Kammala wannan jumlar: An haifi Ephraim Elimelech Urbach a Białystok, Poland, zuwa dangin Hasidic. Ya yi karatu a Roma da Breslau, inda ya karɓi aikin rabbinical. Ya yi hijira zuwa Mandatory Palestine a 1937. Ya yi aiki a matsayin malamin addini a rundunar sojojin Birtaniya a lokacin Yaƙin Duniya na II. Ya kuma shiga cikin Isra'ila ta
1948 War of Independence kuma daga baya ya yi aiki ga cibiyoyin ilimi da yawa kafin ya shiga kwalejin Jami'ar Ibrananci a 1953.