Toward a Presentation of Rabbinic Unity: Explication of Interpretative Discrepancy in the Thought of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler

In 1941, amidst continued deterioration of English security in Palestine, R. Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler established Gateshead Kollel, the first English institution ever to enable its students to dedicate their lives to long-term Torah study. In so doing, he deliberately helped to catalyze what continues to be a haredi norm, thus becoming one of the architects of post-World War 2 Ultra-Orthodox society. Dessler's theological construction, including his treatment of contradictory rabbinic opinions, can be seen as a related attempt to promote Ultra-Orthodoxy. Dessler labored to depict rabbinic thought as harmonious across multiple modalities, including Kabbalah, midrash and hermeneutics. This approach advanced two facets of his post-war agenda: it encouraged deference to rabbinic authority, and it promoted Ultra-Orthodox unity.