Q&A: Israel Shneor
Israel Shneor
Question
Hello and blessings,
I would like to ask the Rabbi a question concerning Rabbi Israel Shneor. I do not know whether the Rabbi has heard of him, but I will explain briefly: this is a young man (35–40) with an extraordinary, phenomenal memory, who knows by heart everything that has been written from the giving of the Torah until today (meaning all the works available to us).
He is able to indicate the exact location of every word in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), in the words of the Sages, and much more, in a way that inspires astonishment unlike anything else, even in comparison with great figures such as Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory. There are videos documenting his abilities on YouTube, where one can get an impression of the extent of his mastery.
My question is as follows:
How is it possible for a person to attain such an impressive memory, functioning almost like a computer? Is there any practical method or special technique for coming close to such a level of mastery?
Does his amazing mastery give his words halakhic authority? That is, does the fact that he controls all the details necessarily make him a halakhic decisor?
Thank you very much in advance
Answer
I don’t know him, but I have heard his name. I do not see what the question is here. He apparently has a great memory, and that’s all. Are you asking me how this works as a neuroscience researcher? Of course, a great memory does not make him all-knowing, nor does it make him always right. I did not understand what the initial assumption even was. I do not know what it means to “become a halakhic decisor.”
Discussion on Answer
I really do not understand you. First of all, check carefully. This is a wonder, not something natural. He has guarded himself in holiness from his youth, and toils in Torah with deep analysis… There has been no one greater than him since the Vilna Gaon and the Rogatchover, without the evil eye… Listen to him and you will understand… Fortunate are we that there are righteous genius-scholars in this generation, and there is no one better for halakhic rulings… Everyone should get to know him.
Nonsense and rubbish.
Not a genius and not holy. His knowledge is indeed relatively broad, and he does indeed tend to show off his knowledge in a childish and ridiculous way, but this is not some phenomenal phenomenon the likes of which we have never seen. (Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, for example, knew no less than he does.)
He doesn’t just know everything; in a single moment he can count all the places where some reference appears in the entire Torah. That is much, much more than memory…