Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon
Personal
Born	1968 Tel Aviv, Israel
Religion	Judaism
Nationality	Israeli
Spouse	Sharon Blumenzweig
Parent	David Rimon
Denomination	Orthodox Judaism
Alma mater	Yeshivat Har Etzion
Position	Rosh Kollel
Yeshiva	Yeshivat Har Etzion
Position	Founder, head
Organisation	Sulamot, LaOfek
Residence	Alon Shevut

Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon (born January 18, 1968) is an Israeli Religious Zionist rabbi, author, lecturer and Posek who serves as rabbi of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and the Ashkenazi Synagogue of Alon Shvut Darom^[1][2]. He is Rosh Yeshiva of the Jerusalem College of Technology (Machon Lev) and a Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Har Etzion.^[3][4]

Biography

Yosef Zvi Rimon was born in Tel Aviv to David Rimon, the son of the poet Yosef Zvi Rimon, after whom he is named. He grew up in Tel Aviv, where he attended the Moriah School.^[5] He also attended Mechina in Givat Shmuel. He then studied at the Netiv Meir Yeshiva in Jerusalem for high school, and in 1986 he attended Yeshivat Har Etzion which was headed by Rav Yehuda Amital and Rav Aharon Lichtenstein.^[5] He served in the Armored Corps as part the Hesder system at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He was in a tank unit in the 188th Armored Brigade and described his army service as "a time that was at times exhausting and challenging, but also constructive and empowering."^[5] He subsequently completed a Bachelor of Education degree at Herzog College.^[6]

When Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham was founded in 1993, Rav Rimon began to teach Halacha there.^[7] About a year later he married Sharon Blumenzweig, the daughter of Yerucham’s Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Eliyahu Blumenzweig.^[7]

In 1995, he became a Ram at Yeshivat Har Etzion, and at the same time gave Shiurim to all yeshiva students on various halakhic topics. In 2000 he was appointed as head of the Yeshiva's Kollel Halacha. Today, Rav Rimon serves as the rabbi of the Ashkenazi synagogue of Alon Shvut Darom and teaches at Yeshivat Har Etzion, its sister school, Migdal Oz, and Herzog College.^[6]

In addition, Rabbi Rimon heads the "Sulamot" association (formerly the "Halacha and Education Center"), which he founded.^[8] Sulamot deals with three main areas: Judaism, education and experience. In each area, the association deals with the promotion and refinement of Jewish content, in pedagogical aspects (writing halakhic content, creating study materials for education systems, etc.), in the experiential aspects (developing innovative learning systems, experiential secondary learning and in creating and strengthening ties with Jewish communities around the world.^[9]

Rav Rimon leads the children and youth television series "Ratzim LaMishnah" and appears in the series on a regular basis.^[9]

Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, many of the Israeli families who had been evicted were left without homes and/or jobs.^[10] Rav Rimon became involved with the rehabilitation of the evacuees and founded the LaOfek association (also called Taasoktif and JobKatif).^[11] At first, the association was engaged in finding jobs for Gush Katif residents.^[12] For its activism, the association was awarded the Ot Hanasi Lamitnadev (the President's Volunteer Award) for 2008.^[13] Since 2009, the association has been working in cooperation with the government bodies in charge of the rehabilitation of the displaced, and is funded by 75% of its expenses.^[14] Today, the association is engaged in activities to promote underprivileged populations, finding jobs for soldiers, assisting Lone Soldiers and in special projects in Israeli society; it provides employment coaching and counseling, business mentoring, professional retraining courses, academic scholarships and other services.^[15]

In 2020 the Gush Etzion Regional Council decided to search for its first head Rabbi. After a year-long process in which the general public nominated candidates, a committee of rabbis and public leaders from the area submitted their recommendations and Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon was elected as Gush Etzion’s first Chief rabbi.^[2]

A popular lecturer, Rav Rimon is frequently invited by communities in Israel, North America, the UK and Australia.^[8]

Awards and Positions

• Moskowitz Prize for Zionism (2014)^[16]
• Rabbi of the Jerusalem College of Technology and head of its Batei Midrash (May 2015)^[17]
• Katz Prize for the Application of Halacha in Modern Society (2018)^[18]
• Rabbi of the Gush Etzion Regional Council (2021)^[19]

Writing Style

Rav Rimon's Sifrei halakhah are written in a way that is structured in "tracing [from] the sources to the practical application of Halacha in our modern reality."^[20] In his books, the halakhic sources are presented, sometimes from the Talmud and the Rishonim, sometimes only from the Achronim, depending on the subject. This approach, which stands in contrast to various halakhic books that bring only final rulings, tries to give the learner tools for understanding halakhah even in cases that are not directly addressed in halakhic rulings. His best-known book, "Halacha MiMekorah - Tzava" (Halacha From Its Source - Army), a Halachic work for soldiers fighting in a Jewish army, a subject which became much more practical with the creation of the Jewish State, was published in 2010.^[21]

He is a well known for his expertise on Shemitah, a topic which also became much more focused on with the gathering and return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and a topic for which he has been repeatedly invited to speak about in the Knesset.

He has also written a Pesach Haggadah and a Yom Kippur Machzor.^[22][23]

Personal life

Rav Rimon is married to Sharon Blumenzweig, daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu Blumenzweig, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Yerucham.^[7] They live in Alon Shvut and have eight children.^[24]

Published Works

• Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halakha - Shiurim on the topic of Shmita, published in several editions^[25]
• Tzava: Halacha MiMekora^[26]
• Hilchot Aveilut - Halakhot From the Source^[27]
• Hilchot Shabbat - 2 volumes^[28]
• Birkat HaMazon & Zemirot Shabbat: From Halachic Sources to Practical Halacha^[29]
• Birkat HaChamah VeHilchoteha^[30]
• Hilchot Tefillin - From the Sources to Practical Halakha^[31]
• Purim - Halakha MiMekora^[32]
• Chanukah - Halakha MiMekora^[33]
• Pesach Haggadah - Shirat Miriam^[22]
• The Rimon Yom Kippur Mahzor^[23]

References