Hanoch Teller

Found in: Haredi rabbis in Israel

Rabbi Hanoch Teller is a world-renowned Orthodox Jewish lecturer and prolific author who popularized the Jewish literary genre of true, contemporary stories to convey inspirational and ethical themes. Author of hundreds of heartwarming stories, essays, and historical narratives, plus 20 books, Teller is also a popular lecturer, teacher, producer, advisor and tour guide in Jerusalem.

Biography

Teller was born in Vienna and raised in Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Yeshiva University of New York, and continues to study at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He received rabbinic ordination from the previous Rav of the Kotel, Rabbi Meir Yehuda Getz.

He and his wife, Aidel, have 18 children. They reside in the Arzei Habira neighborhood of Jerusalem [*].

Author

Teller began his writing career penning articles for The Jewish Observer, Moment Magazine, The Jerusalem Post, and Jewish Women's Outlook. He received the Jerusalem Award of 5742 (1982) in an international essay competition marking the fifteenth anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem.

His first series of books, Once Upon a Soul, Souled! and Soul Survivors, introduced the genre of true, contemporary stories promoting the themes of hashgacha pratis (divine providence) and human kindness. Teller later branched out into biographies of contemporary Orthodox Jewish personalities — such as Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, Baltimore Torah day school principal Rabbi Binyamin Steinberg, and Toronto philanthropist Joseph Tanenbaum — using anecdotes as the vehicle for moral and ethical lessons.

A large section of his corpus presents stories on specific ethical concepts, such as: judging others favorably (Courtrooms of the Mind), integrity (Above the Bottom Line), avoiding argumentation and strife (Give Peace a Stance), and the impact of a small positive gesture (''It's a Small Word After All''). Several of his books have been translated into Hebrew, Russian and Spanish.

Inspirational speaker

Teller is a widely popular speaker for schools, women's groups, synagogue functions, learning seminars, fund-raising dinners, and organizational meetings in North America, South America, Europe and Israel.

He is an instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel for men and teaches at numerous Jerusalem women's colleges. He is a faculty member of Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim College of Jewish Studies for Women [*], Darchei Binah Women's School [*], Afikei Torah Women's School for Advanced Torah Studies [*], Midreshet Moriah, a one-year seminary for overseas students [*], Michlala-Jerusalem College, Bnot Torah Institute, Neve Yerushalayim Institutes, Naaleh Online Torah School [*], and others.

Teller is also a sought-after personal advisor to Jews in the baal teshuva movement, and has actively and successfully worked as a matchmaker for Jewish singles seeking his advice and guidance.

Teller is one of the few independent guides licensed by Yad Vashem to lead tours in its new Holocaust Memorial Museum. He has led tours to Eastern Europe for yeshiva students for many years, combining his knowledge of the sites and events of the Holocaust with stories describing the experiences of individual victims [*], and produced an eleven-part CD lecture series on the subject (Comprehending the Incomprehensible: The History, Heroism and Lessons of the Holocaust.

In the late 1990s, Teller produced an award-winning docudrama exploring miracles in everyday life (Do You Believe in Miracles?).

Publishing history

Once Upon A Soul: Stories of Striving and Yearning, NYC Publishing, 1984

Soul Survivors, NYC Publishing, 1985

Souled!, NYC Publishing, 1986

Sunset: Stories of Our Contemporary Torah Luminaries and Their Spiritual Heroism, NYC Publishing, 1987

Courtrooms of the Mind: Stories and Advice on Judging Others Favorably, NYC Publishing, 1988

Pichifkes: Stories Heard on the Road and By the Way, NYC Publishing, 1989

The Bostoner: Stories and Recollections from the Colorful Chassidic court of the Bostoner Rebbe, Rabbi Levi I. Horowitz, Feldheim, 1990

Bridges of Steel, Ladders of Gold: Joseph Tanenbaum, Builder of Bridges to Torah, NYC Publishing, 1990

Hey, Taxi!: Tales Told in Taxis and Recounted by Cabbies, NYC Publishing, 1990

Its a Small Word After All: The Amazing Impact of a Kind Gesture or a Thoughtful Remark on Human Lives and Events, NYC Publishing, 1990

Welcome to the Real World, NYC Publishing, 1990

Best of Storylines, NYC Publishing, 1991

Give Peace a Stance: Stories and Advice on Promoting and Maintaining Peace, 1992

A Matter of Principal: A Tribute to Rabbi Binyamin Steinberg, NYC Publishing, 1994

And From Jerusalem, his Word: Stories and Insights of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, NYC Publishing, 1995

A Midrash and a Maaseh: An Anthology of Insights and Commentaries on the Weekly Torah Reading, Including Hundreds of Old Favorites and New Stories (2 vol.), NYC Publishing, 1996

The Mini A Midrash and a Maaseh: NYC Publishing, 1998

Above the Bottom Line: Stories and Advice on Integrity, NYC Publishing, 1998

In an Unrelated Story: A Compelling Collection of Newsworthy Tales, NYC Publishing, 1999

Builders: Stories and Insights into the Lives of Three Paramount Figures of the Torah Renaissance, NYC Publishing, 2000

Audio tapes and CDs

The Righteous Live On: Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (2-tape set)

The Righteous Live On: Frau Sarah Schenirer and How the Mirrer Yeshiva Escaped to Shanghai (2 tapes)

The Righteous Live On: Rabbi Aharon Kotler (2 tapes)

The Righteous Live On: Appease Process (2 tapes)

The Righteous Live On: Breaking Open the Potential Vault

''The Righteous Live On: We're too Small a People, to be a Small People

The Righteous Live On: Remembering the Chofetz Chaim Comprehending the Incomprehensible: The History, Heroism and Lessons of the Holocaust,11-CD album, 2007
DVDs
Do You Believe in Miracles?: True Stories Celebrating Divine Providence''