American Orthodox Jewish rabbi and author (born 1945)
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Paysach J. Krohn (born January 29, 1945) is an American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, mohel (a practitioner of Jewish ritual circumcision), author, and public speaker. He is best known for his Maggid series of books, which are inspired by the stories of Rabbi Sholom Schwadron and published by Mesorah Publications. He is also recognized for his authoritative work on bris milah and for his lectures on personal growth, moral development, and Jewish values.[1][2][3][4][5]
Krohn was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, into a family steeped in Jewish tradition. At age seven, his family moved to Kew Gardens, Queens. His father, Rabbi Avrohom Zelig Krohn, was a mohel who performed thousands of circumcisions throughout the New York area. Paysach trained under him and became the youngest mohel certified by the Brith Milah Board of New York at age 21, after his father's passing in 1965.[1][3]
Relationship with Rav Sholom Schwadron
Krohn is the author of a series of "Maggid" books inspired by the stories of Rabbi Sholom Schwadron, known as the "Maggid of Jerusalem." Schwadron delivered mussar talks every Friday night from 1952 to 1992 to the public at the Zikhron Mosheshtiebel in Jerusalem.[6] Krohn met Schwadron when his father invited Schwadron to stay with them during one of his frequent fundraising trips to the United States in late 1964. Schwadron insisted on paying rent, to which Krohn agreed reluctantly. In the five months Schwadron resided with the Krohns, a close bond formed between him and the family. When Schwadron announced he was leaving after Passover 1965 to travel back to Israel by boat, the entire family saw him off at the pier. Krohn's father then handed Schwadron an envelope containing all the "rent money" he had paid, stating that he had never intended to keep it.[7] A few days later, Krohn's parents quickly arranged passports, flew to Israel two days before Schwadron arrived, and greeted him.[8]
Avrohom Zelig Krohn was diagnosed with a terminal illness after this event and died the following year. Six months later, the family received a letter from Schwadron saying that he was coming to America again. Schwadron became a surrogate father to Avrohom Zelig Krohn's seven orphaned children.[9]
With Schwadron's encouragement and input, Paysach Krohn penned the first of his "Maggid" books, The Maggid Speaks, published in 1987.[10] Schwadron died before the second book in the series, Around the Maggid's Table, was published. Subsequent titles (Along the Maggid's Journey, In the Footsteps of the Maggid, Echoes of the Maggid, Reflections of the Maggid, etc.) memorialized Schwadron's influence on the overall project. As of 2012, Krohn had published eight books in the series.
Mohel
Krohn is a fifth-generation mohel.[1] When his father became ill, Paysach learned this skill to support his family. At age 21, he was the youngest mohel certified by the Brith Milah Board of New York.[1] He has officiated thousands of religious circumcisions, three-quarters of which have been performed on Long Island.[1]
Other activities
Krohn lectures in the Jewish world, sharing stories as a maggid and collecting stories for his speeches and books.[11] He also leads Jewish historical tours in Europe, discussing the history of Jewish communities before World War II. He documented the first of these trips in his 2007 book, Traveling with the Maggid.
In December 2004, he initiated the organization PaL (Phone and Learn) in the United Kingdom, which connects individuals interested in Jewish learning with tutors for weekly study sessions over the phone.[13]
Yad Eliezer: a collection of various halachos, mitzvos and minhagim pertinent to left-handers 1996|origyear=1st ed. December 1990|publisher=Self-published}}
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