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Aryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan (Hebrew: אריה משה אליהו קפלן; October 23, 1934 – January 28, 1983)[16][17] was an American Orthodox rabbi and author known for his intimate knowledge of physics and kabbalah.[18] He was lauded as an original thinker and prolific writer and is most well known for his translations of the Torah, writings on Kabbalah, and introductory pamphlets on Jewish beliefs and philosophy.[19] His works are often regarded as a significant factor in the growth of the baal teshuva movement.[20]
Kaplan was born in the Bronx, New York City to Samuel and Fannie Kaplan[21] of the Sefardi Recanati family from Salonika, Greece.[17] He studied at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and the Mir yeshiva in Brooklyn. Kaplan received semicha from some of Israel's foremost rabbinic authorities, including Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem in 1956. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics - with highest honors - at the University of Louisville in 1961[3] and a M.S. degree in physics at the University of Maryland in 1963.[2]
His major influence was Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld (1922–1978), who single-handedly introduced the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov to American shores beginning in the 1950s, inspiring many students at Brooklyn yeshivas, especially Torah Vodaas. Working together, Kaplan and Rosenfeld translated and annotated Rabbi Nachman's Tikkun (based on the Tikkun HaKlali). At Rosenfeld's suggestion, Kaplan also produced the first-ever English translation of Sichot HaRan ("Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom"), which Rosenfeld edited. He also translated and annotated Until the Mashiach: The Life of Rabbi Nachman, a day-to-day account of Rebbe Nachman's life, for the newly established Breslov Research Institute founded by Rosenfeld's son-in-law, Chaim Kramer. Kaplan's later writings further explored Hasidut, Kabbalah and Jewish meditation. (Kaplan himself utilized the meditative form of Kabbalah on a daily basis.[22]) From 1976 onward, Kaplan's major activity was the translation into English of the recently translated (Ladino into Hebrew, 1967) anthology, Me'am Lo'ez. He also completed The Living Torah, a new translation of the Five Books of Moses and the Haftarot, shortly before his death.
Kaplan was described by Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, his original sponsor, as never fearing to speak his mind. "He saw harmony between science and Judaism, where many others saw otherwise. He put forward creative and original ideas and hypotheses, all the time anchoring them in classical works of rabbinic literature." His works reflect his physicist training—concise, systematic, and detail-oriented.[19] His works continue to attract a wide readership, and are studied by both novices and the newly religious, as well as by scholars where the extensive footnotes provide a unique resource.
Kaplan died of a heart attack on January 28, 1983, at the age of 48.[4] He was buried on the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem, Israel, off Aweiss street, in the part known as "Agudas Achim Anshei America" "Chelek Alef" (Portion 1).
Before becoming well known as an author, Kaplan held rabbinic and leadership positions in many states. He began his first professional position after completing his bachelor's degree, as a research scientist at the Fluid Mechanics Division of the National Bureau of Standards, where he was in charge of Magnetohydrodynamics research. During this time, he received a cooperative graduate fellowship from the National Science Foundation[5] and the US Air Force for his graduate work at the University of Maryland.[6][7]
Kaplan then changed career paths, becoming the Rabbi of Adas Israel in Mason City, Iowa (1965),[8][9] B'nai Sholom, in Blountville, Tennessee (1966), Adath Israel (now known as Adath Shalom), a Conservative synagogue in Dover, New Jersey (1967), and Ohav Shalom, a Conservative synagogue in Albany, New York (1969). While in Albancy, Kaplan also functioned as the president of the AJCC (Albany Jewish Community Center) and the Hillel Counselor to the B'nai B'rith Hillel Counselorship at University at Albany, SUNY.[13][14][15] In 1971, Kaplan moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he lived until the end of his life.[2] In Brooklyn, he held many positions, all of which involved religious leadership or writing and editing religious publications:
Kaplan produced works on topics as varied as prayer, Jewish marriage and meditation; his writing was also remarkable in that it incorporated ideas from across the spectrum of Rabbinic literature, including Kabbalah and Hasidut. His introductory and background material contain much scholarly and original research. In researching his books, Kaplan once remarked: "I use my physics background to analyze and systematize data, very much as a physicist would deal with physical reality."[23] This ability enabled him to undertake large projects, producing over 60 books.[19] His works have been translated into Czech, French, Hungarian, Modern Hebrew, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
He wrote three well-known books on Jewish meditation. These works revive and reconstruct ancient Jewish practices and vocabulary relating to meditation. He also wrote and translated several works related to Hasidic Judaism in general and to the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in particular.
While a graduate student at the University of Maryland, Rabbi Kaplan published the following academic papers:
Rabbi Kaplan married Tobie Goldstein on June 13, 1961, with whom he ultimately had nine children.[2][4]
Kaplan, Leonard M., Hyattsville, Physics
Hebrew language, Judaism, Jewish philosophy, Rabbinic literature, Jerusalem
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Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky, Atlantic Coast Conference, Panama
Talmud, Judaism, Kabbalah, Mishnah, Torah
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Aaron, Christianity, Israelites, Ancient Near East, Aryeh Kaplan
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Kabbalah, Hasidic Judaism, Jewish philosophy, Theosophy, Tannaim
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Conservative Judaism, Capital punishment, Maimonides, Mishnah, Orthodox Judaism