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Aaron Lopiansky

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Rabbi
Ahron Lopiansky
Personal life
Born1953
New York, United States
NationalityIsraeli-American
Alma materMir Yeshiva (Jerusalem)
OccupationRosh Yeshiva, author, lecturer
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
DenominationOrthodox Judaism
PositionRosh Yeshiva
YeshivaYeshiva of Greater Washington – Tiferes Gedaliah
Began1994
Main workMore than 20 works on Torah thought, liturgy, and philosophy
SemikhahRav Chaim Shmuelevitz and Rav Nachum Partzovitz

Aaron Lopiansky (Hebrew: אהרן לופיאנסקי), born September 1953, also known as Rav Ahron, is an American-Israeli Orthodox rabbi, author, posek, and Rosh Yeshiva at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington – Tiferes Gedaliah.[1] He has written more than 20 works on Torah thought, liturgy, and philosophy.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Lopiansky was born and raised in New York's Lower East Side, the son of Holocaust survivors. Growing up, he was immersed in Torah learning,[3] and he attended the local Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, where he achieved high scores on statewide tests.[3] He has stated that he was deeply influenced by his parents growing up.[4][5]

His formal rabbinic training began at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem under the guidance of scholars such as Chaim Shmuelevitz and Nachum Partzovitz.[6][7] He was also greatly influenced by his father-in-law, Rav Beinish Finkel, the late Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, and by his close association as a talmid (student) of Harav Moshe Shapiro.[8]

Career

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Lopiansky began his teaching career at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, where he taught from 1983 to 1990. He then taught at his alma mater, the Mir Yeshiva, for five years.[6][9] In 1994, the headmaster of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Rabbi Yitzchok Merkin, reached out to Lopiansky, who was then serving as a maggid shiur at Mir Yerushalayim, with an offer to become the Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva gedolah in Kemp Mill, Maryland.[3] Lopiansky initially moved to America alone, returning to Jerusalem to ensure that he was never away from home for more than three consecutive Shabbosim. In August 2001, his wife Rebbetzin Yaffa Lopiansky and their four children joined him.[3]

In 2019, he published a sefer, Orchos Chaim: A Ben Torah for Life.[10][8] During a speech at the 2019 Aguda convention, Rav Elya Brudny notably remarked, "Every family that has made that transition [from kollel to the workplace] should own the book". Rav Yosef Elefant spoke next. “In the modern era, there hasn’t been a sefer that touched on the topics critical to our existence, with honesty and clarity and respect, like this one has."[5]

Activities and contributions

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He supported distribution of the Torah to Soviet Jewry.[6] In addition to his work with Soviet Jewry, Lopiansky taught in the Israeli Army's Hishtalmut program, which aims to broaden the perspective of the army's officer corps by exposing them to the diverse facets of Israeli society.[9]

Lopiansky has contributed to the Encyclopedia Talmudit.[6] He also sits on several boards, including the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.[9] Among his English-language works is Time Pieces, a collection of essays on the Jewish holidays.[2]

Views

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During an Orthodox Union event in 2017, Rav Lopiansky challenged the common idea that Kiddush Hashem simply means making Judaism "look good" to the outside world or serving as positive PR. He views that as a shallow understanding, stressing that true Kiddush Hashem reflects an inner conviction and purity of intent. Citing the example of Yosef HaTzaddik, he noted that genuine sanctification of God's name occurs when a person refrains from sin despite overwhelming temptation, motivated solely by the awareness that "how can I do this great evil and sin against God?" He elaborated on the philosophical distinction between a materialist worldview, where human behavior is seen as the product of evolutionary drives, and the Torah’s vision, which views human beings as vessels for a divine soul. According to Lopiansky, a Chillul Hashem (desecration of God’s name) reduces life to mere physicality, whereas Kiddush Hashem sanctifies human action as spiritually driven and God-conscious. To illustrate this, he related a story from the Yerushalmi about Shimon ben Shatach, who returned a gem found in the saddle of a donkey he had purchased from a non-Jew. Moved by the act, the seller proclaimed, "Blessed is the God of Shimon ben Shatach." This, explained Rav Lopiansky, exemplifies the essence of Kiddush Hashem: embodying divine values so clearly that others come to recognize the presence of God through human honesty and moral clarity.[11]

In a 2023 interview on The Jews Next Door podcast, Lopiansky emphasized that effective parenting is not just about transferring habits but instilling inner convictions and a sense of right and wrong. He described the goal of parenting as helping a child realize their unique potential rather than creating clones of the parent. To do this, he stressed the importance of a warm relationship and being a genuine role model, stating, "Even if you're a master [teacher], if it's not your real inner conviction, it's not going to happen."[12] Lopiansky has also discussed the centrality of choosing a community with values aligned to one’s ideals when raising children. At the 2023 Kinyan HaMasechta, he stated that the "ruach of the community", its cultural atmosphere, is often the most decisive influence on a child, and urged parents to prioritize modesty and spiritual values over material comfort. He warned against raising children in environments that require unsustainable spending just to fit in socially, and urged parents not to overly display material wealth, noting that wealthier communities often carry greater pressures to conform materially. He warned that “you’re not going to be different than everybody else,” and a child’s sense of normal is shaped by their surroundings.[13]

Eshel Publications is a nonprofit organization dedicated to disseminating the Torah and mesorah of Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky and his Rebbeim.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky". Aish.com. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky". TorahCasts. July 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kobre, Eytan (December 30, 2014). "Where Maryland Meets the Mir". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Rosenblum, Yonoson (June 7, 2022). "Harmony through Opposites". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Besser, Yisroel (February 26, 2019). "Hold on to the Dream". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Who We Are". Yeshiva of Greater Washington. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Botnick, Shmuel (September 2, 2024). "Elul 5784: Journey to Self". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Hoffman, Rafael (January 9, 2019). "To Be A Ben Torah For Life" (PDF). Hamodia. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky". The Tikvah Fund. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Rosenblum, Yonoson (January 8, 2019). "Life after Kollel". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky (January 15, 2017). Personal Imperative of Living al Kiddush Hashem. YouTube. Orthodox Union. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  12. ^ "Growing Up and Having a Great Parenting Example". YouTube. The Jews Next Door. July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  13. ^ "R' Yosef Elefant & R' Aaron Lopiansky, Kinyan HaMasechta 2023". YouTube. Kinyan HaMasechta. 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  14. ^ "Eshel Publications". Retrieved September 4, 2024.
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