Berel Wein

Rabbi
Berel Wein
ברל ויין
Personal life
Born(1934-03-25)March 25, 1934
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 2025(2025-08-16) (aged 91)
Jerusalem, Israel
Spouse
Yocheved (Jackie) Levin
​
​
(m. 1955; died 2006)​

His second spouse, Mira Cohen Wein, died 2018.
Parents
  • Zev Wein (1906-2004) (father)
  • Esther (mother)
Alma materRoosevelt University
DePaul University
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
PositionRosh yeshiva
YeshivaYeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland
Began1977
Ended1997
OtherSenior faculty member, Yeshiva Ohr Somayach
Yahrtzeit22 Av 5785
BuriedMount of Olives, Jerusalem

Berel Wein (Hebrew: ברל ויין; March 25, 1934 – August 16, 2025) was an American-born Orthodox rabbi, lecturer and writer. He authored several books, in both Hebrew and English, concerning Jewish history and popularized the subject through more than 1,000 audio tapes, newspaper articles and international lectures. Throughout his career, he retained personal and ideological ties to both Modern Orthodox and Haredi Judaism.

Family

Wein was born March 25, 1934[1] in Chicago to a family descended from Lithuanian rabbis. His father, Rabbi Zev Wein (1906-2004), a disciple of Rabbi Shimon Shkop, and later of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem,[2]later emigrated to the United States and served as a rabbi in Chicago until the 1970s.

In 1955[3] he married Yocheved (Jackie) Levin, who had been born in Lithuania, in 1934 and emigrated to Detroit with her parents at the age of 4. The couple settled in Chicago and had four children, 29 grandchildren and 70 great-grandchildren.[4]

When Wein's wife Yocheved died in 2006, he married Mira Cohen, a descendent of multiple Chasidic dynasties and a Holocaust survvior. Mira died in 2018.[5] Wein lived in Rehavia.

Biography

In America

Wein received semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Hebrew Theological College, which was founded by his maternal grandfather,[6] Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Rubinstein. His main teacher was Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth and his personal mentors there included Rabbis Mordechai Rogow and Yisrael Mendel Kaplan.[7] He was a student of the late Rabbi Oscar Z. Fasman in Chicago, and spoke at the latter's funeral.[8]

He received a Bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago and earned a law degree from DePaul University. After passing the Illinois Bar he practiced as an attorney in Chicago for a number of years.

In 1964, Wein accepted the pulpit of Beth Israel Congregation in Miami Beach, Florida,[9] where he remained until 1972. He moved to New York City when he was appointed executive vice-president of the Union of Orthodox Organizations of America (known as the Orthodox Union or simply, the "OU"). Within that organization, he served as rabbinic administrator of the kashrut (kosher foods) supervision division until 1977.

At the same time, he founded Congregation Bais Torah[10] in Suffern, New York, and served as its rabbi for the next 24 years. Wein also founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland with a large high school and a smaller post-high school division in 1977. The yeshiva subsequently moved onto the grounds of his synagogue and he served as Rosh Yeshiva (dean) until his move to Israel in 1997. His son, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Wein, succeeded him as Rosh Yeshiva (along with Rabbi Mordechai Wolmark, author of Mishnas Mordechai).

In Israel

Rabbi Wein and his wife moved to Israel in 1997. They settled in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, where they became Rav and Rebbetzin at Bet Knesset Hanasi (at 24 Ussishkin). In Israel, Wein also established The Destiny Foundation, a marketing forum for his CDs, audio tapes and books as well as drama and documentary film projects.

Wein was a senior faculty member of Ohr Somayach Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he lectured to the mostly English-speaking student body. He also lectured extensively in Israel and abroad, and wrote a regular weekly column for The Jerusalem Post since 1999.

Teaching

During his years in America, Wein produced many audio tapes (recordings) on Torah teachings and Jewish history. He went on to publish a four-volume series of coffee table books spanning 2,300 years of Jewish history, for which he is widely known in English-speaking Orthodox communities:

  1. Echoes of Glory: The story of the Jews in the Classical Era, 350 BCE-750 CE
  2. Herald of Destiny: The story of the Jews in the Medieval Era, 750-1650
  3. Triumph of Survival: The story of the Jews in the Modern Era, 1650-1995
  4. Faith and Fate: The story of the Jewish people in the twentieth century

Wein is known for his witty speaking and writing style: his sayings and observations have been collected together, by James Weiss, into a 283-page book entitled Vintage Wein: The collected wit and wisdom, the choicest anecdotes and vignettes of Rabbi Berel Wein (Shaar Press, 1992). Since his move to Israel, he has also penned three collections of essays, titled Second Thoughts: A collection of musings and observations (1997), Buy Green Bananas: Observations on self, family and life (1999), and Living Jewish: Values, Practices and Traditions. He has also authored commentaries on Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avos : Teachings for Our Times, and on the Passover Haggadah, The Pesach Haggadah: Through the Prism of Experience and History. Tending the Vineyard, is a personal, a detailed guide for aspiring pulpit rabbis, in which he shares his philosophy of the rabbinate, and relates first-hand experiences and dispenses advice to rabbinic students. In May 2013, Rabbi Wein co-authored "The Legacy: Teachings for Life from the Great Lithuanian Rabbis", with Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of South Africa (published by Maggid Books, an imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem). His autobiography, "Teach Them Diligently: The Personal Story of a Community Rabbi" became available in June 2014.

For a time Wein published a newsletter, the Wein Press, which he discusses in his 2020 In My Opinion volume, which he published via his Destiny Foundation organization.[11]

Death

Wein died in Jerusalem on August 16, 2025 after health issues for several years. He was buried in the cemetery on the Mount of Olives .[12]

Published works

Hebrew

  • Chikrei Halacha (1976), published by Mosad Harav Kook
  • Eyunim B'Mesechtot HaTalmud (1989) 2 volumes
  • Chukei Chaim (1991), edited by his very close disciple Rabbi Harel Kohen
  • Bamesila Nale' (2014), edited by his very close disciple Rabbi Harel Kohen ISBN 978-9-65526-172-1

English

Twenty of his English language books were published by Artscroll; among them are:

  • Four-volume series:
    • Echoes of Glory: The Story of the Jews in the Classical Era, 350 BCE-750 CE[13]
    • Herald of Destiny: The Story of the Jews in the Medieval Era, 750-1650 (1993) ISBN 978-0-89906-237-2
    • Triumph of Survival: The Story of the Jews in the Modern Era[14]
    • Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jews in the Twentieth Century[15]
  • Living Jewish: Values, Practices and Traditions[16]
  • Pirkei Avos: Teachings for Our Times[17]
  • The Pesach Haggadah: Through the Prism of Experience[18]
  • Oral Law of Sinai: An Illustrated History of the Mishna[19]
  • Vision & Valor: An Illustrated History of the Talmud[20]
  • Jewish History: A Trilogy[21]
  • Patterns in Jewish History: Insights into the Past, Present and Future of the Eternal People[22]
  • Teach Them Diligently: The Personal Story of a Community Rabbi[23]
  • In The Footsteps of Eliyahu HaNavi: A historical journey through the countries of our diaspora[24]
  • In My Opinion[25]
  • Struggles, Challenges And Tradition: How Jewish Communities Defended Orthodoxy 1820-1940[26]

Co-authored books

  • Real Messiah: A Jewish Response to Missionaries by Aryeh Kaplan, Berel Wein, and Pinchas Stolper (1976), ISBN 978-1-879016-11-8
  • Sand and Stars (2 vol.) by Yaffa Ganz and Berel Wein (1996), ISBN 978-0-89906-392-8
  • The Legacy: Teachings for Life from the Great Lithuanian Rabbis by Warren Goldstein and Berel Wein (2013), ISBN 978-1-592643-62-2

DVDs

References

General: "Rebbetzin Yocheved (Jackie) Wein, a"h", by T. Silber, Hamodia, May 31, 2006, p. A15.

  1. ^ Greenwald, Yisroel (1995). Reb Mendel and his Wisdom. Mesorah. xvii. ISBN 978-0-89906-117-7.
  2. ^ Naor, Bezalel (2021). Navigating Worlds: Collected Essays (single volume ed.). Kodesh Press. p. 457, at note 24. ISBN 978-1-947857-57-5.
  3. ^ "An 'Author' in History". Jewish Action (OU).
  4. ^ Linde, Steve (17 August 2025). "Rabbi Berel Wein: A beloved American rabbi in Jerusalem". JNS. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  5. ^ Davis, Lenore (January 12, 2018). "Passing of Rebbetzin Mira Cohen Wein". 5tJt.com(Five Towns Jewish Times).
  6. ^ (1990). Triumph of Survival. Shaar Press. p. 334. ISBN 978-1-57819-593-0.
  7. ^ (1990). Triumph of Survival. Shaar Press. p. 432. ISBN 978-1-57819-593-0.
  8. ^ Kahn, Betzalel (December 3, 2003). "Rabbi Oscar Fasman zt"l". Archived from the original on July 27, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "The Jewish Floridian". Berel Wein, of Beth Israel Congregation
  10. ^ "Congregation Bais Torah".
  11. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2020). In My Opinion. Destiny Foundation. ISBN 978-0-578-63302-2.
  12. ^ "Rabbi Berel Wein passes away". Israel National News. August 16, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  13. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (1995). Echoes of Glory. Shaar Press. ISBN 978-1-4226-1508-9.
  14. ^ (1650-1990)Rabbi Berel Wein (1990). Triumph of Survival: The Story of the Jews in the Modern Era. Mesorah Publications. ISBN 978-0-8990-6498-7.
  15. ^ Wein, Berel (2001). Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jews in the Twentieth Century. Shaar Press. ISBN 978-1-57819-593-0.
  16. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2002). Living Jewish. Mesorah Publications. ISBN 978-1-5781-9753-8.
  17. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2003). Pirkei Avos: Teachings for Our Times. Shaar Press. ISBN 978-1-57819-739-2.
  18. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2004). The Pesach Haggadah: Through the Prism of Experience. Shaar Press. ISBN 978-1-57819-319-6.
  19. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2008). Oral Law of Sinai: An Illustrated History of the Mishna. Toby Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-5926-4542-8.
  20. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2010). Vision & Valor: An Illustrated History of the Talmud. Maggid Books. ISBN 978-1-59264-286-1.
  21. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein. Jewish History: A Trilogy. Shaar Press. ISBN 978-1-4226-1511-9.
  22. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2011). Patterns in Jewish History: Insights into the Past, Present and Future of the Eternal People. The Toby Press/KorenPub. ISBN 978-1-59264-326-4.
  23. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2014). Teach Them Diligently: The Personal Story of a Community Rabbi. Koren Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59264-348-6.
  24. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2019). In The Footsteps of Eliyahu HaNavi: A historical journey through the countries of our diaspora. Shaar Press. ISBN 978-1-42262-316-9.
  25. ^ Rabbi Berel Wein (2020). In My Opinion. Destiny Foundation. ISBN 978-0-578-63302-2.
  26. ^ Wein, Berel (March 2022). Struggles, challenges and tradition : how Jewish communities defended Orthodoxy 1820-1940 (First ed.). Brooklyn, N.Y.: Artscroll. ISBN 9781422631041.
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