Rabbi Steinsaltz' dedication to Menachem Begin
Rabbi Steinsaltz' dedication to Menachem BeginMenachem Begin Heritage Center

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who passed away last weekend, presented the late Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin with a Talmud set in which he wrote a special dedication.

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center holds many books which were owned by Menachem Begin, including the Talmud which was given to him by Rabbi Steinsaltz.

"In honor of R. Menachem Begin, the Prime Minister of Israel who every day decides the fate of the Jewish people, may the values of heaven and earth guide him to enter and leave in peace so that he may remain in ways in the Holy of Holies," Rabbi Steinsaltz wrote. He signed his name as simply "Adin Steinsaltz."

Along with his translation of the Talmud into modern Hebrew, Rabbi Steinsaltz was also well-known for his writings and commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, and the Tanya. In 1988, Rabbi Steinsaltz won the Israel Prize for Jewish Studies; in 2012, he won the President's Medal; and in 2017 he was awarded the Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem Prize.