Memory Lane: Rav Shmuel Leib Yalow

The burgeoning community of Boro Park served as the retirement residence for many prominent Rabbonim in the United States who lived out their golden years in this growing metropolis—and we have profiled a number of them here. Rav Shmuel Yalow hailed from Lita, where he learned under the greatest luminaries there, and went on to a career in the American rabbinate for more than fifty years before retiring to Boro Park.

He was born Shmuel Leib Yalovetzky in a hamlet near Raikishok (Rokiškis), in the Kovno district of Lithuania, on Hoshana Rabbah of the year 1892. His father was Reb Yisroel Moshe and his mother was Chana Rochel. 

In his youth, he learned by his uncle, Rav Bezalel Hakohen Katz, a rov in Raikishok who influenced him greatly. From there, he went on to learn in the great Yeshivos of Telz and Slabodka, after which he received semicha from Rav Yehuda Leib Gordon of Lomza, as well as from his uncle, Rav Bezalel Katz. 

Later that year, he set out for America, alone in a strange land. 

Arriving here, he made his way to Yeshiva Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon, and he received semicha from RIETS’ masmichim, Rav Sholom Elchonon Yaffe and Rav Hilel Hakohen Klein. Following this, he assumed the pulpit of Beis Hamedrash Anshei Neshviz on Henry Street. 

Syracuse 

Rav Yisroel Dov Lerner, a son-in-law of Rav Yalow, wrote some of his biographical details in the introduction to his father—in-law’s sefer: “He [Rav Yalow] served as army chaplain for thirteen years, and as the rabbi for number of hospitals in New York until he was injured in the course of his work, and he has now retired. 

“The home of Rav Yalow, his Rebbetzin, and his family is open to students of the nearby university, and they are mekarev them for Torah and tefillah on Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim, and every day, Rav Yalow succeeds in bringing a number of them to davening and learning. He has no greater pleasure than to sit with a young person, delving into a difficult sugya, parsing a challenging Tosafos, thereby innovating chiddushim. His power of chiddush is incredible, and many talmidei chachomim consider themselves among his talmidim.”   

Many of Rav Yalow’s chiddushim made their way into the Torah journals of his time, and he corresponded with Rav Moshe Feinstein extensively. There appear a number of teshuvos addressed to Rav Yalow in Igros Moshe. He likewise corresponded in Torah with a number of other gedolim and Rabbonim.   

In 1928, when Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz came to America to raise funds for his yeshiva, he visited Syracuse. There, he was photographed along with Rav Yalow and other Rabbonim, and the picture ran in the local newspaper. Rav Boruch Ber also spoke in Rav Yalow’s Shul during his visit.  

Boro Park 

In later years, Rav Yalow settled in the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Rav Yisroel Dov and Chana Ettel Lerner in Boro Park. His eyesight began to wane, and his body became weaker, but he refused to slow down, dedicated his days to limud haTorah. 

He would frequent Yeshiva Mekor Chaim, headed by Haga’on Rav Binyomin Paller, zt”l, where he would learn b’chavrusa by heart. A talmid of the yeshiva from that time recalled: “If they needed to look something up, he would tell his Chavrusa to take out a Gemorah from the shelf and turn to page such and such. He would then feel the page and tell his Chavrusa to read from the line he was pointing at!” 

He authored Minchas Shmuel, Shalmei Shmuel, and Imrei Shmuel.

Rav Yalow was nifar on the 11th of Elul of the year 1974, and he was interred in Bnei Brak. At the Jewish cemetery in Syracuse, his kehillah erected a memorial stone in recognition of his fifty years at their helm—half a century of Torah leadership and Torah learning in the northern city in New York which was culminated by years spent in the toil of Torah in Boro Park of yore.