This book, a commentary on Torah (the five books of Moses) was written by the uncle (by marriage) of the Biala Rebbe of London, Rabbi Nathan David Rabinowicz. On 15th Kislev 1918, Rabbi Nathan David married Sheindel Bracha, the eldest daughter of Rabbi Alter Yisrael Shimon Perlow of Novominsk, known as the “Tiferes Ish”. Rabbi Alter Israel Shimon Perlow and his brother Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Perlow, were sons of Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the first Novominsker Rebbe.
Our author, Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Perlow, the original Novominsker Rebbe in New York, is not to be confused with his nephew, Rabbi Nochum Mordechai Perlow, or his son, Rabbi Yakov Perlow of Borough Park, who was also the Novominsker Rebbe and died of Coronavirus in 2020.
In 1897, at the age of 20, Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Perlow married Esther Reizel Twersky, the daughter of Rabbi David Twersky of Makarov. Following the First World War, the Rebbe emigrated to New York.
He originally purchased a house at 15190 49th Street, Borough Park, Brooklyn, with the intention of converting the lower level into a synagogue. However, there were objections from the City of New York, the Building Department and the police, which resulted in a lawsuit. In this lawsuit he described himself as a “Chassidishe or Grand Rabbi from Lublin”.
After this Rabbi Perlow moved to South 9th Street in Williamsburg. He was known to have learned the entire Shas (Talmud) fourteen times and had a Yeshiva (a Rabbinical college) in the name of his ancestor, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev.
He was the author of this book, Lev Aryeh, printed in Jerusalem in 1933, and another called Kol Yehuda. My copy of Lev Aryeh has Rabbi Perlow’s personal stamp. At the end of the book, scanned below, is a very interesting list of ‘prenumeranten’ – the names of those who subscribed to the book in advance of publication.
Rabbi Perlow died on 10th Elul 1961, and is buried at the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.
Jewish Miscellanies 