On Tuesday, 25 January 1966, the coffin of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg left Jerusalem's Sha'arei Tsedek hospital, accompanied by a throng of people. It had been transported from Switzerland, where Weinberg had died the previous day. Among those accompanying the coffin to its final resting-place were many of Weinberg's students, as well as a large number of religious and political leaders, including the country's chief rabbis, government ministers, and President Zalman Shazar. As Weinberg's coffin was about to be placed in the hearse which was to take it to the cemetery in the Sanhedria district of Jerusalem, a number of yeshiva students intervened. They insisted, in accordance with Jerusalem custom, that the coffin be carried to the cemetery. After a short discussion the students had their way. A few minutes later, as the funeral procession made its way on foot to the cemetery, it was met by a number of rabbis led by Weinberg's close friend Rabbi Ezekiel Sarne, head of the Hebron-Slobodka yeshiva. Sarne ordered the students carrying the coffin to proceed to the cemetery on Har Hamenuhot. Many great Torah scholars are buried in this cemetery, and Sarne and his colleagues were adamant that Weinberg be laid to rest beside them. An argument ensued on the road, and Sarne emerged victorious. Once again the funeral plans were altered.

A funeral such as this had never before occurred in Jerusalem, and all the Israeli newspapers carried reports on this strange event. Even those who had never heard of Weinberg were led to wonder why in death he could not rest in peace, and what it was about his personality that evoked such strong feelings in different camps. One generation after Weinberg's death, we still do not have a biography of him which would enable this question to be answered. In fact, although Weinberg is often discussed in the larger contexts of Jewish law in modern times and German Orthodoxy, and there is widespread acknowledgement of his importance, there are only a couple of significant articles devoted to him.

This book aims to fill this gap in modern Jewish studies by providing a complete study of Weinberg's life and achievements.