In the Orthodox Jewish world, geniuses like Albert Einstein would face stiff competition, for the study of the Talmud and its application in everyday Jewish law prepares the Jewish people for intellectual competition and filters out geniuses from the masses. One such genius was Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski of Vilnius, who is said to have never forgotten anything he had heard or read.
Childhood and youth
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was born on 9 Elul 5623 (August 24, 1863) in Ivye, Belarus. His father, David Shlomo Grodzinski, was the rabbi of the small town near Vilnius for over 40 years, and his grandfather was also the rabbi in Ivye for 40 years.
From an early age, Chaim Ozer was weak and sickly, but even as a child he had a highly developed mind. At the age of nine, he was examined by Rabbi Israel Salanter, the leading rabbi of his time. The latter posed a question to the boy about Jewish law. Chaim Ozer refuted the rabbi’s theory and cited another from the sources. By comparison, what nine-year-old could not...
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