Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
My revered teacher Rav David Weiss Halivni will be eulogized with many superlatives – all of them deserved. Since his earthly departure on June 29, 2022, the last day of Sivan and the first day of Rosh Hodesh Tammuz, tributes have been profuse. Rav Halivni has been lionized as a child prodigy, a Talmudic genius, a pioneering scholar of the highest rank, a man of conscience who chose to leave a beloved institution when it failed to honor the convictions that he held dear, a devoted teacher, a matmid (perpetual student), an intellectual giant, and more. Yet all the encomiums still do not fully capture the character of the man.
I had the special merit of studying with Rav Halivni for three years. I say “studying” but it was more like witnessing. A colloquium of seminary students, faculty, and recent graduates met in his office on the fifth floor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and listened intently to his unwrapping of the Talmudic text. Sitting along a conference table, surrounded by an impressive library, Rav Halivni expounded on how the Talmud came to be. To be sure, Rav Halivni was thoroughly familiar with the content of the Talmud and its myriad commentators. But he saw as his special mission uncovering how the anonymous editors (stammai’m) imported, arranged, and connected the sources. Like a brilliant detective, Rav Halivni walked his students through the subtle clues that ultimately revealed the truth: all with a genial manner, a mischievous look, and a knowing smile. The results were stunning. And the atmosphere was breathtaking.
However, beyond the scholarship was the menschlikhkeit. Two personal memories come to mind. I had come to New York for a meeting of the Union of Traditional Judaism and was staying at the home of a colleague who offered to drive Rav Halivni. On the way, he asked if my colleague’s house in Queens was anywhere near a particular area. It was. Rav Halivni asked if we would mind going to a particular address. He had heard that a relative of someone he knew was sitting shivah and since we were in the neighborhood, he wanted to go. We entered silently and remained as inconspicuous as possible. Once the mourners were aware of his presence and acknowledged him, Rav Halivni spoke with such tenderness and compassion that I felt a palpable lifting of the heavy sadness that filled the room.
Rav Halivni happily accepted my invitation to come to my synagogue in Toronto as a scholar-in-residence. My wife Patti and I hosted him in our home. Our children, then in their teens and not easily impressed, were enthralled. We have hosted many celebrities and people of note in our day. But my wife remembers Rav Halivni most fondly. He was the only guest who ever turned to my wife first and asked her what she did professionally. He made her feel important (as she certainly is!). When I told our children that they had the privilege of meeting one of the most celebrated scholars in the Jewish world, they were only marginally impressed. To them, Rav Halivni was simply a marvelous raconteur. As much as Rav Halivni had a way with texts, he had a way with people. Rav Halivni’s writings, as masterful as they are, will remain valuable to the select few. But his personal impact on people was life-changing.
The American poet Maya Angelou said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Rav Halivni’s gift went beyond his towering intellect. He made everyone around him feel worthy and special.
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Born and raised in New York City and currently a resident of Toronto, Rabbi Wayne Allen has blended a career of service to the Jewish community as an ordained rabbi with his academic pursuits. Rabbi Allen is recognized as an expert both in Jewish law and in 18th century British moral philosophy. The books he has written and those he has edited are distinguished by the inclusion of philosophical analysis and historical context, adding an extra dimension to the more traditional forms of responding to questions on Jewish practice. He is a panelist for Jewish Values On-line, an Internet site devoted to providing authoritative answers to questions on Jewish life.
Rabbi Allen has traveled extensively and has led groups to Europe and Israel, lecturing beforehand on the history of the communities to be visited. He has served as a faculty member at the American Jewish University where he taught Jewish law, at California State University Long Beach where he taught the History of Modern Jewish Thought and Zionism, and at the University of Waterloo where he taught Theology After the Holocaust. He has also been invited as a guest lecturer at York University in Toronto and at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Allen has served as a scholar-in-residence at synagogues in St. Louis and Ottawa and currently teaches at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto where he serves as chairman of the Rabbinics Department.
Samples of Rabbi Allen’s teaching are accessible on his website, www.rabbiwayneallen.ca.
Rabbi Allen's published books, available from the UTJ Bookstore are: