Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham
Encyclopedia
Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham (Hebrew: ישיבת הסדר ירוחם) is a hesder yeshiva
located in the development town of Yeruham
, Israel
. It was founded in 1993 and currently there are over 220 students.
settled in Yeruham with the goal of minimizing socioeconomic
gaps that divide Israeli society. Over time, the group grew in number and expanded its activities by taking on educational responsibilities as well. After establishing "Midreshet B'Yahad", a Seminar Center of Judaism, Society and Zionism Studies, the group realized the need for a yeshiva
as the next step in strengthening the existing projects by bringing youth to Yeruham.
The leader of this group, Shmuel Friedman Ben-Shalom, approached Rabbi Eliyhau Blumenzweig, who at the time taught at Yeshivat Har Etzion
, with a proposition to lead the future yeshiva, which he accepted. The yeshiva subsequently opened its doors in 1993.
in depth, specifically through applying the Brisker Method
. A typical day in Yeshiva will include two sessions of intensive Talmud study (iyun) and one of extensive study (bekiut).
The yeshiva guides its students to base their perspective upon the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi
and the Maharal of Prague
in accordance with the ideology of Rabbi A.Y. Kook
, as is often customary in Religious Zionist yeshivas.
With the goal of educating students to deal independently with the challenges they face living as an observant Jews in modern time
in mind, the yeshiva encourages a broader study of Biblical, rabbinic, and other classical and modern sources. Hence, the yeshiva curriculum contains weekly classes in Tanakh
, Medieval
Jewish philosophy
, Hasidic philosophy
, and the works of contemporary scholars such as Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.
The yeshiva also promotes other programs, among them:
Previously there were other teachers who have since left. These include Rabbi Dr. Michael Abraham, an author of note, and Rabbi Nir Weinberg (who left to establish and head the Hazor'im Yeshiva High-School in the lower Galilee).
Hesder
Hesder is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework...
located in the development town of Yeruham
Yeruham
Yeruham is a town in the Southern District of Israel, in the Negev desert. It covers 38,584 dunams and had a population of 9,400 in 2006. It is named after the Biblical Jeroham. The mayor of Yeruham was Amram Mitzna but his term ended in early 2011, and he was succeeded by Michael Bitton of...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It was founded in 1993 and currently there are over 220 students.
History
In the early 1970s, a group of Religious ZionistsReligious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
settled in Yeruham with the goal of minimizing socioeconomic
Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
gaps that divide Israeli society. Over time, the group grew in number and expanded its activities by taking on educational responsibilities as well. After establishing "Midreshet B'Yahad", a Seminar Center of Judaism, Society and Zionism Studies, the group realized the need for a yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
as the next step in strengthening the existing projects by bringing youth to Yeruham.
The leader of this group, Shmuel Friedman Ben-Shalom, approached Rabbi Eliyhau Blumenzweig, who at the time taught at Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion, ', commonly known as "Gush," is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, a community in Gush Etzion in the West Bank, near Jerusalem, Israel. With a student body of 484, it is one of the largest hesder yeshivas in Israel...
, with a proposition to lead the future yeshiva, which he accepted. The yeshiva subsequently opened its doors in 1993.
Curriculum
Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham emphasizes the importance of learning TalmudTalmud
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....
in depth, specifically through applying the Brisker Method
Brisk yeshivas and methods
The Soloveitchik dynasty of rabbinic scholars and their students originated the Brisker method of Talmudic study, which is embraced by their followers in the Brisk yeshivas. It is so called because of the Soloveitchiks' origin in the town of Brisk, or Brest-Litovsk, located in what is now Belarus...
. A typical day in Yeshiva will include two sessions of intensive Talmud study (iyun) and one of extensive study (bekiut).
The yeshiva guides its students to base their perspective upon the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi
Yehuda Halevi
Judah Halevi was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died shortly after arriving in Palestine in 1141...
and the Maharal of Prague
Judah Loew ben Bezalel
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, alt. Loewe, Löwe, or Levai, widely known to scholars of Judaism as the Maharal of Prague, or simply The MaHaRaL, the Hebrew acronym of "Moreinu ha-Rav Loew," was an important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic, and philosopher who served as a leading rabbi in the city of...
in accordance with the ideology of Rabbi A.Y. Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
, as is often customary in Religious Zionist yeshivas.
With the goal of educating students to deal independently with the challenges they face living as an observant Jews in modern time
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
in mind, the yeshiva encourages a broader study of Biblical, rabbinic, and other classical and modern sources. Hence, the yeshiva curriculum contains weekly classes in Tanakh
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
, Medieval
Medieval philosophy
Medieval philosophy is the philosophy in the era now known as medieval or the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD to the Renaissance in the sixteenth century...
Jewish philosophy
Jewish philosophy
Jewish philosophy , includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or, in relation to the religion of Judaism. Jewish philosophy, until modern Enlightenment and Emancipation, was pre-occupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing...
, Hasidic philosophy
Hasidic philosophy
Hasidic philosophy or Hasidus , alternatively transliterated as Hassidism, Chassidism, Chassidut etc. is the teachings, interpretations of Judaism, and mysticism articulated by the modern Hasidic movement...
, and the works of contemporary scholars such as Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.
Educational approach
The yeshiva educates its students to be aware of their surroundings and attentive to the needs of society in general. The yeshiva believes that the keys to solving Israel’s socioeconomic gaps lie in integration and education. All the students volunteer in the community mainly in the field of education. Many of the yeshiva's alumni settle in Yeruham instead of heading to the country's central cities.The yeshiva also promotes other programs, among them:
- Ye'adim (goals) - Concern of the Ethiopian Jewry in Israel's situation led Yerucham students to create a leadership training program for Ethiopian students with the intention of their returning to their communities. During the 5 years of Hesder the students synchronize their full Yeshiva studies with a B.Ed.Bachelor of EducationA Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
degree in Herzog CollegeHerzog CollegeHerzog College is a teacher's college located in Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, in the West Bank. It is named for the diplomat Yaakov Herzog...
. - Young Study Partners - First and second year students dedicate 2 hours weekly to studying Torah subjects with children from the local elementary school. They also serve as positive role models for the local youth and look to form a connection with their families.
- Charity Fund - The goal of the Fund is to help the needy of Yeruham become self-sufficient and better managers of their money. The Fund uses the cooperation of the local welfare and professional financial advisors to this end.
- B'levav Shalem Yeshiva High School – Because of the lack of high quality religious high schools in the NegevNegevThe Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
, and as a part of the integration program the Hesder Yeshiva believes in, it was decided by alumni, residents of Yerucham, to open a Yeshiva High School for the local and general population.
Educational staff
In addition to Rabbi Blumenzweig, rabbis who teach in the Yeshiva include Rabbis Uriel Eitam, Chaim Wolfson, Yair Ya'acobi, Meir Kahana, Shai Gnizi and Shmuel Gleizer. Rabbis Gnizi and Gleizer themselves began as students in the yeshiva. There are also rabbis who come from afar to give weekly classes: Rabbis Joseph Elitzor, Eliyahu Bazak and Ehud Barzilai.Previously there were other teachers who have since left. These include Rabbi Dr. Michael Abraham, an author of note, and Rabbi Nir Weinberg (who left to establish and head the Hazor'im Yeshiva High-School in the lower Galilee).
External links
- Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham (Hebrew)
- Midreshet Beyahad (Hebrew)
Publications
- Kutanot Or (Coats of Light) - "A Jewish Perspective on the meaning of modestyModestyStandards of modesty are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a measure against which an individual in society may be judged....
and its value", collection of essays edited by Yeshiva's students. - Mimidbar Matana (A Present From The Desert) - A monthly newsletter which is sent out to students in the IDFIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
and alumni. - Meisharim (Righteous) - A journal of articles on a variety of Torah topics, written by the students and teachers, published annually by the Yeshiva.
- Hahazit ShebaOref (The Home-Front Front) - A collection of essays dealing with the trials and challenges of a non-combat soldier. The book’s intention is to answer some of the questions that soldiers serving in non-field units, such as the importance of their service, and halakhicHalakhaHalakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
perspective on different situations.