How Rav Even-Israel (Steinsaltz) Dealt With Son’s Dyslexia

By Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, Director, the Steinsaltz Center

When I was a child, I suffered terribly from dyslexia. Going to school was an absolute nightmare. The fact that I was the child of a well-known scholar as Rabbi Adin Even Israel (Steinsaltz) only served to undermine my teachers’ expectations of me, thus compounding my feelings of failure.

Back in “the old days,” little was understood about reading disability in the mainstream Israeli school system.

My father had a solution to my reading disabilities.

Every Shabbos, he would sit me down and make me read the entire weekly Parsha, correcting any mistakes I made until I got it right. We did this every single week. No amount of crying – at least on my part – would help. This was a grueling task for me, and I am sure for my father as well.

You can imagine my utter joy as we finally reached the last Parsha! I was ready to throw a party, but my father stared straight into my eyes and said, “And now we do it again, but this time with Rashi!”

Today, not only am I an avid reader, but my children are as well.

To truly receive the Torah, we cannot take it at face value. We must toil and grapple with it. It takes time and effort. The giving of the Torah happened on Shavuot, but receiving the Torah is not marked on a specific day. Receiving the Torah is different for each individual. It can happen any day of the year, and can be a lifelong process.

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Today, the 17th of Av, we mark two years since the passing of my late father, Rabbi Adin.

Today, in particular, we not only remember and cherish his contribution to the Jewish people and beyond but promise to continue his mission to “let my people know” – strengthening Jewish identity by making the treasures of Jewish knowledge accessible to all.

I ask you to learn something today for the upliftment of the soul of my father, Adin ben Rivkah Leah and Avraham.

To download his commentaries in the Steinzaltz daily study app: Android or Apple