Rabbi Dr. Zvi Leshem

Rabbi Dr. Zvi Leshem made Aliyah in 1979. He studied at Yeshivat HaMivtar and was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. He holds a PhD in Jewish Thought from Bar-Ilan University. He is also an ordained scribe. Rabbi Leshem directed the Gershom Scholem Collection for Kabbalah and Hasidism at the National Library of Israel from 2011 until his retirement in 2024. He previously served in senior positions in Jewish education and as a community Rabbi. His research focuses on Hasidism, Jewish Education, Gershom Scholem and the postmodern religious thought of Rav Shagar. Rabbi Leshem was a close student of Rav Halivni zt"l for almost fifty years. He and his wife Julie live in Jerusalem. Their six children and many grandchildren live all over Israel. Rabbi Leshem is the author of Redemptions: Contemporary Chassidic Essays on the Parsha and the Festivals (2006). Many of his academic and rabbinic articles are available at https://nli.academia.edu/zvileshem.