Aryeh Kaplan

RABBI ARYEH KAPLAN 1934 - 1983

Prolific and original explicator and teacher steeped in Science and Torah, ranging from volumes of Talmudic and Kabbalistic to translations into English of the Torah (The Five Books of Moses)such as 'The Living Torah', and introductory pamphlets. His talent was first discovered by the founder of NCSY the Orthodox Union's (OU) youth outreach arm. The OU still makes available Rabbi Kaplan's writings Rabbi Kaplan's writings

Having passed away at 48, his works continue to attract a wide readership. He has been praised by Rabbi Pinchas Stolper Rabbi Pinchas Stolper his original sponsor for never fearing to speak his mind. As a master of both Torah and science he saw a world of harmony where others saw otherwise. He put forward creative and original ideas and hypotheses, all the time anchoring them in the Torah and Talmud of Jewry and their ancient rabbis.

Rabbi Kaplan translated from Ladino , a Spanish-Hebrew dialect used by Sefardic Jews for centuries, intp Enlish, a 45 volume rabbinic work called Me'am Loez Me'am Loez He also translated into English and wrote copious notes and introductions to classic works on Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah Works on Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah, such as Sefer Yetzirah, the Bahir,Jewish Meditation,and Meditation and Kabbalah, and more.

He wrote and translated works related to Hasidism and the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav. His works are read and studied by both novices, newly religious Baalei Teshuva, and scholras looking for both clarity and interpretation into the modern English language of Judaism' vast written legacy. Translation have subsequently been made into other languages such as Russian and Modern Hebrew.