Eliezer Gordon
1841 CE–1910 CE · Acharonim · Minsk
Rabbi Eliezer Gordon (1841–1910), known among Lithuanian Jews as Reb Laizer Telzer, led the yeshiva of Telz (Telšiai) for roughly a quarter century. Born in the Minsk region of present-day Belarus, he studied in Vilna as a youth and later at the Kovno kollel under Yisrael Salanter, who set him to teaching while he was still young. He briefly held the rabbinate of Kovno, then served as rabbi of Kelm from 1874—where he founded a yeshiva—and for a short time in Slabodka, before settling in Telz in 1883 and heading its yeshiva from 1884. There he grouped students into graded shiurim by age and level, a structure later widely adopted, and brought Shimon Shkop and Yosef Leib Bloch onto its faculty. His responsa appeared posthumously as Teshuvot Rabbi Eliezer. He died in London in 1910 while raising funds to rebuild the yeshiva after a fire.
Life journeyclick any stop, or use ←/→Trace on the orchard map →
MinskמינסקBelarus — Litvish Torah capital
What they did here
Birthplace.
About Minsk
Minsk hosted one of the largest Litvish Jewish communities in the Russian Empire. R. Yerucham Yehuda Leib Perlman (Gadol of Minsk, 1835-1896) served as its chief rabbi; the city also produced the founders of the Mussar movement and major roshei yeshiva of the next century.
In Minsk at the same time
In the same place & time
Sages whose lives overlapped with Eliezer Gordon’s in the same cities, drawn from their recorded journeys.
Across the traditions
In the same tradition
Sender Minsker, Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, Aleksander Mōše Lapîdôt, Alter of Kelm, Yeruham Perelman, Hyman Weinshel, Elijahu Baruch Kamai, Avraham Shinker, Alter of Navardhok, Shimon Shkop, Marcheshes, Joseph Winogradoff, Yehuda Leib Chasman, Naftali Trop, Tzvi Pesach Frank, Elchonon Wasserman, Ponevezher Rav, Yechezkel Abramsky
The world in their lifetime
Thinkers, teachers, and rulers whose lives overlapped with Eliezer Gordon’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn purely from recorded birth and death years.
Jewish world
- Yechiel Michel Epstein· 1829 CE–1908 CE
- Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam· 1832 CE–1916 CE
- Rabbi Chaim Hezekiah Medini· 1832 CE–1904 CE
- R. Shalom Mordechai Schwadron (Maharsham of Berezhany)· 1835 CE–1911 CE
- Yosef Hayyim· 1835 CE–1909 CE
- Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer· 1837 CE–1907 CE
- R. Avraham Bornstein of Sochatchov (Avnei Nezer)· 1838 CE–1910 CE
- R. Yitzchak Eizik Weiss of Spinka· 1838 CE–1909 CE
- Israel Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim)· 1838 CE–1933 CE
- Gershon Chanokh Leiner of Radzin· 1839 CE–1891 CE
- Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv· 1841 CE–1926 CE
- Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim· 1843 CE–1905 CE
- Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Hoffman· 1843 CE–1921 CE
- Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk (Or Sameach, Meshech Chochmah)· 1843 CE–1926 CE
- Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky· 1845 CE–1913 CE
- Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter· 1847 CE–1905 CE
- Shlomo Halberstam (founder of Bobov)· 1847 CE–1905 CE
- Solomon Schechter (Cairo Genizah; JTS)· 1847 CE–1915 CE
- Rabbi Meir Atlas· 1848 CE–1926 CE
- R. Yisrael Taub (Modzitz founder)· 1849 CE–1920 CE
- R. Tzvi Hirsch Shapira (Munkacs II)· 1850 CE–1913 CE
- Yitzchak Friedman (Pachad Yitzchak of Boyan)· 1850 CE–1917 CE
- Rabbi Zalman Sender Kahana-Shapiro· 1851 CE–1923 CE
- Chaim Soloveitchik (founder of the Brisker derech)· 1853 CE–1918 CE
Luminaries & Explorers world
Scientists
Christian world
Islamic world
Buddhist world
Hindu world
Rulers world
- Edward VII· 1841 CE–1910 CE
- Ito Hirobumi· 1841 CE–1909 CE
- Béhanzin· 1844 CE–1906 CE
- José Martí· 1853 CE–1895 CE
- Franz Joseph I· 1830 CE–1916 CE
- Quanah Parker· 1845 CE–1911 CE
- Porfirio Díaz· 1830 CE–1915 CE
- Grover Cleveland· 1837 CE–1908 CE
- Menelik II· 1844 CE–1913 CE
- Chief Joseph (Hinmatóowyalahtqʼit)· 1840 CE–1904 CE
- Murad V· 1840 CE–1904 CE
- William McKinley· 1843 CE–1901 CE
- Empress Dowager Cixi· 1835 CE–1908 CE
- Abdulhamid II· 1842 CE–1918 CE
Works
No works attributed in the corpus yet.