Elazar Meisels
Encyclopedia
Elazar Meisels is an American Orthodox
rabbi
and a graduate of the Telshe Rabbinical College, Chicago
, Illinois
, Mir Institute for Rabbinical Studies Jerusalem, Israel
, and the Lakewood Kollel, Detroit
, Michigan
.
Meisels founded the Lidrosh Institute for Jewish Education in 1999 which operates throughout the State of Michigan, primarily focusing on Southeast Michigan. As Founding Director of Lidrosh Institute he teaches weekly Torah
study groups to Jews in private homes, businesses, and universities.
Although much of his teaching focuses on reaching out to Jews
with minimal Jewish education, Meisels also teaches advanced level subjects to groups of all ages and backgrounds. His expertise is wide-ranging, with a particular emphasis on clarifying obscure and difficult sentiments expressed in the Torah and Talmud
. His explanations of these passages are designed to shed deeper insight into Jewish philosophy and expose his students to Orthodox interpretations of Torah.
Meisels also serves as the Rabbi of the Michigan State University Hillel and as Educational Director of the Partners In Torah Telepartners Division.
, Conservative
, and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism. He maintains friendly and cooperative ties with clergy of all branches of Judaism and insists that much can be accomplished in the field of Jewish Outreach when common respect is accorded to all.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and a graduate of the Telshe Rabbinical College, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Mir Institute for Rabbinical Studies Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and the Lakewood Kollel, Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Meisels founded the Lidrosh Institute for Jewish Education in 1999 which operates throughout the State of Michigan, primarily focusing on Southeast Michigan. As Founding Director of Lidrosh Institute he teaches weekly Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
study groups to Jews in private homes, businesses, and universities.
Although much of his teaching focuses on reaching out to Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
with minimal Jewish education, Meisels also teaches advanced level subjects to groups of all ages and backgrounds. His expertise is wide-ranging, with a particular emphasis on clarifying obscure and difficult sentiments expressed in the Torah and Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
. His explanations of these passages are designed to shed deeper insight into Jewish philosophy and expose his students to Orthodox interpretations of Torah.
Meisels also serves as the Rabbi of the Michigan State University Hillel and as Educational Director of the Partners In Torah Telepartners Division.
Orthodox Judaism
Although Meisels identifies as an Orthodox rabbi, much of his educational efforts focus on affiliates of the ReformReform
Reform means to put or change into an improved form or condition; to amend or improve by change of color or removal of faults or abuses, beneficial change, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state, to repair, restore or to correct....
, Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
, and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism. He maintains friendly and cooperative ties with clergy of all branches of Judaism and insists that much can be accomplished in the field of Jewish Outreach when common respect is accorded to all.