:
Beis HaLevi
Rabbi Yosef Dov Ber HaLevi Soloveichik (1820-1892) was born in Lithuania to his father, Rav Yitzchak Zev, the Rav of Kovno. He studied in the Yeshiva of Volozhen, under its Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Itzele. When Rav Itzele passed away in 1854, he became co-Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhen (along with the Netziv). The two had different styles, so Rav Yosef Dov left in 1865 to become the Rav of Slutzk, and in 1878 became the Rav of Brisk. His commentary on the Chumash is only on Bereishit and Shemot, and is renowned for its creativity.
Chofetz Chaim
Rav Yisrael Meir Hakohen Kagan (1839-1933) lived in Radin, Poland. His sefer Mishna Berura is written as a commentary on the Shulchan Orach, Orach Chaim. It is considered one of the most important halakhic works, and is very commonly learned and followed. The sefer includes many expanded explanations of the halakha known as the Beiur Halakha, and notes for sources known as the Sha’ar Hatziyon. He wrote many other seforim, including a well-known work on the laws of lashon hara known as Chafetz Chaim. He travelled extensively to raise money for Yeshivot and to sell his seforim, speaking publicly throughout his journeys. A student collected and published his derashot as “Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah.”
HebrewBooks: https://www.hebrewbooks.org/38071
Darash Moshe
Rav Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986) was born in Russia and moved to the USA in 1937. He served as Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Tiferet Jerusalem (MTJ). His sefer Shu”t Igrot Moshe is considered one of the most important collection of responsa in our generation. He dealt with many real-life halakhic issues that arise from modern technological realities. His derashot were collected and published as Darash Moshe in Hebrew and were later translated to English.
Emes L’Yaakov
Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky (1891-1986) was born in Lithuania. He studied for more than 20 years in the Slabodka Yeshiva. He moved to North America in 1937, serving in rabbinic positions in Seattle and Toronto. From 1948-1968 he was the Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Torah Vodaath in Brooklyn, NY, eventually retiring to Monsey, NY where he focused on his writings, including peirshim on Shas and Shulchan Aruch. It’s a shame that many don’t know more about him besides for the fact that he is the eponymous gadol of “Making of a Gadol.”
Ksav Sofer
Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (1815-1871) was a leading rabbi of Hungarian Jewry and Rosh Yeshiva of the Pressburg Yeshiva. He was the son of the Chasam Sofer and a grandson of Rabbi Akiva Eiger.
HebrewBooks: https://hebrewbooks.org/14083
Malbim
Rav Meir Leibush Weiser (1809-1879) was born in Ukraine, before moving to study in Warsaw. He served as the rabbi of a number of communities, was known as a great speaker, and was appointed Chief Rabbi of Bucharest in 1860. There he played a major role fighting the Reform movement, who in turn got him in trouble with government authorities, only escaping his death sentence due to the intervention of Moses Montefiore. He was expelled from Romania and served a few more communities as rabbi. Throughout all his rabbinic positions he wrote his extensive peirush on Tanach. His fundamental assumption is that there is no repetition in pesukim and that there are no synonyms, with each seemingly similar word having a slight nuance. His peirush also aims to demonstrate that the Torah Sheba’al Peh is inseparable from the Written Torah.
Meshech Chochma
Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk (1843-1926) was born in Lithuania and married at the age of 17. He settled in Bialystok, Poland and learned there. After 23 years there, and many rabbinic offers, he finally accepted the position of rabbi in Dvinsk (a town of Mitnagdim in Latvia). He served in that position for 39 years until his death. In Dvinsk there was also a chassidish rabbi known as the Rogatchover Gaon, author of Tzofnat Paneach, with whom he shared mutual respect. Rav Meir Simcha is best known for writing Or Sameach on the Rambam (as well as on certain masekhtot of Shas, and many teshuvot) and Meshekh Chokhma on the Torah (both seforim are named for mnemonics or amalgamations of his name).
HebrewBooks: https://www.hebrewbooks.org/14061
Netziv
Rav Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (1817-1893) was born in Mir, Russia, and died in Warsaw, Poland. He served as the Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhen Yeshiva, the first Yeshiva in the modern Yeshiva movement, with over 400 students. He wrote a peirush on Shas called Meromei Sadeh, a peirush on the Sheiltot of Rav Achai Gaon called Ha’emek She’eila, a peirush on Chumash called Ha’emek Davar, a Haggadah, a Peirush on Shir Hashirim, and teshuvot published as Meishiv Davar.
HebrewBooks: https://www.hebrewbooks.org/59392
Rabbeinu Bechaye
Rabbeinu Bechaye (1255-1340) lived in Spain and was a talmid of the Rashba. He worked as a darshan (“preacher”). His commentary is a mixture of peshat, midrash, logic/philosophy, and kabbala. He also wrote a mussar sefer called Kad Hakemach.
HebrewBooks:
Ramban
Rav Moshe Ben Nachman (1194-1270) lived in Spain and in his final days moved to Eretz Yisrael. He was among the greatest of the Spanish Rishonim. His writings deal with all areas of Torah, including his perush on the Torah, his chiddusim on the Gemara, his Teshuvot, his seforim on Halakha topics, and many books on machshava. When my rebbe Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l was asked if he were stranded on a desert island with one sefer, which would it be, he replied, “Ramban al HaTorah.” His perush on the Torah can be found in any standard Mikraot Gedolot Chumash.
Sefas Emes
Rav Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter (1847-1905) lived in Gur, Poland. His father died young so he was raised by his grandfather, the Gerrer Rebbe (the Chidushei HaRim). He replaced his grandfather 4 years after his death. His derashot over 35 years as the Gerrer Rebbe were collected by a student and are published chronologically, not by order of the parasha, with the same theme with slight nuance given over in many different years.
Seforno
Rav Ovadia Seforno (c. 1480-c. 1550) was born in Italy. He was a doctor in Bologna, while being heavily involved in the Jewish community, serving as its dayan. He tried to explain pesukim based on Peshat, while incorporating the words of Chazal, adding in important ideas of mussar.
HebrewBooks: https://www.hebrewbooks.org/40007
Ta’ama Dekra
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky (1928-2022) lived in Bnei Brak and was a leading posek. Known as the Sar HaTorah, he was the son of the Steipler gaon, son-in-law of Rav Elyashiv, and a nephew of the Chazon Ish. His notes on Chumash reflected his incredible breadth of knowledge, explaining the peshat of pesukim using a broad range of other statements of Chazal.
Hebrew Books: https://hebrewbooks.org/49911
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