Gadol
Gadol or godol גדול (plurual: gedolim גדולים) (Hebrew "big" or "great"), is a Hebrew term used mostly by Haredi Litvish Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of the Generation. These Rabbis are usually held in high esteem by other Haredi or Orthodox Jews, though not necessarily to the same degree as Litvish Jews do. It is almost exclusively used to refer to refer to rabbinic leaders since World War I. Other variations of the term are Gadol Yisrael or a Gadol BeYisrael (plural Gedolei Yisrael).
The term gadol hador refers to the "great/est (one of) the generation" denoting one rabbi who is presumed to be even greater than the others. Adeherents of Torah Judaism accept that a gadol is presumed to have some degree of ruach hakodesh ("divine spirit") and his teachings and statements become the crux of Daat Torah. Most often a gadol functions as a rosh yeshiva (the head of a yeshiva Talmudical school), and can be a Hasidic Rebbe. Another way of calling a gadol hador is "Rashkebahag" which is an Acronym of "Rabbon shel kol bnei hagolah" (The Sage and teacher of the entire Jewish diaspora). The title gadol hador is usually only give to one Jewish Sage at a time, while the title "Rashkebahag" can be given to a few.
A gadol is quite often also a posek (a decisor of Halakha - Jewish law) and may be the author of rabbinic literature and responsa.
Age of maturity
Gadol is also used as a term for a Jewish boy who turns thirteen and hence is viewed as a full adult with regards to his obligations to practice the mitzvot. This is the age of Bar Mitzvah. When a Jewish girl reaches the age of twelve and a half, according to Jewish law, she is called a gedolah (the feminine usage of gadol).
In Judaism
The Kohen Gadol refers to the high priets in the Jewish Temples that were in Jerusalem. Shabbat Hagadol is the Shabbat prior to Passover.
As a word in general Hebrew usage
Gadol is used in modern Hebrew in a variety of ways.
Haredi gedolim since World War I
Past
(In order of their passing)
- Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Chofetz Chaim)
- Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Bloch
- Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzensky
- Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman
- Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz (Chazon Ish)
- Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soleveitchik
- Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum (Satmar Rav)
- Rabbi Aharon Kotler
- Rabbi Aryeh Leib Malin
- Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel
- Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
- Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky
- Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz
- Rabbi Shneur Kotler
- Rabbi Elazar Shach
- Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
- Rabbi Binyomin Paler
- Rabbi Gedalia Schorr
- Rabbi Boruch Sorotzkin
- Rabbi Elya Meir Bloch
- Rabbi Reuvein Grozovsky
Present
- Rabbi Elya Svei (No longer active)
- Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv (generally considered the current Gadol Hador)
- Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman
- The Gerrer Rebbe
- Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
- Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky
- Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon
- Rabbi Malkiel Kotler
- Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller
- Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levin
- Rabbi Chaim Stien(generally considered the Rosh Yeshiva's Rosh Yeshiva)
- Rabbi Avrohom Gurwitcz
- Rabbi Yitzchok Sorotzkin
- Rabbi Eli Ber Wachtfogel