Quick Facts
Biography
Rabbi Yisrael Eliyahu Weintraub, known as Reb Yisroel Elya Weintraub, (1932–2010) was one of the leading Kabbalists of his generation. The leader of the Lithuanian yeshiva world, Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, encouraged many people to flock to him for his advice on various matters of life.
Weintraub was born in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. While still a young lad, Weintraub was known for his diligence and devotion to the study of Torah. He attended Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin where he forged a student relationship with its dean, Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner. As a student of Hutner, Weintraub also developed views on Jewish philosophy, especially following the methodology of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel. Weintraub briefly served as Mashgiach of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin before emigrating to Israel in the early 1960s.
After a brief residence in Jerusalem, Weintraub moved to Bene Barak in 1965. There, he lived on Rashbam street and was a neighbor to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. In 1967, after the Six-Day War, Weintraub penned – at the behest of Rabbi Shach – a pamphlet to explain to perplexed Jews the spiritual meaning of the Israeli victory. In Bene Barak, Weintraub studied in the Kollel Chazon Ish.
Weintraub also studied Talmud under the guidance of Rabbi Abba Berman. Upon the latter's death, Weintraub recited Kaddish in his memory, a rite usually given to a deceased's son. Rabbi Weintraub eulogized Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus.
Weintraub was the leading signator on the ban on books written by Rabbi Natan Slifkin.
In 2009, Weintraub opposed an "Adopt a Soldier" program to link Orthodox Jews with soldiers of the Israeli army.