He was a grandson of Baruch of Shklov, the mathematician and author, and was one of the earliest and most renowned graduates of the Volozhin yeshiva.
He held the office of rabbi at Karlin for about thirty years, and was considered one of the greatest rabbinical authorities of his time.
His brother Yitzchok Minkowski, author of Keren Orah, succeeded him as Rabbi of Karlin for seven years after Yaakov's death.
1857), novellæ on the tractates of the Talmudic orders Zeraim and Moed; and (3) another collection of responsa.
This biographical article about a Russian rabbi is a stub.