Rabbi Avigdor Miller
1908-2001
HaRav Avigdor Miller, zt’l, an American godol, leading Torah educator, ba’al mussar and rav of the Bais Yisroel Torah Center, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on Rosh Chodesh Elul (August 28, 1908). He became one of the first to innovate methods for teaching Torah to baale teshuvah. From an early age his thirst for learning was astounding, memorizing most of Tanach before starting school. At 14 years old he went to study in Yeshivas Rabbenu Yitzchok Elchonon, then on the Lower East Side. At 24 he went to Europe to study at Yeshivas Slobodke for six years. In 1935 he married Ethel Lessin, the daughter of HaRav Yaakov Moshe Lessin. Right before W.W.II the couple returned to America where he took his first position as rav in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where he served until 1945. Then he became mashigiach at Yeshivas Chaim Berlin until 1964. Later he became the Rav of the Young Israel of Rugby in East Flatbush, Brooklyn and in 1975 moved with the shul to Flatbush.
Rav Miller innovated the idea of Torah tapes and over the past 50 years he produced thousands of tapes on many subjects. During his life he delivered over 6000 lectures on various topics and published numerous books, mainly in English for the American Jewish public.
He was nifter on Thursday night, the eve of 27 Nissan, 5761 (April 19, 2001) at the age of 92.
