June 11, 2013

The International Rabbinic Fellowship joins with the rest of the Jewish world in mourning the loss of Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth zt"l in Israel this week. R, Neuwirth was a leading halakhic decisor and prominent disciple of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l, one of the preeminent rabbinic authorities of the twentieth century.

R. Neuwirth was a pioneer in the writing and teaching of halakha, with the publication of his trailblazing work Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata in 1965. This work became an instant classic and is studied as an indispensable resource in all yeshivot, rabbinic programs and private homes till this very day. The volume and its subsequent editions are a model of modern halakhic writing, with its clear and concise presentation of material, its copious and detailed footnotes that often present alternative and lenient views, organized structure of the complex laws of Shabbat, elegant presentation of complicated halakhic topics, decisive rulings and guidance on a myriad of halakhic minutia, and engagement with the contemporary devices and issues that are part of modern-day shabbat observance. In addition to this work, and his role as a respected talmud teacher at Yeshivat Kol Torah in Jerusalem, R. Neuwirth was actively involved in clarifying topics and issuing rulings in the sensitive and critical field of medical halakhah and ethics. 

R. Neuwirth was a man of humility and hesed whose counsel was sought by Jews from across the spectrum of the observant community in Israel. May his memory be for a blessing for all of Israel.