Acharonim are readily apparent throughout. He combined an encyclopedic knowledge with an inventive and creative mind to develop highly original and novel interpretations of the Chumash. A student of the Zohar, he had a weekly chavrusa (learning partnership) to study Kabbalah with Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and he used this source liberally in his works. His primary work, Nachlas Tzvi, although not widely known, includes approbations from exceptionally great and famous Torah luminaries, including Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, Av Beth Din of the Edah HaChareidis of Jerusalem; the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum; Rabbi Nachum Wiedenfeld of Dombrova, Poland (brother of the Tchebiner Rav); and Rabbi Avrohom Elyashiv (father of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv). Inventions He invented one of the first vending machines. For a penny it dispensed candy and a fortune card, and a monkey tipped his hat. He also developed a parve shortening made of coconut oil, and a device to keep food from burning. Patents were issued for many of his inventions. After World War II began, recognizing that lice was a serious problem for soldiers, he performed scientific experiments with mice, experimental and control groups, and developed a lice repellent which he offered to the Department of Defense; they opted, instead, for DDT. Death and legacy He died on September 20, 1947 (6 Cheshvan 5708) and was buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens, New York. His family offers free copies of Nachlas Tzvi to anyone who commits to learning from it. References External links Sefer Nachlas Tzvi online 1863 births 1947 deaths People from Debrecen Hungarian Orthodox Jews American Orthodox Jews