Rabbi Shimon Shkop: Architect of a New Era in Torah Learning

A Mastermind of Torah Logic

Today (Sunday, the 9th of Cheshvan) marks 85 years since the passing of Rabbi Shimon Yehuda HaKohen Shkop, one of the foremost Torah scholars of pre-war Europe and the revered head of the Grodno Yeshiva. Born in 1860, Rabbi Shkop developed a distinctive method of Talmud study, grounded in legal logic and conceptual clarity rather than the more intricate and speculative styles that had dominated Eastern Europe.

His teachings, especially as codified in his magnum opus Shaarei Yosher, emphasized foundational analysis of halachic (Jewish legal) principles. The book remains a cornerstone of serious yeshiva study today, and his influence continues to shape the Torah world across generations.

At the age of 60, he was appointed by Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, known as the “rabbi of all Israel,” to lead the Grodno Yeshiva, a role he filled for nearly 20 years. Even after World War II erupted and most students fled to Vilna, Rabbi Shkop remained in Grodno with a small group of loyal students.

On the day of his passing, the 9th Cheshvan 5700 (1939), Rabbi Shkop gathered the local rabbis in his home and delivered heartfelt remarks about Jewish education. After the meeting, during Mincha (the afternoon prayer), he suddenly collapsed and passed away at the age of 80.

A Lasting Torah Legacy

Rabbi Shimon Shkop’s written works reflect his unique approach to Torah study:

• Chiddushei Rabbi Shimon Yehuda HaKohen — novellae on the tractates of Nashim and Nezikin, along with essays on topics like agency (shelichut), monetary acquisition (kinyan), and liens (shi’abud).

• Shaarei Yosher — philosophical and legal explorations of foundational principles such as doubt (safek), majority rule (rov), chazakah (legal presumption), and testimony.

• Shiurei Rabbi Shimon Yehuda HaKohen — his lectures on tractates in Nashim and Nezikin.

• Shiurei Rabbi Shimon Yehuda HaKohen Shkop — focused commentary on Bava Metzia.

• Yad HaKohen — lectures on tractates in Seder Nashim.

• Shiurei Torah — seven lectures on tractate Nedarim, delivered during his time in Telz.

His students became some of the most influential rabbinic leaders of the 20th century, including Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky, Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz, Rabbi Yisrael Zev Gustman, Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman (former Chief Rabbi of Israel), Rabbi Tzvi Shraga Grossbard (director of the Chinuch Atzmai school network), Rabbi Tzvi Markowitz, Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna (rosh yeshiva of Chevron), Rabbi Moshe Rosenstein (mashgiach of Lomza Yeshiva), Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Mishkovsky (rosh yeshiva of Knesset Chizkiyahu), and Rabbi David Lifshitz (rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University).

A Test Like No Other

A story from Torah Yevakesh Mipihu reveals the depth of Rabbi Shkop’s character. In his later years, a Jewish man in America recalled his youth:

“I was a poor boy from Lithuania, desperate to learn in the Grodno Yeshiva. My parents, after much pleading, allowed me to go. The journey was frightening. I worried constantly. Would I even find the place? Would I pass the entrance exam? If not, I’d return home humiliated.

“To calm myself, I memorized the page of Gemara I had prepared, reciting it again and again until I knew it by heart. Finally, I arrived and knocked on the door of the rosh yeshiva. Reb Shimon, already in his seventies, welcomed me warmly.

“'I came from Lithuania, and I’d like to be accepted into the yeshiva,’ I told him. He nodded and said, ‘Then I have two questions for you.’

“My heart pounded. This was it.

“‘First question: When was the last time you had a hot meal?’ I was stunned. ‘Two weeks ago,’ I answered.

“He stood up. ‘My wife is out of town, and I’m not much of a cook, but I’ll try.’ He went into the kitchen and began preparing a meal for me. I was in shock. I had never seen even my father cook, and here was the great rosh yeshiva cooking for me!

“He filled a plate, then refilled it until I couldn’t eat another bite. When I finished and recited Grace After Meals, he said, ‘Now for the second question.’

“Expecting Torah questions at last, I was floored again: ‘When was the last time you slept in a real bed?’

“I couldn’t remember. Without hesitation, Rabbi Shkop led me to his bedroom, made up his own bed for me, and tucked me in.

“That was my entrance exam.

“Years passed. I lost my entire family in the Holocaust. But those two questions—the love and dignity he showed me—kept my Judaism alive.”

Rabbi Shimon Shkop wasn’t only a towering intellect. He was a man of character and integrity, whose Torah and kindness left an indelible mark on Jewish life.