JTS Mourns the Passing of Professor Emeritus Rabbi Eliezer Diamond z”l
December 16, 2025
With deep sadness, we mourn the passing of Rabbi Eliezer Diamond z”l, the Rabbi Judah Nadich Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics.
Rabbi Diamond was an honored scholar, trusted religious and spiritual leader, and transformational Talmudist. He taught courses in Talmud and Rabbinics at JTS for more than 35 years, retiring approximately one year ago. He received his BA, MS, and Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University and earned his PhD in Talmud at JTS.
His influential writings on prayer, asceticism, rabbinic narrative, and issues of environmental law and ethics have enriched the broader Jewish world. He is the author of Holy Men and Hunger Artists: Fasting and Asceticism in Rabbinic Culture and was at work editing a commentary on Yerushalmi Pesahim written by JTS Professor Louis Ginzberg (z”l).
Rabbi Diamond was not only an intellectual powerhouse, but had a deeply spiritual core. The combination of his intellect and his sensitivity gave him a unique perspective on how to analyze texts, approach the liturgy, and live as an observant Jew.
Generations of students were profoundly shaped by his inspiring teaching. “As a dean, I saw at close range for decades how devoted he was to his teaching and to his students,” said Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz.
“The gift of Eliezer was not only in how much he knew, but in how generously he shared that knowledge with all those around him,” said Provost Jeff Kress.
In an article in JTA, students, colleagues, and JTS alums shared their reflections and the profound impact Rabbi Diamond had on their lives. “His wisdom changed the course of my rabbinate many times over, something I know to be true for many others,” wrote Rabbi Menachem Creditor, a scholar in residence and rabbi for the UJA-Federation of New York.
The article also quoted Michael Rosenberg, who serves on the faculty of the Hadar Institute. He remembered a memorable conversation he had with Rabbi Diamond in 2023: “I am a better parent and teacher because of that conversation, and I am so sad that I will not get to follow up with my teacher and rabbi.”
Rabbi Ben Goldberg, the rabbi of Congregation KTI in Port Chester, New York, reflected on how much Rabbi Diamond “cared deeply about his students” and said, “[Rabbi Diamond] passed on to the supernal yeshiva, where I imagine he will be as beloved as he was in all of the places he taught in this world.”
In his last post on Facebook, Rabbi Diamond affirmed his faith: “What draws me back to Hashem, if not to my life as a whole, is Psalm 23: ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for you are with me.’ Wherever I am, God is there too. I hope that I will return home soon.”
Read the eulogy of Dr. Benjamin Sommer.
He was also included in JTA’s “18 notable Jews who died in 2025” article.
Selected JTS Torah Commentary Written By Rabbi Diamond
“Claiming Our Ancestors: The Case of Terah,” Parashat Lekh Lekha 5786
“The Liberator and the Zealot,” Parashat Pinehas 5785
“The Give and Take of Strength,” Parashat Pekudei Shabbat Hahodesh 5785
“A Tale of Two Dreamers,” Parashat Vayiggash 5785
Selected Online Webinars
Find more of Rabbi Diamond’s online resources here.
