The Rabbi’s Study
About
This painting was made from a photograph in a magazine, which depicted the very busy study of a famous Rabbi. This rabbi happened to be the father of my wife's close friend. I thoroughly enjoyed making this painting and was drawn to what appeared to be a unique type of organized chaos. The painting was later given as a gift to this friend as it represented her father's dedication and commitment to learning. What follows is a brief description provided by the family of the man who reportedly spent many, many hours of study in this room.
“Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung zt”l was the Chief Rabbi of Montreal from 1969 until his passing in January 1998. He was recognized and revered as one of the greatest Torah scholars and Talmud experts of the generation. In this room, he studied for many thousands of hours, answered questions of people seeking his guidance and prepared Rabbinic rulings of every manner. While he was renowned for his photographic memory, this study housed thousands of his beloved books in a chaotic fashion which only he understood. The pictures of his Rabbis who taught him in pre War Poland adorn the walls along with dozens of family photos of his 9 children and many grandchildren.”
