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Avraham Elkanah Shapira was born to a Jerusalemite family; his father was Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Shapira. As a child, he lived in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
In 1956, he was appointed as a member of the Jerusalem religious court by Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. In 1971, he was appointed Av Beit Din.
Following the passing of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook in 1982, Shapira was appointed as the Rosh Yeshiva (head of the yeshiva) of Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, serving alongside Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli. For approximately 25 years, he delivered the central weekly Shiur Klali (general lecture) focusing on deep Talmudic analysis. Under his leadership, the yeshiva expanded significantly, becoming a major spiritual center and training thousands of students, community rabbis, and rabbinical judges (dayanim).
He died on the first day of Succot, 2007. Tens of thousands of people took part in his funeral procession on September 28, 2007. he was interred at the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery.
Shapira and his wife Penina had four sons. As per his will, his son Rabbi Yaakov Shapira was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav after him.
Views
As a leading posek (halachic authority) of the Religious Zionist movement, Shapira's worldview emphasized the spiritual and halachic significance of the State of Israel in the modern era. He strongly advocated for the authority of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as the supreme spiritual and halachic guide for the entire nation. His numerous halachic rulings addressed contemporary public and private issues, seeking to integrate traditional Torah scholarship with the challenges of a modern Jewish state.
During the Oslo Accords, Shapira ruled that handing over territories violates Jewish law. He also called on soldiers to refuse orders to dismantle Jewish communities during the 2005 disengagement from Gaza.
Published works
Shiurey Maran HaGra Shapira – A summary of the rabbi's lectures, comprising six volumes
Minchat Avraham – A collection of original halachic essays, comprising three volumes
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