Abraham Chill

Who was Abraham Chill?

Rabbi Abraham Chill was the first rabbi at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He was born in NYC and attended Yeshiva University and the City College of New York. In 1935, he received his rabbinic ordination from Chief Rabbi Kook in Jerusalem and from the Lomza Yeshiva in Petach Tikvah, Israel. In 1941, immediately after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Army. In 1945, after holding pre-war pulpits in Newburgh, NY and Nashville, TN he became rabbi of Congregation Sons of Abraham in Providence, RI, a position he held until his retirement in 1969.

In 1946 he was National Chaplain of the Jewish War Veterans of the US, as well as National Chaplain of the American Legion in 1948. He was an active member of the Rabbinical Council of America, serving as president of the North-Eastern Region, and later as national secretary of the Council.

He is the author of the book "The Mitzvot: The Commandments and Their Rationale" which was first published in 1974. Here he explains in detail all 613 Commandments, 365 negative and 248 positive. He also authored three other books, the "Minahagim" on Jewish customs, the "Sidrot" on the Torah reading of the week and the "Abarbanel on Pirke Avot" a famous commentary on "Ethics of the Fathers."