Yeshivat Har Etzion
Encyclopedia
Yeshivat Har Etzion, , (Hebrew: ישיבת הר עציון) 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.
program, which integrates intensive yeshiva
study with at least 15 months of active service in the Israel Defense Forces
. Post-high school overseas students are also accepted after undergoing a selective application and interview process. Many return after university to study for the rabbinate in the yeshiva's Semicha
Program (Semicha given by the Israeli Rabbanut) and affiliated Herzog College
. Over 550 alumni from overseas have made aliyah
and a high percentage are involved in Jewish education. Others have gone on to prominent academic careers in science, law, medicine, engineering and mathematics.
YHE also runs a program for developmentally disabled men, Yeshivat Darkaynu.
region. Rabbi Yehuda Amital
, a prominent rabbi and Jewish educator was asked to head the yeshiva
. First established in Kfar Etzion
, it moved to Alon Shvut, where it developed into a major institution.
YHE employs the Brisk analytic style of Talmud study.
supplements the central Torah library, providing audio-visual
material for teachers of Judaic studies in Israel and worldwide.
-style courses and shiurim (lectures) in Torah and Judaism to students of all ages outside the Yeshiva walls, in an effort to open to the greatest extent possible a window into the Beit Midrash. Over 18,000 subscribers in every continent throughout the world subscribe to weekly shiurim, in English, Hebrew
,and Cyrillic in Tanakh
, Gemara
, Halakha
, Jewish Philosophy
and various other Jewish topics.
Podcast, from Yeshivat Har Etzion which is sent out every day of the week.
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 Alon Shvut
Alon Shvut
Alon Shvut is an Israeli settlement located southwest of Jerusalem, one kilometer northeast of Kfar Etzion, in the West Bank. Established in June 1970 in the heart of the Etzion bloc, Alon Shvut became the prototype for Jewish settlements in the region. It is administered by the Gush Etzion...
, a community in Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestinian territories. The core group includes four agricultural villages that were founded in 1940-1947 on property purchased in the 1920s and 1930s, and ...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, near Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. With a student body of 484, it is one of the largest hesder yeshivas in Israel.
Overview
Most of the students are Israelis in the hesderHesder
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...
program, which integrates intensive 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...
study with at least 15 months of active service in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The 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...
. Post-high school overseas students are also accepted after undergoing a selective application and interview process. Many return after university to study for the rabbinate in the yeshiva's Semicha
Semicha
, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...
Program (Semicha given by the Israeli Rabbanut) and affiliated Herzog College
Herzog College
Herzog College is a teacher's college located in Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, in the West Bank. It is named for the diplomat Yaakov Herzog...
. Over 550 alumni from overseas have made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
and a high percentage are involved in Jewish education. Others have gone on to prominent academic careers in science, law, medicine, engineering and mathematics.
YHE also runs a program for developmentally disabled men, Yeshivat Darkaynu.
History
In 1968, shortly after the Six Day War, a movement was founded to resettle the Gush EtzionGush Etzion
Gush Etzion is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestinian territories. The core group includes four agricultural villages that were founded in 1940-1947 on property purchased in the 1920s and 1930s, and ...
region. Rabbi Yehuda Amital
Yehuda Amital
Yehuda Amital was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:Amital was born in Oradea in Romania. When Germany occupied the area in 1944, the Nazis sent his entire family to Auschwitz where they were killed. Amital was sent to...
, a prominent rabbi and Jewish educator was asked to head the 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...
. First established in Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion is a religious Israeli settlement and kibbutz located in the Judean Hills between Jerusalem and Hebron in the southern West Bank. It has a population of 400 and falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, it moved to Alon Shvut, where it developed into a major institution.
Educational and religious philosophy
According to the mission statement of the yeshiva, it advocates a combination of Torah study and a love of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. Its embrace of spirituality and religious striving is tempered with a message of moderation and openness. YHE encourages serious study, creative thought, intellectual rigor, fellowship with all Jews regardless of level of observance or political outlook, and a universal, humanistic outlook.YHE employs the Brisk analytic style of Talmud study.
Libraries
The yeshiva operates two libraries. The Torah Library has over 70,000 volumes, as well as CDs, microfilms, a collection of rare Judaica and an antique book facility. The state-of-the-art Pedagogic Resource Center of the Herzog CollegeHerzog College
Herzog College is a teacher's college located in Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, in the West Bank. It is named for the diplomat Yaakov Herzog...
supplements the central Torah library, providing audio-visual
Audio-visual
The term Audio-Visual may refer to works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or to equipment used to create and present such works...
material for teachers of Judaic studies in Israel and worldwide.
Virtual Beit Midrash
YHE established the Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash, which provides yeshivaYeshiva
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...
-style courses and shiurim (lectures) in Torah and Judaism to students of all ages outside the Yeshiva walls, in an effort to open to the greatest extent possible a window into the Beit Midrash. Over 18,000 subscribers in every continent throughout the world subscribe to weekly shiurim, in English, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
,and Cyrillic 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...
, Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
, Halakha
Halakha
Halakha — 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...
, 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...
and various other Jewish topics.
KMTT
KMTT is a daily Torah studyTorah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
Podcast, from Yeshivat Har Etzion which is sent out every day of the week.
Notable faculty
- Yehuda AmitalYehuda AmitalYehuda Amital was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:Amital was born in Oradea in Romania. When Germany occupied the area in 1944, the Nazis sent his entire family to Auschwitz where they were killed. Amital was sent to...
- Founding Rosh Yeshiva - Aharon LichtensteinAharon LichtensteinAharon Lichtenstein is a noted Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva.Rabbi Lichtenstein was born in Paris, France, but grew up in the United States, studied in Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin under Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner...
- Rosh Yeshiva - Yaaqov MedanYaaqov MedanRabbi Yaaqov Medan is a co-Rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, and a lecturer in Tanakh, gemara, and Jewish philosophy....
- Rosh Yeshiva - Baruch GigiBaruch GigiRabbi Baruch Gigi is a co-Rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem.He was born in Morocco and immigrated to Israel at the age of 11. He first attended Yeshivat Har Etzion as a student in 1974 after studying in a yeshiva high school in Haifa. He was ordained by the...
- Rosh Yeshiva
External links
- YHE Official Site (Hebrew / English)
- Virtual Beit Midrash (Hebrew / English)
- Herzog College Official Site (Hebrew)
- The Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women (English)