Gil Student

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Gil O. Student (born August 8, 1972) is an ordained but non-pulpit serving American Orthodox rabbi.

He has written about the interface between Judaism, more specifically Orthodox Judaism, and modern controversial topics. He has also written in opposition to the claim by some Chabad Lubavitch Hasidim that the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, may have been the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (i.e. the Moshiach).

His writings appear mainly on the Internet though he has been published in newspapers such as The Jewish Press. His Hirhurim blog was ranked "Best Jewish Religion Blog" for 2005 by the Jerusalem Post [1] and has been mentioned in The Wall Street Journal for declining to run an ad for "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris [2].

A graduate of Yeshiva University, Gil Student is listed in the 2005 alumni directory as a rabbi and a quantitative analyst who works in financial reinsurance and lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is also an alumnus of Frisch High School and Solomon Schechter elementary school.

Student owns and operates a small Jewish publishing house, Yashar Books, that, in addition to traditional Orthodox scholarly works, distributes the writings of Orthodox thinkers who defy the accepted norms of publications in the Haredi world (the latter include works that were previously published by influential companies such as Feldheim). His publishing company has undertaken to distribute the works of Rabbi Natan Slifkin whose books were banned by many Haredi rabbis as well as other works that are not openly approved by the Haredi mainstream rabbinate.

1 Defending the Talmud
2 Modern and Haredi Orthodoxy
3 Critique of Lubavitch views
4 External links

[edit] Defending the Talmud

Student has written defending the Talmud against those who claim that it defames gentiles or Jesus. On the Internet, one of Student's sites called "Talmud: The Real Truth About The Talmud" states its objective as :

Statement of Purpose: There are many lies circulating the internet about the Jewish Talmud. These allegations are supported by "direct quotations" from the Talmud that are frequently wrong or taken out of context. However, most people lack the scholarly background to verify these claims. Most people have no way of knowing that these accusation are false and malicious. What we are attempting is to demonstrate in detail how these accusations are both wrong and intentionally misleading. We are trying to show to the world the real truth about the Talmud. [3]

Key areas discussed with relevant sources are:

About the Talmud
Alleged racism in the Talmud
Christianity in the Talmud
Jewish holidays
Immorality in The Talmud

[edit] Modern and Haredi Orthodoxy

Though his stance in the Slifkin controversy put him at odds with much of the Haredi world, Student nevertheless opposes many trends within Modern Orthodoxy, especially regarding women's issues (e.g. women's prayer groups), taking a particularly strong stance against the Edah organization [4]; and other groups.

In his personal life, Student remains involved with both the Haredi and Modern Orthodox worlds in Brooklyn. According to Student, "I live in a moderate Haredi neighborhood, attend Haredi synagogues, send my children to moderate Haredi schools but still maintain professional and friendly relations with the Modern Orthodox world."[5]

[edit] Critique of Lubavitch views

Gil Student has received both criticism and praise for his self-published book "Can The Rebbe Be Moshiach?" described as "Proofs from Gemara, Midrash, and Rambam that the Rebbe zt"l cannot be Moshiach" [6]:

During his lifetime, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory, was a highly successful religious leader. His brilliant scholarship and eloquent speaking touched hundreds of thousands of people. Larger than life and presiding in a post-Holocaust world during which Jews returned to the land of Israel in an unprecedented fashion, he was declared by many of his followers to be the Moshiach ("Messiah") for whom Jews have waited for thousands of years. His death in 1994 should have dashed those hopes. However, many of his followers have advanced the position that even today the Rebbe can still be Moshiach.

This book is an analysis of this position within the Jewish tradition. What do the doctrinally binding texts say about a dead man being Moshiach? In a presentation appropriate for both the layman and the experienced scholar, this work demonstrates from dozens of texts that according to the authentic Jewish tradition the Rebbe unfortunately cannot be Moshiach.