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Chaim Zev Malinowitz (; 1952 – November 21, 2019) was a Haredi Judaism community rabbi, dayan (rabbinical court judge), and scholar. Fluent in all areas of the Talmud, halakha (Jewish law), and hashkafa (Orthodox Jewish worldview), he was the general editor of the 73-volume Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud published by ArtScroll. After aliyah, he became the rabbi of Beis Tefillah Yonah Avraham, an English-speaking congregation for Anglophone Aliyah in Ramat Beit Shemesh, which he led for 17 years.
He next studied at Yeshivas Iyun HaTalmud in Monsey, New York, under Rabbi Abba Berman, a main disciple of Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz. He remained at this yeshivah for six years, until his marriage in 1976, whereupon he entered the kollel. In 1980, he was appointed by Berman to take over as rosh kollel when Berman made aliyah to Israel. In the early 1970s, Malinowitz also studied the Tanya in a late-night shiur given by Chabad rabbi Yoel Kahn.
In 1992 Malinowitz was appointed, along with Rabbi Yisrael Simcha Schorr, as general editor of the Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud published by ArtScroll. The English-language Schottenstein Talmud spanned 73 volumes and was completed over a period of 15 years. Malinowitz was responsible for approving "every single line and every single footnote" of the translation and commentary of the Talmud submitted by the editorial staff for both the English and Hebrew editions. According to a senior editor on the project, Rabbi Eliezer Herzka: "His role was to learn through the sugya topic with the ArtScroll commentary to probe it to find its weak points". Herzka explained that Malinowitz's knowledge of the Talmud was so broad that he would know when the present sugya inadequately covered important opinions by the classic Talmudic commentators that were cited in similar sugyas elsewhere in Talmud. Nothing was considered final until Malinowitz approved the finished draft. Malinowitz also worked on ArtScroll's elucidated Mishnah project. He continued his association with ArtScroll after making aliyah in 1997.
Upon moving to Israel, Malinowitz began to teach at Yeshivat Aish HaTorah. In 2002, he was hired as Rav of Beis Tefillah Yonah Avraham in Ramat Beit Shemesh, an English-speaking congregation catering to Anglo Aliyah. As a community rav, Malinowitz introduced many shiurim to the synagogue schedule, including classes on different subjects and at different levels for men, women, and children. He also studied one-on-one with many congregants.
He broke with his Haredi colleagues in opposing a ban on Natan Slifkin's books.
Malinowitz died in Jerusalem on November 21, 2019, at the age of 67. He was buried in the Rehovot cemetery near his parents.
Rabbinic career
After receiving Semikhah from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Malinowitz served as a dayan (rabbinical court judge) for the Beth din of Kollel HaRabbanim in Monsey. In this role, he became known as a "world authority on gittin" (Jewish divorce) and also dealt with cases of Agunah. He staunchly opposed the 1992 New York Get Law proposed by Jewish activist groups, which would penalize husbands who refused to grant their wives a get by making it difficult for them to arrange a civil divorce. Malinowitz contended that the coercive element of the penalty could halakhically invalidate all divorces in New York. Ultimately, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach's decision on the matter, which agreed with Malinowitz's position, eroded support for the law.
Personal qualities
Malinowitz was fluent in all areas of the Talmud, halakha (Jewish law), and hashkafa (Orthodox Jewish worldview). He combined this knowledge with "fearlessness" to act on his convictions and a strong desire for truth. At the same time, he was regarded as a friendly, "down to earth" personality who cared for others.
Personal life
Malinowitz married Simi Maza, daughter of Rabbi Dovber Maza, a Torah educator, in 1976. The couple had six sons and four daughters. After making aliyah, they resided in Jerusalem.
Selected articles
External links
Categories: 1952 Births, 2019 Deaths, American Emigrants To Israel, Authors Of Works On The Talmud, Haredi Rabbis In Israel, Rabbis From New York, Writers From Manhattan, People From The Lower East Side, People From Jerusalem, 20th-century American Rabbis, 21st-century American Rabbis, Rabbinic Judges
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