Lopian, Elijah
LOPIAN, ELIJAH
LOPIAN, ELIJAH (1876–1970), rabbi, educator, and exponent of musar. Born near Grajewo, Poland, Lopian studied at Lomza and at Kelme, where he came under the influence of Simhah Zissel *Broida. Broida's doctrine of musar, which emphasized the need for constant soul-searching and moral scrutiny, left a deep impression on Lopian. In Kelme he founded a yeshivah which he headed until he received an invitation in 1926 to teach at the Etz Chaim Yeshivah in London. He served there both as mashgi'aḥ (moral tutor) and, for a short time, as principal, until his retirement in 1950. During his years in England, he was instrumental in training many English rabbis. Lopian immigrated to Israel at the age of 74, but even then spent the last 20 years of his life as mashgi'aḥ of the Keneset Ḥizkiyyahu Yeshivah at Kefar Ḥasidim. Although he never published any works, Lopian was renowned both as an orator of considerable power, and the greatest exponent of the old musar school. Of his nine sons three were heads of yeshivot: Ḥayyim shem'uel lopian (1909– ) at Sunderland, author of Ravḥa de-Shemateta; lieb lopian (1910–1979) at Gates-head; eliezer lopian (1911– ) at Torat Emet Yeshivah, London; as were two of his sons-in-law: Leib Gurwicz (1906– ) at Gateshead, and Kalman Pinski at the Kamenitz yeshivah in Jerusalem.
[Alan Unterman]