On Sunday May 8th, a yom iyun, or a day of learning, was held at Yeshiva University in commemoration of the first yahrzeit of Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein z”tl.
Rabbi Lichtenstein received his BA and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University where he also taught for a number of years. He was a distinguished student of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He also earned a Phd in English literature from Harvard University, and was a recipient of the 2014 Israel Prize in Jewish literature. In 1971 he made aliyah, and together with Rav Amital, served as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion in the Gush until his passing last year.
But far more important than just his impressive resume that demonstrate his obvious erudition, Rabbi Lichtenstein developed a weighty reputation as a deeply ethical and nuanced thinker and leader in the Modern Orthodox community. When he passed away, his funeral was attended by thousands, including many who had flown in from outside of Israel to walk their rabbi to his final resting place on Har HaMenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem.
I happened to be studying at Migdal Oz, a beit midrash in Israel headed by Rabbi Lichtenstein’s daughter Esti Rosenberg, last year and saw firsthand the acute, the grief, and the sorrow that his passing brought to his community long after the funeral and mourning period had finished.
Witnessing such a seminal moment, but without a meaningful understanding of Rabbi Lichtenstein’s legacy, I remember feeling like an intruder on an intimate scene. I felt as though I had read the last chapter of an amazing book; now I had to go back and read the novel from the beginning. I was grateful for the opportunity that Yeshiva University’s yom iyun offered me: to gain a little more insight into the life and impact of this profoundly great rabbi.
The seven lectures presented throughout the course of the yom iyun proved to be a testament to Rabbi Lichtenstein’s character both as a scholar and as a man, while the robust turnout and cramped classrooms full of attendees were a testament to his lasting influence on his students and the entire Modern Orthodox community.
Although most of the attendees were YC students, many of whom had learnt at Yeshivat Har Etzion, a handful of Stern students, as well as a number of men and women from outside of the undergraduate community, were also in attendance.
One lecturer noted that a yom iyun was also held in Rabbi Lichtenstein’s honor on the occasion of his 70th birthday. When the prospect of such an event was presented to him, Rabbi Lichtenstein stipulated that it could only take place if none of the shiurim given were about him. He insisted that the day be filled only with Torah learning in its purest form.
This year’s yom iyun followed a similar pattern. While almost all the lecturers spoke about the beloved rabbi, these words were brief compared to the rest of their talks which were, as Rabbi Lichtenstein had once requested, centered on learning Torah for its own sake.
In addition to the augmentation of Torah learning, the wide range of lectures also spoke to the deeply thoughtful and nuanced legacy of Rabbi Lichtenstein.
Rabbi Rosensweig, a Rosh Yeshiva of RIETS, stressed that although Rabbi Lichtenstein was many things, he was, at his core, a “classical talmid chacham.” And in this vein, Rabbi Rosensweig presented a classically structured shiur focused on the transition period between Pesach and Shavuot. Another more philosophical lecture was presented on the effects of modernity on the Modern Orthodox approach to olam habah, the afterlife. Still another was given by literature professor at Yeshiva College on Rabbi Lichtenstein’s approach to Torah u’Maddah, and specifically on Rabbi Lichtenstein’s classification of great literature.
A fellow Stern student told me that she had come to learn a little bit about Rabbi Lichtenstein, a man she wished she could have had the honor to learn from in his lifetime. I nodded in agreement; I too had come to learn a little bit and slowly catch up on the chapters I missed on that intense, bitter day in Iyar last year.
Although the time has sadly passed to learn directly from the mouth of this great scholar, leader, and man, his teachings on Jewish subjects far and wide, his commitment to moral excellence and integrity, and his nuanced worldview, live on in the lives of his students and his community at Yeshiva University, and throughout the world. There is still much more to learn, Torah learning for Torah learning’s sake. Just like Rabbi Lichtenstein wanted.