Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew acronym Gra (“Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu”), (b. Vilna April 23, 1720, d. Vilna October 9, 1797), was an exceptional Talmudist, Halachist, Kabbalist, and the foremost leader of non-hasidic world Jewry of the past few centuries. He is commonly referred to in Hebrew as ha’Gaon ha’Chasid mi’Vilna, “the saintly genius from Vilna.”

He was one of the most influential Rabbinic authorities since the Middle Ages, and – although he is counted among the sages known as the Acharonim – he is held by many authorities after him as belonging to the Rishonim (Rabbinic authorities of the Middle Ages). Large groups of people, including many yeshivas, uphold the set of Jewish customs and rites (minhag), the “minhag ha-Gra,” which is named for him, and which is also considered by many to be the prevailing Ashkenazi minhag in Jerusalem. The Gaon wrote also on mathematics, being well-versed in the works of Euclid and encouraging a pupil, Rabbi Baruch of Shklov, to translate the great mathematician’s works into Hebrew.

Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Gaon displayed extraordinary talent while still a child. By the time he was twenty years old, rabbis were submitting their most difficult halakhic problems to him for legal rulings. He was a voluminous author, writing such works as glosses on the Babylonian Talmud and Shulchan Aruch known as Biurei ha-Gra (“Elaboration by the Gra”), a running commentary on the Mishnah (Shenoth Eliyahu (“The Years of Elijah”)), and insights on the Pentateuch entitled Adereth Eliyahu (“The Splendor of Elijah”). Various Kabbalistic works have commentaries in his name, and commentaries on the Proverbs and other books of the Tanakh were written later on in his life. None were published in his lifetime.

When Hasidic Judaism became influential in his native town, the Vilna Gaon joined the rabbis and heads of the Polish communities known as the Mitnagdim, to curb Hasidic influence. In 1777 one of the first excommunications against the Hasidim was launched in Vilna.

As it states in the Mishna in Tractate Peah (1:1): “The study of Torah is equal to all of the mitzvos”, the Gaon encouraged his chief pupil, Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, to found a yeshiva (college) in which rabbinic literature should be taught. The yeshiva was opened at Volozhin in 1803, some years after the Gaon’s death, and revolutionised Torah study, with resulting impacts on all of Orthodox Jewry.

As young as three years old he had committed the Tanach to memory. At the age of seven he was taught Talmud by Moses Margalit, rabbi of Kėdainiai and the author of a commentary to the Jerusalem Talmud, entitled “Pnei Moshe”. The young Elijah was said to have already known several of the tractates by heart. He is well known for having possessed a photographic memory. By eight, he was studying astronomy during his free time. From the age of ten he continued his studies without the aid of a teacher, and by the age of eleven he had committed the entire Talmud to memory.

When he reached a more mature age, Elijah decided to go into “exile” and he wandered in various parts of Europe including Poland and Germany, as was the custom of the pious of the time. By the time he was twenty years old, rabbis were submitting their most difficult halakhic problems to him. Scholars, Jewish and non-Jewish sought his insights into mathematics and astronomy. He returned to his native town in 1748, having by then acquired considerable renown.

The Gaon applied to the Talmud and rabbinic literature proper philological methods. He made an attempt toward a critical examination of the text; and thus, very often with a single reference to a parallel passage, or with a textual emendation, he overthrew tenuous decisions made by his rabbinic predecessors.

He devoted much time to the study of the Torah and Hebrew grammar, and was knowledgeable in the secular sciences, enriching the latter by his original contributions. His pupils and friends had to pursue the same plain and simple methods of study that he followed. He also exhorted them not to neglect the secular sciences, maintaining that Judaism could only gain by studying them. The Gaon was also attracted to the study of Kabbalah; his controversy with Hasidic Judaism thus stems not from a rejection of mysticism per se, but from a profoundly different understanding of its teachings, in particular regarding its relationship to halakhah and the Ashkenazic minhag.

The Vilna Gaon was very modest and objective; he declined to accept the office of rabbi, though it was often offered to him on the most flattering terms. In his later years he also refused to give approbations, though this was the privilege of great rabbis; he thought too humbly of himself to assume such authority. He led a retiring life, only lecturing from time to time to a few chosen pupils.

In 1755, when the Gaon was only thirty-five, Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschütz, then sixty-five years old, applied to him for an examination of and decision concerning his amulets, which were a subject of discord between himself and Rabbi Jacob Emden. The Vilna Gaon, in a letter to Eybeschütz, stated that, while in full sympathy with him, he did not believe that words coming from a stranger like himself, who had not even the advantage of old age, would be of any weight with the contending parties.

When Hasidic Judaism became influential in his native town, the Vilna Gaon, joining the rabbis and heads of the Polish communities, took steps to check the Hasidic influence. In 1777 one of the first excommunications by the Mitnagdim was launched in Vilna against the Hasidim, while a letter was also addressed to all of the large communities, exhorting them to deal with the Hasidim following the example of Vilna, and to watch them until they had recanted. The letter was acted upon by several communities; and in Brody, during the merchant fair, the cherem (ban of excommunication) was pronounced against the Hasidim.

In 1781, when the Hasidim renewed their proselytizing work under the leadership of their Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the “Ba’al Ha’tanya”), the Gaon excommunicated them again, declaring them to be heretics with whom no pious Jew might intermarry.

After this, the Gaon went into retirement again, and the Hasidim seized the opportunity to spread a rumor that he had sided with them and that he repented of having persecuted them. The Gaon then sent two of his pupils (1796) with letters to all the communities of Poland, declaring that he had not changed his attitude in the matter, and that the assertions of the Hasidim were pure inventions. However, the excommunications did not stop the tide of Hasidism.

Except for the conflict with the Hasidim, the Vilna Gaon almost never took part in public affairs and, so far as is known, did not preside over any school in Vilna. He was satisfied with lecturing in his bet ha-midrash to a few chosen pupils, whom he initiated into his methods. He taught them Hebrew grammar, Hebrew Bible, and Mishna, subjects which were largely neglected by the Talmudists of that time. He was especially anxious to introduce them to the study of midrash literature, and the Minor Treatises of the Talmud, which were very little known by the scholars of his time.

He laid special stress on the study of the Jerusalem Talmud, which had been almost entirely neglected for centuries. Being convinced that the study of the Torah is the very life of Judaism, and that this study must be conducted in a scientific and not in a merely scholastic manner, he encouraged his chief pupil, Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, to found a yeshiva (college) in which rabbinic literature should be taught. Rabbi Chaim Volozhin opened the yeshiva in Volozhin after the death of the Vilna Gaon in 1803.

The Vilna Gaon led an ascetic life. He interpreted literally the words of the Jewish sages, that the Torah can be acquired only by abandoning all pleasures and by cheerfully accepting suffering; and as he lived up to this principle, he was revered by his countrymen as a saint, being called by some of his contemporaries “the Hasid”. This, of course, seems ironic, given his well known opposition to the Hasidic movement, though in fact the term is used in two different senses.

The Gaon once started on a trip to the Land of Israel, but for unknown reasons did not get beyond Germany. (In the early nineteenth century, three groups of his students, known as Perushim, did manage the trip, settling mostly in Tzfat and Jerusalem). While at Königsberg he wrote to his family a letter which was published under the title Alim li-Terufah, Minsk, 1836.

The Vilna Gaon was a voluminous author; there is hardly an ancient Hebrew book of any importance to which he did not write a commentary, or at least provide marginal glosses and notes, which were mostly dictated to his pupils. However, nothing of his was published in his lifetime. It must be noted that the “Gra” was very precise in the wording of his commentaries, because he maintained that he was obligated by Torah Law that only the ” Torah shebichtav” (the written law) is permitted to be written down – the rest of ” Torah shel ba’al peh” (oral law) cannot be, unless circumstances require. So the Vilna Gaon abided by this view of law by reducing his extensive explanations that are largely inscrutable to any but advanced talmudists. Glosses on the Babylonian Talmud and Shulchan Aruch are known as Biurei ha-Gra (“Elaboration by the Gra”). His running commentary on the Mishnah is titled Shenoth Eliyahu (“The Years of Elijah”). Various Kabbalistic works have commentaries in his name. His insights on the Pentateuch are titled Adereth Eliyahu (“The Splendor of Elijah”). Commentaries on the Proverbs and other books of the Tanakh were written later on in his life.

He also wrote on mathematics, being well versed in the works of Euclid and encouraging his pupil Rabbi Baruch of Shklov to translate the great mathematician’s works into Hebrew. A mathematical work titled Ayil Meshulash (“A Ram in Three Parts”, a reference to Abraham’s “Covenant Between the Parts” in Genesis 15:9) is generally attributed to him.

He was one of the most influential Rabbinic authorities since the Middle Ages, and – although he is counted as an Acharon – he is held by many authorities after him as belonging to the Rishonim (Rabbinic authorities of the Middle Ages). Large groups of people, including many yeshivas, uphold the set of customs (minhag) that can be traced back to him: the minhag ha-Gra, which is also considered by many to be the prevailing Ashkenazi minhag in Jerusalem.

His main student Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, founded the first yeshiva in his home town of Volozhin, Belarus. The results of this move revolutionised Torah study, and the results of this process are still felt in Orthodox Jewry.

In accordance with the Vilna Gaon’s wishes, three groups of his disciples and their families, numbering over 500, made aliyah to the Land of Israel between 1808 and 1812, a movement documented in Arie Morgenstern’s book, Hastening Redemption. This immigration is considered to be the beginning of the modern settlement of Israel. These groups of ascetics were called Perushim, meaning “separated”, because they separated themselves from worldly pleasures to study the Torah. They originally settled in Safed because the Muslim authorities in Jerusalem prevented settlement by Ashkenazi Jews in that city, but after numerous devastating calamities there, including plague and earthquake, most moved to Jerusalem. Their arrival revived the presence of Ashkenazi Jewry in Jerusalem, which for over 100 years had been mainly Sephardi.

The aliyah of the Perushim had a widespread and ongoing effect on the Jews in Palestine. They spread the teachings of the Vilna Gaon, which had a considerable influence on Jewish thought and religious practice amongst the Ashkenazi community. They also set up several Kollels, founded the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim, and were instrumental in rebuilding the Yehudah Hechassid Synagogue (also known as the Hurba Synagogue, or “The Ruins”), which had lain in ruins for 140 years. Somewhat ironically, viewed from a traditional light, the leaders of the Haskalah movement used the study methods of the Vilna Gaon to gain adherents to their movement. Maskilim valued his emphasis on peshat over pilpul, his engagement with and mastery of Hebrew grammar and Bible and his interest in textual criticism of rabbinic texts.

There is a statue of the Vilna Gaon and a street named after him in Vilnius, the place of both his birth and his death. His son Abraham was also a scholar of note. After his death in 1797, aged 77, he was buried in the Šnipiškės cemetery in Vilnius, now in Žirmūnai elderate. The cemetery was closed by the Tsarist Russian authorities in 1831 and partly built over.

In the 1950s, Soviet authorities planned to build a stadium and concert hall on the site. They allowed the remains of the Vilna Gaon to be removed and re-interred at the new cemetery.

The Descendants of Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman and His Family
Below is part of the family tree of Shlomo Zalmen of Vilna, the father of the Vilna Gaon. Shown are the first four generations providing just a portion of the information about these individuals that is included in the book Eliyahu’s Branches: The Descendants of the Vilna Gaon and His Family by Chaim Freedman and published by Avotaynu, Inc.

Major branches include Bardin, Bayuk, Behrman, Bloch, Chinitz, Chwat, Danzig, Don Yechia, Donchin, Epstein, Ettinger, Finfer, Friedlander, Ginzberg, Grad, Helman, Horowitz (Gurewitz), Joffe, Jurbarsky, Kantorovitch, Klatzki, Komesaroff (Komisaruk), Komisar, Kossowsky, Kremer, Kretchmer, Landau, Lipshitz, Menkin, Mintz, Neches, Neeman, Olkenitsky, Penchuk, Pines, Pomerantz, Rabbinowitz, Ragoler, Reezel, Rom, Sternbuch, Sunstein, Taragin, Volpa, Warszawsky and Ziv.

Descendants of Shlomo Zalmen of Vilna
Shlomo Zalmen of Vilna born c.1695, Vilna, Lithuania, married Treina of Seltz, born c.1700, Seltz, Byelorussia, daughter of Meir of Seltz. Shlomo died Kislev 5519, which corresponds to late 1758, Vilna, Lithuania. Treina: Daughter of Rabbi Meir son of Rabbi Benyamin Wolf of Seltz, near Grodno, Byelorussia.
Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna born 1720, Seltz, Byelorussia, married (1) Khana of Keidan, born c.1724, Keidan, Lithuania, daughter of Yehudah Leib of Keidan, died 1782, Vilna, Lithuania, married (2) after 1782, Gittel Luntz, born Kelm, Lithuania, daughter of Meir Luntz. Eliyahu died 19 Tishrei 5558 (9 October 1797), Vilna, Lithuania. For details of the biography of the Gaon of Vilna see the “Introduction” chapter of this book.
Khana: Renowned for her devotion to her husband and family. Khana carried the burden of looking after all the family’s needs, thus relieving her husband, the Gaon, of the need to take valuable time off from his studies to attend to material matters.
Gittel: The Gaon’s second wife was a widow with children from her first husband, Nakhum. She bore no children to the Gaon, as explained in the Introduction to this book.
daughter of the Gaon daughter of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born c.1741, Vilna, Lithuania, died 1756, Vilna, Lithuania. Her name was not recorded. She appears to have been the Gaon’s eldest child since her engagement was recorded in 1756. The existence of this daughter is recorded in the register of the charitable fund set up by the Gaon’s ancestor Rabbi Moshe Rivkas.
Khiena of Pinsk daughter of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born 1748, Vilna, Lithuania, married (1) Zalmen Zelig Chinitz, born 1735, Vilna, Lithuania,son of Aharon Zev Abarbanel and Tova ?, died 1803, Pinsk, Byelorussia,married (2) Moshe of Pinsk, son of Yehuda Leib of Pinsk and Nekhama ?, died 1836, Pinsk, Byelorussia. Khiena died 1806, Pinsk, Byelorussia.
Zalmen Zelig: According to the Chinitz manuscript, Khiena’s husband Moshe assumed the name Zalmen Zelig. However interpretation of the manuscript leads to the conclusion that they were separate persons, probably Khiena’s two husbands.
Moshe: Published several of the Gaon’s commentaries, principally Shnot Eliyahu, Lemberg, 1799.
Shmuel Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married (1) Naomi Hakohen, born Pinsk, Byelorussia, daughter of Yaakov Hakohen, married (2) Khaike Malke ?, born Bialystok, Poland.
Tsvi Hersh Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk. Died of spinal meningitis at the age of three.
Masha Chinitz daughter of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married Aharon ?, son of Leib Pinkhas ?.
Yitskhak Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, born c.1765, Pinsk, Byelorussia, married Peshe Rabinov, daughter of Yosef Khaim Rabinov.
Aharon Tsvi Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, born c.1770, Pinsk, Byelorussia, married Rukhl ?, daughter of Khaim ?.
Moshe Khaim Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married Itke ?, daughter of Zalmen ?.
Gittel Chinitz daughter of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married David Levin, son of Shakhne Levin.
Golda Chinitz daughter of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married Zev Rothstein, son of Leibl Rothstein.
Shraga Feivel Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, died Pinsk, Byelorussia. Drowned at the age of twelve.
Nakhum Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married Itke ?, daughter of Meir ?.
Shlomo David Chinitz son of Zalmen Zelig Chinitz and Khiena of Pinsk, married Nekhame Geldenberg, born Pinsk, Byelorussia, daughter of Reuven Geldenberg.
Avraham of Pinsk son of Moshe of Pinsk and Khiena of Pinsk, married Feigl Feigelbaum, born Pinsk, Byelorussia, daughter of Avraham Feigelbaum. The Neches and Zabinovsky families are descended from this branch.
Son/daughter ? son of Moshe of Pinsk and Khiena of Pinsk, born c.1790. Theoretical connection with the family of Yekhezkel (Haskell) Landau which held an oral tradition of descent from the Gaon’s daughter “Khana” (sic), that is Khiena. See explanation of sources in the chapter “Unconfirmed Connections” of this book.
Yedidiah Penchuk born c.1780, Pinsk, Byelorussia, died c.1850. Adopted the surname Penchuk when he settled in Kobrin. The Penchuk, Palefsky, Bayuk, Pomerantz, Chwat and Mintz families are descended from this branch.
Peisa-Bassia of Disna daughter of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born c.1750, Vilna, Lithuania, married Tsvi Hersh Donchin, son of Yitskhak Donchin, ABD Disna, died c.1800, Disna, Byelorussia. Peisa-Bassia died Disna, Byelorussia.
Tsvi: Descendant of a prominent and ancient rabbinic family which traced its ancestry to Portugal and Spain and, before that, to the House of King David.
Ber Donchin Died in childhood.
Zalmen Ber Donchin
Yitskhak Donchin married Khana Don-Yechia, daughter of Barukh Don-Yechia.
daughter Donchin born c.1785, Disna, Byelorussia, married Zerakh Horowitz, born c.1785, Lachowitz, Byelorussia, son of Elyakim Getzel Halevy Horowitz, died c.1820, Lachowitz, Byelorussia.
daughter of the Gaon daughter of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born c.1752, Vilna, Lithuania, married Yekhezkel Halevy, son of Shmuel Halevy. Had no children and so was divorced from her husband, on the instructions of her father. Her subsequent fate is not recorded.
Yekhezkel: Since he had no children by his first wife, the Gaon’s daughter, his descendants by his second marriage are not descended from the Gaon.
Shlomo-Zalmen Vilner son of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born 1758, Vilna, Lithuania, married Rakhel Kissin, born c.1758, Vitebsk, Russia, daughter of Yisrael Kissin, died c.1777, Vilna, Lithuania. Shlomo-Zalmen died c.1780, Vilna, Lithuania. Since Shlomo Zalmen died young and had only two daughters, it seems that his death occurred soon after his wife Rakhel died. She apparently died in childbirth about 1777, as indicated by the relevant dates of her descendants.
Rakhel: Appears to have died young. Her father Yisrael Kissin had agreed under the terms of her marriage agreement that he would support the couple during the first few years of their marriage and then the Gaon would take over. The Gaon was unable to do so, explaining that his wife, who managed his financial affairs, had insufficient funds. Perhaps this was the reason that, when the couple died, the Gaon felt obliged to care for their two daughters. Yisrael Kissin of Vitebsk was confused in some sources with Yisrael of Shklov.
Treina Vilner born c.1776, Vilna, Lithuania, married Tsvi Hersh Lipshitz. The Lipshitz, Grad, Segal, Olkenitsky, Helman, Gurwicz and Kushilevky families are descended from this branch.
Rakhel (?) Vilner born c.1777, Vilna, Lithuania, married Yaakov Bardin, born c.1770, son of Yekhezkel Bardin. Rakhel died c.1816.
Yaakov: The Bardin family is reputed to have originated in France or Italy where members were engaged in the silk trade.
Yehudah Leib Vilner son of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born 1764, Vilna, Lithuania, married daughter of Avraham of Serhei and Esther Jaffe, born Alinka, Lithuania, . Yehudah died 1816, Neustadt- Sugind, Lithuania.
Wife: The name of Yehuda Leib’s wife has not been discovered. Her father was Rabbi of Serhei and prior to that rabbi of Lazdei. He appears as a signatory to Or Khakhamim (published Grodno 1795). His wife Ester was a descendent of the families Jaffe and Bachrach.
Ester Vilner born c.1785, Serhei, Lithuania, married Zev Velvel (Halevy) Komisar, born c.1785, Kovno, Lithuania, died c.1834, Kovno, Lithuania. Ester died c.1860, possibly Grafskoy, Russia. Ester’s identity as the daughter of Rabbi Yehuda Leib of Serhei was established by an inscription in an old book belonging to her family. Oral tradition conveyed by several of the branches of the descendants of Zev Komisar claimed descent from the Gaon of Vilna. An independent source is the memoirs of Marcus Joseph Weinkle who was personally acquainted with Rabbi Pinkhas Komisaruk (lived 1830-97). Weinkle records in his memoirs that Rabbi Pinkhas claimed descent from the Gaon.
Zev: He was the first generation of the Komisar/Komisaruk/ Komesaroff family to be known by name. Oral tradition held that he came from a prominent family of scholars and communal leaders in Kovno.
Rabbi Zev and Ester Komisar were the common ancestors of three families: Komisaruk (Komesaroff), Zhmood and Grinblat.
Golda Vilner born c.1786, Serhei, Lithuania, married Yitskhak Friedlander, born c.1783, Virbalin, Lithuania, son of Tsvi Hirsh Friedlander and a woman who was in some way descended from the Gaon of Vilna, Analysis of the Friedlander family’s oral traditions of descent from the Gaon of Vilna, vital registration records in Poland and Lithuania and relationships with other families connected with the Gaon, leads to the conclusion that the most likely link with the Gaon was that Yitskhak Friedlander’s wife Golda was a daughter of Rabbi Yehuda-Leib of Serhei, the second son of the Gaon.
Yitskhak: His father is referred to by the title “Morenu HaRav” in a prenumeranten list for the town of Verbelov (sic) published in Ratzon Yireim (Vilna 1859).
Gittel Vilner born c.1787, married Yitskhak Danzig, born c.1785, Vilna, Lithuania, son of Avraham “Khaye Adam” Danzig and Sarah Segal, died 1853, Vilna, Lithuania. Gittel died 1857, Vilna, Lithuania.
Yitskhak: Son of Rabbi Avraham Danzig, one of the prominent students of the Gaon of Vilna. His father left his native Danzig to settle in Vilna. There he supported himself in trade whilst dedicating every spare moment to study. Avraham Danzig wrote various scholarly books, including Khayei Adam and Khokhmat Adam which were practical commentaries on the Shulkhan Arukh.
Yosef Yekhezkel Vilner born 1788, Serhei, Lithuania, married Beila Shachor, daughter of Yisrael Isser Shachor. Yosef died 1849, Serhei, Lithuania. Most sources refer to him as Yekhezkel. His tombstone records his full name, Yosef Yekhezkel. He adopted the surname Vilner/Wilner. He lived in Serhei where few of his activities are recorded. He inherited several of the manuscripts of his grandfather, the Gaon of Vilna. Of these he was responsible for the publication of the Gaon’s commentary on Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs-Warsaw 1847).
Tuviah Jurbarsky born c.1789, Serhei, Lithuania, married Ryszla ?, born 1788, daughter of Shepsel ? and Gruny ?, stallholder in market, died 1848, Jurburg, Lithuania. Tuviah died 1867, Jerusalem, Israel, buried: Har Hazeitim, Jerusalem.
Ryszla: Her parents’ names are recorded on the registration of her death. Their surname is recorded as Jurborskij which may have been the source of the surname adopted by her husband Tuviah or the name may have indicated her parents’ place of residence.
Yissakhar Ber Vilner born c.1791, Serhei, Lithuania, merchant, married Golda ?, daughter of Reuven ? and Taube ?, died 1867, Warsaw, Poland. Yissakhar died 1845, Warsaw, Poland.
Freidel Vilner born c.1791, Serhei, Lithuania, married Yitskhak Warszawsky, born 1791, Virbalin, Lithuania, stallholder, peddlar, Freidel died Virbalin, Lithuania.
The dates of birth of Freidel and her brother Yissakhar Ber, as calculated from the vital records of some of their children, shows the same year for the two siblings. It is known that ages in such records were not accurate, therefore the correct birth dates for them may have varied by a few years from 1791.
Yitskhak: Son of Hersh Warszawsky of Virbalin. Incorrectly recorded by Rivlin as Zeev.
Refael Vilner born c.1793, Identity uncertain. Appears in donor lists in the newspaper Hamaggid in 1871 from the town Vistenitz. Descendants have not been traced. Despite the claim that he may have been confused with a namesake, the son of his brother Yosef Yekhezkel, proof of his existence is found in a story told by Noakh Yashinovsky whose grandmother Sarah related how she and her husband Avraham went to Vistenitz to make peace between Refael (son of my brother-in-law Reb Leib, son of the Gaon) and his wife.
Menka Vilner born Serhei, Lithuania, married Sholem (Friedman) Menkin, born Zager, Lithuania, son of Moshe Friedman, died c.1841, Zager, Lithuania, Whilst the name of this daughter of Rabbi Yehuda- Leib of Serhei is not recorded it has been assumed to be Menka, thus providing the source of her descendants surname, Menkin (the “in” suffix typically indicates a metronymic origin of a surname).
Sholem: Ancestor of the Menkin family of Zager. Diverse surnames were used by his descendants: Friedman, derived from Sholem; Monfried which is Friedman reversed; Menkin after Sholem’s wife; Zagorsky after the town where most of the family lived; Solomon as used in England. These variations were used to evade conscription.
Hinda Vilner born Serhei, Lithuania, married Yosef Cohen. Identified as a daughter of Yehudah Leib of Serhei in the oral tradition of descent from the Gaon, conveyed by the Kossowsky family.
Yosef: He was reputed to be a rabbi and scholar.
Avraham Vilner son of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born 1765, Vilna, Lithuania, married Sarah Mindes-Lipshitz, daughter of Noakh “Mindes” Lipshitz and Minda Pesseles. Avraham died 1808, Vilna, Lithuania.
Yaakov Moshe Landau born 1779, Vilna, Lithuania, married Hinde Landau, daughter of Khaim “Yehoshua” Landau. Yaakov died 1849, Slonim, Byelorussia. The Laundau and Sunstein families are descended from this branch.
Hinde: Daughter of the nobleman Khaim son of Yehoshua of Slonim.
daughter Vilner born c.1782, married Unknown Kantorovitch. Existence presumed from the tradition that the Kantorowitz family was descended from Avraham, the son of the Gaon.
Khana Vilner born c.1783, married Refael Sharlot, born Chitowitz, Byelorussia, son of Shmuel Sharlot. The Ettinger, Pines and Sternbuch families are descended from this branch.
Tauba of Dubrovno daughter of Eliyahu Gaon of Vilna and Khana of Keidan, born c.1768, Vilna, Lithuania, married Uri Shraga Feibush of Dubrovno, son of Shlomo ?, ABD Dubrovno. Tauba died c.1812, Dubrovno, Byelorussia. Apparently died young, since her husband was known to have remarried, and few of her descendants are recorded. See the introduction to this book for a full explanation of the placement of Tauba as the youngest daughter of the Gaon.
Uri: Remarried after the death of first wife, Tauba. Other wives were Sarah Khaya, daughter of David, son of Pinkhas ben Azriel, author of Nakhalat Azriel and Feiga, the sister-in-law of Yitskhak Khalavitzer. Addressed rabbinic enquiry to Khaim of Volozhin (Binyan Shel Simkha).
Dov-Ber Bloch born c.1787, Dubrovno, Byelorussia, married Batsheva ?. Assumed connection.
Perl ? born c.1790, Dubrovno, Byelorussia, married Shabtai Perels, son of Barukh Bendet of Haslawitz.
Shabtai: Son of Barukh Bendit of Haslawitz, brother of Rabbi Menkhem-Mendel of Shklov.
Eliyahu Reezel born c.1797, Dubrovno, Byelorussia, shokhet, died 1837, Safed, Israel. Ran away from Russia to evade military service and settled in Kretchelov, Rumania. Gave up work as a shokhet due to a dream which predicted he would be compelled to pass as kosher meat which he disapproved of. Settled in Safed in 1836. Legend relates that the Gaon of Vilna saved him from the earthquake of 1837 which left him with a limp. Grave in Safed believed to record his descent from the Gaon. His wife and several children perished in the earthquake. Survived by two sons who returned to Europe.
Khaim Naftali (Hyam Bloch) Phillips born 1812, Dubrovno, Byelorussia, cigar manufacturer, hotelier, married 1850, in London, England, Julia Meyer, born 1816, London, England, daughter of Jacob Meyer and Hannah Solomon, died 1913, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, buried: Haslem’s Creek (Rockwood), New South Wales, Australia. Khaim died 1877, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, buried at Haslem’s Creek (Rockwood), NSW.Australia.
Julia: Daughter of Jacob Meyer and Hannah Solomon.
Unknown Connection to Gaon of Vilna married Tsvi Hersh Friedlander, born c.1755, Virbalin, Lithuania. This theoretical link between Tsvi Hersh Friedlander and the Gaon of Vilna is based on oral traditions related by members of his family who are descended from Tsvi’s children, (other than his son Yitskhak).
Tsvi: Referred to as Morenu Harav in a prenumeranten list published in Retzon Yireiim (Vilna, 1859), which records Tsvi’s son Shlomo Friedlander.
Yitskhak Friedlander born c.1783, Virbalin, Lithuania, married Golda Vilner, born c.1786, Serhei, Lithuania, daughter of Yehudah Leib Vilner and Wife of Serhei.
Golda: Analysis of the Friedlander family’s oral traditions of descent from the Gaon of Vilna, vital registration records in Poland and Lithuania, and relationships with other families connected with the Gaon, leads to the conclusion that the most likely link with the Gaon was that Yitskhak Friedlander’s wife Golda was a daughter of Rabbi Yehuda-Leib of Serhei, the second son of the Gaon.
Wolf Friedlander
Sarah Friedlander born c. 1790, married Mordekhai Winstock, born c. 1790.
Hessel Friedlander born c.1797. Ancestor of the Kurland Friedlanders.
Shlomo Friedlander born c.1799, married Sheina ?. Ancestor of the Suwalki Friedlander branch. Appears in a Prenumeranten list in Ratzon Yireiim (Vilna 1859).
unknown connections Friedlander born c.1800.
Khaim Friedlander born before 1800. Married Peshe Leah ?.
Yissakhar Ber Klatzki born c.1721, married Malka Ginzberg, daughter of Asher Ginzberg and Yuta Klatzes. Yissakhar died 1807, Vilna, Lithuania.
Kalonymus Kalman Klatzki married Leah ?, daughter of Tsvi Yaakov ?, died 1823, Vilna, Lithuania. Kalonymus died 1821, Vilna, Lithuania.
Asher Hertz Klatzki born 1797, Vilna, Lithuania, dayan in Vilna, died 1866.
Yehoshua Heshel Klatzki married Guta Miriam Rozenfeld, born Amdur, Lithuania, daughter of Tuviah Rozenfeld.
Eliyahu Moshe Klatzki
Ita Klatzki married Moshe Aharon Zonenberg, son of Zundel Zonenberg.
Mordekhai Klatzki married Rakhel ?, daughter of Yitskhak ?. Mordekhai died 1839, Vilna, Lithuania. A renowned scholar in Vilna.
Asher Klatzki married Hene ?, born Vasilishok, Lithuania, daughter of Yaakov Koppel. Asher died 1831, Vilna, Lithuania.
Hene: Known as “Hene Rakhel Malka’s” after her mother-in-law and the latter’s mother-in-law.
Khana Reizel Klatzki married (1) Aharon Natanson, 1810, Grodno, Russia, died 1851, Vilna, Lithuania, Khana died Vilna, Lithuania.
Khaim: Khana was his third wife. .
Miriam Mirel Klatzki married, spouse’s name unknown. Miriam died 1835, Vilna, Lithuania.
sons ?
Rivele Klatzki married Benyamin Wolf (Ginzberg) Klatzki, born 1788, Vilna, Lithuania, son of Shimon Ginzberg, died 1877, Vilna, Lithuania. Rivele died 1856, Vilna, Lithuania.
Benyamin: One of the famous leaders of the Jewish community in Vilna.
Zalmen Eliyahu Klatzki married Lieba Gittel Bereshuls, born Brod, Poland. He possessed manuscripts written by his grandfather Rabbi Yissakhar Ber. Zalmen was the only son who survived to adulthood.
Khaya Leah Klatzki married Arye Yehuda Leib Danzig, born 1816, Vilna, Lithuania, son of Eliyahu Danzig and Fruma Treves, died 1880, Vilna, Lithuania. Khaya died 1860, Vilna, Lithuania.
Arye: The date of birth noted in Ir Vilna corresponding to the civil year 1814 must be in error since his great-grandfather Yehuda Leib of Serhei died in 1816 and he could not have had a descendant bearing the same name during his lifetime..
daughter Klatzki .
daughter Klatzki
daughter Klatzki married Yaakov Kahana, born 1764, Amsterdam, Holland, son of Avraham Kahana and daughter Loewenstam, died 1826, Vilna, Lithuania.
Yaakov: Brought up by his maternal grandfather Rabbi Shaul ABD Amsterdam.
Eliyahu Kahana died 1821, Vilna, Lithuania.
Freida Kahana died 1816, Vilna, Lithuania. .
Reizel Klatzki married Azriel Ziv, born c.1760, son of Gershon Mendel Ziv, ABD Birz. Reizel died 1833, Vilna, Lithuania. Reizel was the most probable link with the Ziv (Sieff) and Grad families, based on the tradition related to Lord Israel Sieff by his great-grandfather that he was descended from a brother of the Gaon of Vilna. Sieff recalled the name of the Gaon’s brother as Joshua, which was probably a distortion of Yissakhar Ber.
Azriel: the most likely connection between the family of Lord Israel Sieff and Gershon Mendel Ziv of Rassein. There is a conflict in the sources with regard to the identity of Azriel’s father.
Efraim Ziv born c.1782. Appears in three Prenumeranten entries in Ateret Shaul (S. Luria, Vilna, 1841) as the father of Yosef, David and Matityahu Ziv of Kroz.
Shlomo Zalmen Leib Ziv born c.1800. Name appears on the tombstone of his daughter Peena Grad. A Prenumeranten list in Lekorot Hair Rassein Urabaneha (M. Markovitch, Warsaw 1913) includes a Zalmen Ziv who may have been identical with Shlomo Zalmen Leib Ziv.
Avraham Ragoler born 1722, Vilna, Lithuania, married Hinda ?. Avraham died 1804, Neustadt-Schirwindt, Lithuania.
Gershon Ragoler died 1831, Shadova.
Shmuel Ragoler
Arye Leib Ragoler
Shlomo Zalman Shochet
Eliyahu Ragoler born c.1745, married Gita Pesseles, daughter of Mikhal Pesseles. Eliyahu died Neustadt-Sugunt, Lithuania. His wife was either Gita (or Gisha), the daughter of Mikhal Pesseles of Vilna, or a daughter of Eizik ben Leib of Kretinga .
Gita: Widow of Shlomo Zalmen, the brother of Khaim of Volozhin.
Shlomo Zalmen Ragoler married Khaya Sarah Lasdiner, daughter of Yehoshua Reb Yankel Lasdiner. Shlomo died Neustadt- Sugunt, Lithuania.
Khaya: Her father’s name appears in Rivlin’s Reb Moshe Rivkas as “Reb Yaakov-Yankele Lasdiner.” The handwritten notes in the Rivlin archive refer to him as “the Gvir Yehoshua Reb Yankele Lasdiner.” The surname Lasdiner may indicate that he came from Lazdei.
Avraham Ragoler
Meir Ragoler married Nekha ?, died 1868, Jerusalem, Israel. Meir died 1842, Jerusalem, Israel. Author of Derekh Avot, Nakhalat Avot, and commentaries on Pirkei Avot based on the commentaries of the Gaon of Vilna.
unknown connection ? born c.1770, Neustadt- Sugunt, Lithuania.
Mikhal Ragoler born 1796, Neustadt-Sugunt, Lithuania, died 1878, Jerusalem, Israel, buried: Har Hazeitim, Jerusalem.
Treina Ragoler married Yitskhak Eizik Levinson, son of Arye Leib Levinson, ABD Kretinga. Was the second wife of Yitskhak Levinson.
Yissakhar Ber Ragoler. The Romm family is descended from this branch.
Khana Gisha Ragoler married Shraga Feivel Shach, Title: Rabbi.
Reizel Ragoler married Arye-Leib ?.
Tsvi Hersh Tzinas M”M, Polangen, died Polangen, Lithuania.
Khaya Sarah Ragoler married Mark, Title: Rabbi. The Behrman and Levy families are descneded from this branch.
Arye Leib Hamburger born 1796, Neustadt- Sugunt, Lithuania, died 1889, Jerusalem, Israel, buried: Har Hazeitim, Jerusalem. Also known as “Leib Halberstadt.”
Moshe (“Khassid”) Hindas married Rivka Riva ?
Eliyahu Abeles died 1880, Keidan, Lithuania. Known as “Reb Eliya Reb Abbale’s.”
Shlomo Ragoler
Natan Nota Ragoler
unknown connection ? married son Volpa.
daughter Ragoler
Shmuel (“Hakatan”) Ragoler
Shalom Rabinowitz married Khava (Eva) ?, daughter of David ?.
Keila Treina Ragoler married, spouse’s name unknown.
Yehuda Leib Ragoler died 1808, Shklov, Russia. Mistaken to be a brother of the Gaon.
unknown connection ? born c.1750.
Yaakov Yisrael Heilprin ABD Khmelnik.
unknown connection ?
unknown connection Feinstein born c.1775.
Avraham Shmuel Gringort born c.1780, His son’s tombstone on the Mount of Olives states that he was a grandson of Rabbi Avraham Ragoler, brother of the Gaon of Vilna.
unknown connection ? born c.1785.
Meir of Yanishok born c.1724,
Moshe of Podzelva born c.1725. It is possible that various Kremer families claiming a relationship with the Gaon descend from Moshe of Podzelva.
son ? born c.1750, Podzelva, Lithuania.
son ? born c.1775, Podzelva, Lithuania.
Eliyahu Kremer. The Neeman family is descended from this branch.
daughter of Shlomo-Zalmen born c.1730, married Manush ?. Not referred to by most sources, except for those connected with the Volpa, Epstein and Finfer families.
Manush: Identity yet to be established. Appears in the biography of Rabbi Pesakh Finfer and introductions to his books and those of his brother Yitskhak Finfer as their ancestor.
Riva ? born c.1750, married, spouse’s name unknown. Riva’s name is preserved in the oral traditions of her descendants as “the First Muma Riva.” The significance of “first” is unclear, as is “Muma” which means “aunt” in Yiddish.
Gershon ? born c.1775. Claimed by his descendants to be a “great-nephew” of the Gaon of Vilna through the Gaon’s sister. The Epstein family is descended from this branch.
Shlomo Zalman born c.1760, married Pera ?.
Yosef Benyamin Kretchmer born c.1785, married Etel Shkemer, daughter of Avraham Shkemer. The Volpa and Finfer families are descended from this branch.