Brisk yeshivas
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Brisk yeshivas commonly known as Brisk (a name used by many Yiddish-speaking Jews to refer to the town of Brest-Litovsk, located in what is now Belarus). Brisk the town was originally home to many great Talmudic scholars, including Rabbi Joel Sirkish (1561-1641) and much of the Soloveitchik family (discussed below). Today, "Brisk" refers to several yeshiva's mainly in Israel, with extensions in the United States as well, founded by members of the Soloveitchik family; it also refers to the general approach to Talmudic analysis favored by the Soloveitchiks.
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The Soloveitchik dynasty
Rabbi Joseph Dov (HaLevi) Soloveitchik (1820-1892) who is known by his pen name for his work the Bais HaLevi served as rabbi of Brisk for most of his life. All members of the Soloveitchik family are descended from the tribe of Levi and thus sometimes go by the surname "HaLevi". The works on the Mishnah Torah and first five books of the Hebrew Bible which Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveichik I authored were titled Bais HaLevi (Hebrew for "House of the Levites"). Many people therefore refer to him simply as the "Bais HaLevi", which also avoids the confusion with his two great-grandsons, the son on Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik: Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903-1993 who moved to the United States and the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik: Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik who moved to Israel.
Rabbi Chaim Solovietchik
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik was succeeded as rabbi of Brisk by his son, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik (1853-1918). He is most commonly known as Reb Chaim Brisker (that is, from Brisk). His primary work was 'Chidushei R' Chaim Halevi', a volume of insights on the Mishnah Torah which often would suggest novel understandings of the Talmud as well. He had two famous sons, Yitzchak Zev and Moshe.
Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik
Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik became known as the The Brisker Rov when he succeeded his father as rabbi of Brisk. He was often known by his nickname, Velvel', a Yiddish nickname for "little wolf". (Zev is Hebrew for "wolf".) He is also commonly known as the "GRYZ", an acronym for Gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Zev ("genius rabbi Isaac Wolf"). He became famous enough that many people, however, refer to him simply as Der Brisker Rov ("the rabbi of Brisk"). Like his father and grandfather, he published works based on the Mishnah Torah, often suggesting novel insights on the Talmud in the process. He fled the Holocaust and moved to the British Mandate of Palestine. His children and grandchildren live in Israel today, and have founded several Yeshivas there, all known as "Brisk" based in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Moshe Sloveitchik
Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik's other son was Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik. His work on the Talmud was known as the Imrei Moshe (In Hebrew: "Expressions [of] Moses"). He moved to America before World War II and was appointed as a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University. His sons were the famous Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik who lived in Boston and commuted to teach Talmud at Yeshiva University in Manhattan and Rabbi Aaron Soloveitchik who eventually moved to Chicago and founded his own yeshiva there known as "Brisk."
Philosophy
General
In contrast to the Hassidic movement, all of the Soloveichik rabbis were a part of the Mitnagdim Lithuanian yeshiva movement, and thus were strong believers in a traditional Talmudic education and, to a certain degree, intellect over emotion.
Halachic
The "Brisk dynasty" and their followers are known for a tendency towards strictness in the Halacha; if there is ever a doubt between two rabbinic opinions, the "Brisk way" is more likely to follow the more stringent one. For example, many yeshiva students will not only grow their sideburns as required by the Torah, but will also grow a sidelock of hair above, which they tuck behind their ears. These are known as "Brisker Peyos", or "Brisk-style sideburns."
Talmudic
The Brisk style of Talmudic analysis has become very popular in the world of yeshivas today. It involves challenging existing, simpler understandings of Talmudic logic, often in very subtle ways. For example, there may be a distinction between an actual exemption in the Halacha and a scenario where the Halacha simply fails to obligate someone. Often an entire series of disagreements in the Rishonim (Talmudic commentaries from roughly the period 1000-1500) may stem back to a subtle difference in how to understand a line of Talmudic reasoning. Often what seems like one rule in the Talmud may in fact contain two separate rules for different scenarios. While the "Brisk approach" (in Hebrew: Brisker Derech) has won acceptance in almost all yeshivas, it has its opponents. These include Rabbi Avraham Yishayahu Karelitz (1878-1953) (known as the Chazon Ish), who felt that often the existing approach to a Talmudic portion was sufficient. Additionally, the approach of those yeshivas in the United States and Israel today which stem from the Mir Yeshiva, (originally from Russia) tend to stress single, unifying themes throughout Talmudic concepts, often focusing on only one Rishon if it is seen as the most "truthful" approach to a Talmudic passage. "Mir -style" yeshivas are thus seen generally as opposed to "Brisk-style" yeshivas, though there is very little personal animosity.
Political
A great deal of controversy has erupted regarding the political sidings of the rabbis of Brisk. Rabbi Yitzchak Zev and his descendants, who settled in Israel, have made their opinion clear that they oppose a secular Zionist state and thus show little support for the Israeli government. They also are generally opposed to yeshiva students having a secular college education as well. In contrast, most of the Soloveitchiks who moved to America, including Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and Rabbi Aaron Soloveitchik, were warmly supportive of the current State of Israel as well as what they perceive as a well-rounded college education. The opinions of Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik, Rabbi Chaim Brisker, and the Bais HaLevi (all of whom lived before the founding of the State of Israel in 1948) on Zionism, secular education, religious feminism, and modernism in general, are topics of current debate.)