Rabbi
Shlomo Goren
Goren in 1949
Personal
Born3 February 1917[1]
Zambrów, Government General of Warsaw, German Empire
Died29 October 1994 (aged 77)
Tel Aviv, Israel
ReligionJudaism
NationalityIsraeli
Spouse
Tzfia Cohen
​
(m. 1945)​
[2]
Children3
Alma materHebrew University of Jerusalem
OccupationChief of the Military Rabbinate (1948–1968)
Chief Rabbi of Israel (1973–1983)
Military career
Allegiance State of Israel
Service/branchHaganah (1936–1948)
Israel Defense Forces (1948–1968)
Years of service1936–1968
Rank Aluf
Battles/wars

Shlomo Goren (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה גֹּרֶן; 3 February 1917 – 29 October 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli rabbi and Talmudic scholar. An Orthodox Jew and Religious Zionist, he was considered a foremost rabbinical legal authority on matters of Jewish religious law (halakha). In 1948, Goren founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a position he held until 1968.[3][4] Subsequently, he served as Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv–Jaffa between 1968 and his 1972 election as the Chief Rabbi of Israel; the third Ashkenazi Jew to hold office.[5][6] After his 1983 retirement from the country's Chief Rabbinate, Goren served as the head of a yeshiva that he established in Jerusalem.

While serving in the IDF, Goren fought in three of the Arab–Israeli wars, and wrote several award-winning books on halakha.[7]

Early life and education

Goren was born into an Orthodox Ashkenazi Jewish family in the town of Zambrów, Poland. His parents, Avraham Goronczik and Haya Tzipora,[8] emigrated in 1925 to join the Yishuv in what was then the British Mandate for Palestine. His family was among the founders of Kfar Hasidim, an Orthodox Jewish village located near the city of Haifa, where Goren grew up.[9]

As a young boy, he was sent to Jerusalem to study at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva. Later, when he was 12, he became the youngest student to enter the Hebron Yeshiva, where he was identified as a Judaic prodigy. His first book, dealing with korbanot (ritual sacrifices) at the former Temple in Jerusalem, was published when he was 17.[10] At the same age, he received rabbinic ordination.[9]

From 1940 until 1944, Goren was enrolled at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he studied philosophy, mathematics, and classics.[9]

Military career

Goren (left) saluting at the grave of Israeli soldier Uri Ilan, 1955

Goren's military career as an Orthodox Jew was characterized by a commitment to the Religious Zionist values of his youth. He volunteered for the Haganah in 1936, and served as a chaplain for the Jerusalem area following the outbreak of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, during which he tested for and qualified as an IDF paratrooper. Goren was also a chaplain of the Carmeli Brigade at this time. Immediately after the war, he engaged, often at great personal risk, in collecting the bodies of deceased soldiers to give them a proper burial. He strongly opposed the idea of separated religious and secular military units and worked for the integration of all IDF soldiers in the same units. He was the most prominent halakhic authority involved in rulings for religious soldiers regarding their military service. Goren was eventually promoted to the rank of brigadier-general.

Following Israel's independence, Goren was appointed as the head of the IDF's Military Rabbinate with the rank of major-general, a position he held until 1968. He used the opportunity to help establish and organize the military chaplaincy's framework, streamlining processes to get soldiers accommodations for kosher food and prayer services. Goren personally wrote a new prayerbook to accommodate the different prayer styles used by various Jewish ethnic subgroups serving in the IDF.

Goren served in the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the Six-Day War of 1967, following which he was promoted to the rank of general. On 7 June 1967, when Israeli troops captured East Jerusalem from Jordanian control, Goren gave a prayer of thanksgiving, which was broadcast live to the entire country. Shortly afterwards, blowing a shofar and carrying a Torah scroll, he held the first Jewish prayer session at the Western Wall since 1948. The event was one of the defining moments of the Arab–Israeli conflict, and several photographs of Goren surrounded by soldiers in prayer have since become famous among Jews in Israel and worldwide. The most famous of these photographs shows Goren blowing the shofar against the background of the Western Wall.[11]

Controversies

Poster signed by prominent rabbis exhorting people to not rely on Goren's halakhic rulings, 1972

Goren attracted many admirers through his passion for Religious Zionism and his combining of Zionist activism with a commitment to Judaism and Jewish scholarship. However, his uncompromising personality later resulted in him becoming a polarizing and controversial figure in Israeli politics. Goren called the vehement attacks against him a "moral and religious scandal".[12]

The Langer Controversy

In November 1972, Goren presided over a panel of nine dayanim to review the case of Sgt. Maj. Hanoch Langer, and his sister Miriam, who had been declared mamzerim, and therefore ineligible for marriage to an Israelite by a Beit Din in Petah Tikva.[13]

The Langer children had been designated as mamzerim because their mother had married their father, without having been divorced from her previous husband, thus committing adultery according to Jewish law.[13]

Fearing a review of the case would prompt the secularists in the government, such as Gideon Hausner of the Independent Liberal Party,[14] to press for the introduction of civil marriage in Israel to break the rabbinate's exclusive control over marriage, Goren controversially reversed the ruling.[13]

Goren's reversal was fiercely opposed, primarily by the Agudat Yisrael and Rav Ovadiah Yosef.[14] Some prominent rabbis, however, such as Rav Soloveitchik and Rav Yosef Eliahu Henkin, came out in support of Goren.[15] The controversy severely affected Goren's reputation.[14]

Halakha and the Israeli state

Goren spent most of his term as Chief Rabbi of Israel attempting to reconcile Jewish religious teachings with modern problems of the state, including advancements in technological progress and various high-profile conversion cases. Goren often clashed with his more conservative rabbinical colleagues.[16]

One example of Goren's desire to adapt Halakha to changing realities in science was his controversial stance on Kiddush Levana, the monthly blessing over the new moon. A prayer customarily added after the blessing contains the words "just as I dance before you and am unable to touch you." Goren said that since the Americans landed on the Moon in 1969, this line should be changed to reflect that it is, in fact, possible to touch the Moon.[17]

Goren visiting wounded Israeli soldiers at a medical facility, 1969

Religious Zionist activism

Third Temple in Jerusalem

Goren, surrounded by other Israeli soldiers, blows his shofar in front of the Western Wall following Israel's successful capture of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, 1967

Goren repeatedly advocated or supported building a Third Temple on the Temple Mount from the 1960s onward, and was associated with various messianic projects involving the Temple Mount.[18] He was well known for his controversial positions concerning Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount. On 15 August 1967, two months after the Six-Day War, Goren led a group of fifty Jews onto the Temple Mount, where, fighting off protesting Muslim guards and Israeli police, they defiantly held a prayer service.[19] Goren continued to pray for many years in the Makhkame building overlooking the Temple Mount, where he conducted yearly High Holiday services. His call for the establishment of a synagogue on the Temple Mount has subsequently been reiterated by his brother-in-law,[20] the former Chief Rabbi of Haifa, She'ar Yashuv Cohen.[21]

Goren was sharply criticized by the Israeli Defense Ministry, who, noting Goren's senior rank, called his behavior inappropriate. The episode led the Chief Rabbis of the time to restate the accepted laws of Judaism that no Jews were allowed on the mount due to issues of ritual impurity. The secular authorities welcomed this ruling as it preserved the status quo with the Waqf, the Islamic authority. Disagreeing with his colleagues, Goren continually maintained that Jews were not only permitted, but commanded, to ascend and pray on the mount.

The actual question of Goren's radicalism remains controversial. One widely repeated story about Goren claims that shortly after the Israeli capture of the Temple Mount, the rabbi either argued that Israel should destroy the al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, or simply said that it would have been a "good thing" if they had been accidentally destroyed.[22] The charge, made by General Narkiss, an eyewitness, in an interview with Haaretz[23] that Rabbi Goren calling for the destruction of the mosques has been used to claim there is a Jewish extremism comparable to Islamic extremism. Goren's close assistant Rabbi Menachem Ha-Cohen, who was with Rabbi Goren throughout that historic day, denied ever hearing Goren make such a remark. Goren himself personally denied this charge several times.[24] However, Goren did make a speech later that year to a military convention, recorded and later broadcast on Israel's army radio,[25] in which he said of the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque that "Certainly we should have blown it up. It is a tragedy that we did not do so."[26]

After retiring from official duties as Chief Rabbi, Goren opened and lead the Idra Yeshiva near the Western Wall. The yeshiva changed and was renamed after Goren's death.

Illegal excavation sites

In the summer of 1983, Goren and several other rabbis joined Rabbi Yehuda Getz, who worked for the Religious Affairs Ministry at the Western Wall, in touring a chamber underneath the mount that Getz had illegally excavated, where the two claimed to have seen the Ark of the Covenant. The excavation was shortly discovered and resulted in a massive brawl between young Jews and Arabs in the area. The access tunnel to the chamber was quickly sealed with concrete by Israeli police.[18] The sealed entrance can be seen from the Western Wall Tunnel, which opened to the public in 1996.

Relationship with Christian organizations

Goren, who was a strong supporter of alliances between Evangelical Christians and Israel, also denounced meetings between Israel and the Holy See, calling it "blasphemy beyond expression."[27]

Opposition to the Oslo Accords

Goren also made headlines after his term as Chief Rabbi had expired. He was deeply opposed to the Oslo Accords and in 1993 declared that it was halakhically forbidden to dismantle any settlements in the Biblical Land of Israel, and encouraged any soldiers ordered to do so to refuse.[28] In 1994, he announced that Halakha made it a duty for Jews to kill Yasser Arafat, because he endangered Jewish lives.[28]

Condemnation of Jewish terrorist attacks

Goren has spoken out against Jewish terrorism. In 1982 he and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef officially condemned a shooting attack on the Temple Mount by an American immigrant which resulted in the death of two Muslims and the wounding of several others. In a joint statement released by the Chief Rabbis, they declared that "We and the entire Jewish people attack and deplore the criminal act of murder in every possible way. Through this abominable act [Alan] Goodman has removed himself from the Jewish people...".[29][30]

Educational activities

Goren was a manager of Kollel, where he met and educated Rabbi Joel Landau. Landau helped him in managing the Kollel.[31]

Following his term as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, he founded the Idra Yeshiva near the Western Wall, which he headed until his passing.[32]

Published works

  • Goren's first work was on the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides, published at age seventeen.[33]
  • Sha'arei Taharah on Tractate Mikva'ot, a study of the laws concerning ritual baths (mikva'ot), published at the age of twenty-one.[33] It received an "enthusiastic approbatio" from Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, who had been his rebbe.[34]
  • A number of responsa regarding the application of Jewish Law in a modern army[33]
  • With Might and Strength: An Autobiography, an (auto)biography redacted by Avi Rath based on his interviews with Goren (2013 in Hebrew, 2016 in English)

Quotes

  • "Human life is undoubtedly a supreme value in Judaism, as expressed both in the Halacha and the prophetic ethic. This refers not only to Jews, but to all men created in the image of God."[35]
  • "It is clear that according to Halacha (Jewish religious law), a soldier who receives an order that runs contrary to Torah law should uphold the Halacha, and not the secular order. And since settling the land is a commandment, and uprooting the settlements is breaking the commandment, the soldier should not carry out an order to uproot settlements. This government does not lean on a majority of Jewish support, but rather on Arab votes. According to the Halacha it does not have the authority of a majority, and therefore government directives to uproot the settlements do not have the authority of the majority of the people."[36] (NRP newspaper Hatzofeh, 19 December 1993.)

Personal life

Goren was married to Tzfia Cohen, the daughter of prominent Religious Zionist Rabbi David Cohen, the Nazir of Jerusalem, and the sister of Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen, former deputy-mayor of Jerusalem and later Chief Rabbi of Haifa. Both Goren's father-in-law and brother-in-law were also prominent rabbinical vegetarians.[37]

Rabbi Goren and Tzfia Goren had three children: retired justice Tchiya Shapiro;[38] psychologist Drorit Tamari;[7] and Abraham (Rami) Goren, executive vice president of Elbit Imaging.[39]

Vegetarianism

Goren was a strict vegetarian after he visited a slaughterhouse in Canada in 1967 to perform an inspection of kashrut.[40][37]

Awards

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ↑ In his autobiography Oz ve-ta'atsumot, page 21, Rabbi Goren writes that he was born at the end of 1917.
  2. ↑ "Rabbi Goren (Goronchick) Shlomo – Freedom Fighters of Israel Heritage Association". Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  3. ↑ Edrei, Arye (2005-12-08). "Divine Spirit and Physical Power: Rabbi Shlomo Goren and the Military Ethic of the Israel Defense Forces". Theoretical Inquiries in Law. 7 (1): 255–297. doi:10.2202/1565-3404.1124. ISSN 1565-3404. S2CID 146473165.
  4. ↑ "1994: First Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Army Dies". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  5. ↑ "Judaism: Innovator in Israel". Time. 1968-06-21. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  6. ↑ Pace, Eric (1994-10-30). "Shlomo Goren, 77, Is Dead; Rabbi Opposed P.L.O. Pact". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  7. 1 2 "Rabbi Shlomo Goren". www.boeliem.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  8. ↑ "Rabbi Goren (Goronchick) Shlomo – Freedom Fighters of Israel Heritage Association". Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  9. 1 2 3 Green, David B. (2015-10-29). "This Day in Jewish History1994: First Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Army Dies". Haaretz. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  10. ↑ "Shlomo Goren (Israeli rabbi)". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. 29 October 1994. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Goren at the Dome of the Rock. (Hebrew)". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01.
  12. ↑ Ronald B. Sobel; Sidney Wallach (1975). Justice, Justice Shalt Thou Pursue: Papers Assembled on the Occasion of the 75th Birthday of the Reverend Dr. Julius Mark, as an Expression of Gratitude of the Jewish Conciliation Board with Whose Services and Leadership Dr. Mark Has Long Been Identified. Ktav Publishing House. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-87068-458-6. Rabbi Goren calls the vehement attack on him by Rabbi Shach a moral and religious scandal.
  13. 1 2 3 "Israeli Chief Rabbi Acts on a Dispute Involving Marriages". The New York Times. November 20, 1972.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Tragedy of Custom Tailored Halacha". The Jewish Observer. December 1972.
  15. ↑ "Rabbi Goren and his heter for mamzerim in the Langer case | Ask the rabbi | Q&A | yeshiva.co". Yeshiva Site. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  16. ↑ See http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=28315&pgnum=36&hilite= and https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=12319&st=&pgnum=26 and https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=33389&pgnum=8 and http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=47045&st=&pgnum=82
  17. ↑ "Dancing with the Moon: innovations in the Kiddush Levana in light of the first moon landing • the Open Siddur Project". the Open Siddur Project. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  18. 1 2 "Preparations for a Third Jewish Temple. (Goren about Temple Mount)". templemount.org.
  19. ↑ "Forcing the End. (Evangelicals and rabbis' look at the Six day War and views about End Times)". pbs.org.
  20. ↑ "IRF Mourns the Passing of Rabbi Shear Yashuv Hacohen". www.yctorah.org. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  21. ↑ "Fundamentally Freund: Build a 'Young Israel of the Temple Mount'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  22. ↑ "Let if Fall, (citing Goren's views on the Dome of the Rock and the Temple Mount)". arutzsheva.com. Archived from the original on 2006-02-14. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
  23. ↑ Haaretz, 31 December 1997, also cited in Nur Masalha, The Bible and Zionism: Invented Traditions, Archaeology and Post-Colonialism in Palestine-Israel, Zed Books, London 2007 p.79
  24. ↑ "The Political Role of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate in the Temple Mount Question". Jcpa.org. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  25. ↑ Broadcast of 31 Dec 1997
  26. ↑ Nur Masalha, The Bible and Zionism:Invented Traditions, Archeology and Post-Colonialism in Palestine-Israel, Zed Books, London 2007 p.79
  27. ↑ "The End of History—Messiah Conspiracy". ramsheadpress.com.
  28. 1 2 Shlomo Goren, 77, Is Dead, by Eric Pace, New York Times, Oct. 30, 1994. Accessed March 2020.
  29. ↑ "Goren denounces terrorism". jcpa.org.
  30. ↑ Shipler, David K. (12 April 1982). "2 Arabs are Killed as Israeli Attacks Dome of the Rock". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "Rabbinical Council of America (RCA)". www.rabbis.org. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  32. ↑ "Rabbi Shlomo Goren Dead at 77; Was a Colorful, Controversial Figure". JTA.org. October 31, 1994.
  33. 1 2 3 Goren, Rabbi Shlomo, by Orthodox Union (OU) Staff, June 14, 2006, accessed March 2020
  34. ↑ "Sha'arei Tahara on Tractate Mikva'aot by Rabbi Shlomo Goren". Archived from the original on 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  35. ↑ Solomon, Norman (2005). "Judaism and the ethics of war". International Review of the Red Cross. 87 (858): 295–309. doi:10.1017/S1816383100181354. S2CID 145303911.
  36. ↑ "Settlement Snapshots". fmep.org. Archived from the original on 2006-07-14.
  37. 1 2 "Working for a Vegetarian-Conscious Israel". www.jewishveg.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  38. ↑ "Levy Committee that says settlements are legal was 'rigged'". Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  39. ↑ "Son of Rabbi Goren: Dad Would Have Died for United Jerusalem". Israel National News. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  40. ↑ "A grain of truth?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  41. ↑ "Israel Prize recipients in 1961 (in Hebrew)". cms.education.gov.il (Israel Prize official website). Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
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