Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim
Klein (Rachack Review)
This fascinating book offers an
accessible and engaging introduction to one of the most enigmatic and brilliant
minds of the modern rabbinic world — Rabbi Yosef Rosen (1858–1936), often known
as the Rogatchover Gaon. He was a prolific Talmudist who served as the Hasidic
rabbi of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), where he famously shared the
rabbinate with the non-Hasidic Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (author of Meshech
Chochmah and Ohr Somayach). Rabbi Rosen wrote many volumes which
were published under the title Tzafnas Paneach, including commentaries
on the Pentateuch, the Talmud, Maimonides’ Mishnah Torah, and several collections
of responsa. Though personally affiliated with the Kapust and Lubavitch
branches of Chabad Hasidism, the Rogatchover's style and reputation transcended
sectarian boundaries and Jews from many different streams reached out to him in
written correspondence.
The first chapter of Schwartz’s
book reads like a conventional biography — bordering at times on hagiography — as
it outlines Rabbi Rosen’s life and records a variety of colorful anecdotes that
offer glimpses into his unusual personality. The rest of the book shifts into something
more akin to an intellectual biography, attempting to unpack the dense and
often impenetrable ideas scattered throughout Rabbi Rosen’s voluminous writings.
The heart of the book lies in its
attempt to make sense of the Rogatchover’s famously terse and allusive style. As
is well-known, Rabbi Rosen’s writings often consist of cryptic chains of
citations — frequently without any further explanation — and presuppose the
reader’s familiarity not only with the texts referenced, but also with the
conceptual threads that link them. To make these discussions more accessible,
the author presents the Talmudic conundrums and/or Halachic questions with
which Rabbi Rosen grapples and then proceeds to show how Rabbi Rosen used
certain conceptual paradigms typified by the texts he referenced to resolve
those difficulties. Schwartz succeeds, to some extent, in decoding these
references and presenting the core ideas that Rabbi Rosen wrote about in lucid
and accessible English. A major strength of the book lies in the author’s
ability to render complex lomdus (Talmudic conceptual paradigms) into
clear English prose, without slipping into dense legalese. Notably, Schwartz
was a law student when he wrote this book, so it is to the reader’s advantage
that the author’s academic training in jurisprudence informs his analytical
style.
However, while Schwartz does an
admirable job in simplifying the difficult material that is Rabbi Rosen’s
writing, his interpretations must be approached with caution. The Rogatchover’s
thought is notoriously subtle, and many of the summaries presented by Schwartz
cannot do justice to the actual topic. They certainly cannot be taken as
definitive without checking up the primary sources inside. The book’s final
chapter offers several examples of Rabbi Rosen’s style of Biblical
interpretation, particularly from his glosses on the opening chapters of
Genesis, and highlights the unique, often radical, hermeneutic strategies
employed by the Rogatchover.
One especially puzzling section
appears at the end of Chapter 2, where Schwartz inserts a bizarre polemic that
compares Rabbi Rosen and his contemporary, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk
(1853–1918). Both Rabbi Rosen and Rabbi Soloveitchik studied under Rabbi Soloveitchik’s
father in their youth, and the two Talmudist were certainly acquainted with
each other. While it is true that both figures were innovators in the use of
conceptual analysis for Talmud Study, Schwartz devotes space in his book to
arguing that Rabbi Rosen’s approach was somehow superior — an argument that
ultimately rests on fine distinctions and subjective preferences. The author’s
hair-splitting as to the differences between the methodologies of these two
towering figures remains unconvincing and his conclusions are far from being as
obvious as he presents them. The comparison feels forced, and the attempt to
elevate the Rogatchover at Rabbi Soloveitchik’s expense is unconvincing,
particularly given that in the Yeshiva World at large, Rabbi Soloveitchik’s
influence is more readily acknowledged and his prestige is unparalleled.
The book makes use of a wide
range of biographical and anecdotal sources. Included among the secondary
sources from which the author draws information are various digests of Rabbi
Rosen’s positions, such as Rabbi Menachem Kasher’s Mefane’ach Tzefunos
and Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin’s essay on the Rogatchover in Ishim V'Shitos.
These works help clarify the Rogatchover’s often opaque methodology and offer
essential context. However, Schwartz is not always careful with his citations,
and references are inconsistently footnoted. This lack of editorial rigor is
one of the book’s main weaknesses.
Indeed, the book is marred by
numerous typos, occasional mistranslations, and a lack of thematic
organization. Discussions and anecdotes are presented in a somewhat haphazard fashion,
with abrupt jumps between topics. Nevertheless, these shortcomings do not
detract from the overall value of the work. Despite its flaws, the book remains
an original contribution, especially for English-speaking readers with little
prior exposure to the Rogatchover’s world. It opens a window into a dazzling
and singular intellect. Even if this book does not always succeed in its
interpretations, it certainly succeeds in sparking curiosity about this great
genius’s life and writings.
In short, DovBer (Berry) Schwartz’s
book The Rogatchover Gaon is a flawed but fascinating introduction to
one of the most brilliant — and baffling — figures in modern rabbinic history.
It should be of interest to students of Talmud, halakhic history, and the
evolution of lomdus, and will hopefully serve as a stepping stone to
deeper engagement with the primary works of Rabbi Yosef Rosen himself.
