Rabbi Mordechai Willig (born April 25, 1947 in New York) is a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University in Washington Heights, Manhattan. His formal title is the Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth Professor of Talmud and Contemporary Halachah.
Education
Rabbi Willig received a B.A. in mathematics in 1968 from Yeshiva College and an M.S. in Jewish history in 1971 from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He was a student of the late Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.Positions
In 1973, Rabbi Willig was appointed as Rosh Yeshiva at the Mazer School of Talmudic Studies at Yeshiva University and holds that position, along with the position of Rosh Kollel at RIETS.Rabbi Willig is the Rabbi and Spiritual Leader at the Young Israel of Riverdale Synagogue, in Riverdale, The Bronx, New York, since 1974.
Rabbi Willig is also the Deputy Av Beis Din of the Beth Din of America.
Books
Rabbi Willig is the author of a sefer entitled Am Mordechai, which came out in two volumes (1992 on Brachot and 2005 on Shabbat).Apology for Lanner Case
On February 19, 2003, Rabbi Willig apologized for his role in leading the three-person 1989 Bet Din (Jewish Court) that ruled that the victims apologize to their abuser, and allowed Lanner to keep his position, in which he continued molesting children. His apology came after public pressure.
In his apology, Willig said "blind-spots" caused his error in this matter. He also explained in that apology that because the Beit Din specialized in monetary matters they were unable to correctly understand matters of child abuse. He then goes on to offer forgiveness, "mechila", to those who had criticized him over the years who were not acting for religious purposes, "le'shem shamayim" ("For the sake of heaven").
Family
He currently resides with his wife in Riverdale, NY. They have nine children and 25 grandchildren. He is the first cousin of Rabbi Avi Weiss, who heads the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and is the dean of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. One of his sons, Rabbi Avraham Willig, currently resides in Israel with his wife and five children and is a teacher at Yeshivat Torat Shraga and Camp Morasha.External links
- Official YU biography
- articles, audio, and video on TorahWeb.org
- Shiurim by Rabbi Mordechai Willig
- Top Rabbi Admits Errors In Handling Lanner Case
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Last updated on Thursday July 24, 2008 at 10:29:50 PDT (GMT -0700)
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