Avraham Yoffen

Avraham Yoffen (or Jofen; 1887 - April 19, 1970), also known as "Avraham Pinsker" ^{[1] [2]} was a rabbi, son-in-law to Yosef Yozel Horowitz, the Alter of Novardok and director of Novardok Yeshiva. He fled to the U.S. at the outbreak of World War II and opened a yeshiva in Borough Park. In 1962 he moved to and founded a kollel in Jerusalem. ^[3]

Bais Yosef yeshiva

Yoffen supervised a network of satellite yeshivas in pre-World War II Poland and Ukraine, all named Yeshiva Bais Yosef. He used this name for the yeshiva he founded in Borough Park. ^[4]

In Europe, for a while, Yoffen had the assistance of Rabbi Gershon Liebman.

Biography

Yoffen was arrested by the Russian government ^[5] in 1921, along with some of his students. Two years later he went back to Poland. ^[1]

He was buried on Har HaMenuchot among numerous famous rabbis.

Notable students

• Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, the Steipler ^[6]
• Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld, Breslov mashpia (spiritual mentor) in America, who was a chavrusa of the son of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Yaakov Yoffen, and was one of only five students to receive Semichah directly from Rav Yoffen after completing Shas twice at age 23. ^[7]

References

1. "Rabbi Avraham Yoffen - The Director of the Novardok Yeshivot".
2. meaning of Pinsk: born near Pinsk, studied a while in Pinsk
3. "What Is Wisdom?". Torah.org. 31 March 2017. rosh yeshiva of the Novardok Yeshiva in Bialystok, Poland; New York and Yerushalayim
4. "Rabbi Nachman of Breslov z"tl". ..Avraham Yoffen, dean of the Bais Yosef yeshiva in Europe and America.
5. Shmuel Himelstein (2003). Wisdom & Wit: A Sparkling Treasury of Jewish Anecdotes and Advice. ISBN   1578193869. ... they arrested R' Avraham Yoffen, ...
6. "Letters from Rabbis". July 9, 2018. Rabbi Avraham Yoffen Rosh Yeshiva of Novardok and rabbi of the 'Steipler'.
7. Gelbach, Sharon (November 14, 2018). "Like His Own Children". Mishpacha (735). Retrieved February 16, 2019.^{[ permanent dead link ]}