▁Much ▁of ▁his ▁Tor ah ▁knowledge ▁was ▁acquired ▁through ▁private ▁study ▁under ▁the ▁tut el age ▁of ▁his ▁father ▁M esh ull am ▁Z al man ▁Tw ers ky ▁( his ▁prede cess or ▁as ▁the ▁Tal ner ▁Reb be ▁of ▁Boston ) ▁and ▁his ▁future ▁father - in - law ▁Joseph ▁B . ▁Sol ove itch ik , ▁rather ▁than ▁through ▁formal ▁yes h iva ▁instruction ▁. ▁As ▁a ▁youth , ▁according ▁to ▁family ▁legend , ▁his ▁dil ig ence , ▁motiv ation , ▁and ▁remarkable ▁apt itude ▁for ▁Tor ah ▁studies , ▁purs ued ▁in ▁addition ▁to ▁the ▁rig orous ▁academic ▁program ▁at ▁Boston ▁Latin ▁School , ▁pres aged ▁his ▁event ual ▁status ▁as ▁the ▁next ▁Tal ner ▁Reb be ▁and ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁leaders ▁of ▁the ▁Orth odox ▁Jewish ▁community ▁of ▁Boston . ▁ ▁He ▁graduated ▁from ▁Harvard ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 2 , ▁where ▁he ▁major ed ▁in ▁history . ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 9 , ▁he ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁students ▁to ▁spend ▁a ▁year ▁abroad ▁at ▁the ▁Heb rew ▁University ▁of ▁Jerusalem , ▁where ▁he ▁developed ▁relationships ▁with ▁such ▁scholar ly ▁and ▁literary ▁gi ants ▁as ▁G ers hom ▁Sch ole m , ▁Y itz h ak ▁Ba er , ▁Ha im ▁H ille l ▁Ben - S ass on ▁and ▁Nobel ▁Prize ▁winner ▁S . ▁Y . ▁Ag non . ▁ ▁Upon ▁his ▁gradu ation ▁from ▁Harvard , ▁he ▁began ▁studies ▁toward ▁a ▁doctor ate ▁in ▁Near ▁Eastern ▁L anguages ▁and ▁Civil