Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE), (Hebrew:
ישיבת הר עציון) commonly known as "
Gush," is an elite
Hesder YeshivaHesder 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 ShvutAlon Shvut is an Israeli settlement and a village in the Judean Mountains of the southern West Bank, administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, a settlement in
Gush EtzionGush Etzion refers to a group of Jewish villages established from the 1920s south of Jerusalem on the northern part of Mount Hebron in the southern West Bank, and destroyed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War: Kfar Etzion, Massu'ot, Ein Tzurim and Revadim...
near
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
.
There are over 450 students enrolled in YHE, making it the largest Hesder Yeshiva in Israel. Most of these students are Israelis in the
HesderHesder 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
yeshivaYeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for study of its traditional, central texts...
study with at least 15 months of active army duty, often in front line combat units.
Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE), (Hebrew:
ישיבת הר עציון) commonly known as "
Gush," is an elite
Hesder YeshivaHesder 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 ShvutAlon Shvut is an Israeli settlement and a village in the Judean Mountains of the southern West Bank, administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, a settlement in
Gush EtzionGush Etzion refers to a group of Jewish villages established from the 1920s south of Jerusalem on the northern part of Mount Hebron in the southern West Bank, and destroyed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War: Kfar Etzion, Massu'ot, Ein Tzurim and Revadim...
near
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
.
There are over 450 students enrolled in YHE, making it the largest Hesder Yeshiva in Israel. Most of these students are Israelis in the
HesderHesder 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
yeshivaYeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for study of its traditional, central texts...
study with at least 15 months of active army duty, often in front line combat units. The remainder consists primarily of post-high school overseas students, who gain entrance to the program through an exceptionally selective application and interview process. Many return to YHE after university, preparing to become rabbis and Jewish educators through the Yeshiva's
SemichaSemikhah , also semichut , or semicha lerabbanut 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 CollegeHerzog College is a teacher's college located in Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, in Israel. It is named for the diplomat Yaakov Herzog. It is located adjacent to, and associated with Yeshivat Har Etzion....
. Over 550 alumni from overseas have made
aliyahAliyah is the immigration of Jews to Eretz Israel. It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology, and a value in almost all movements of Judaism...
and a high percentage are involved in Jewish education.
YHE has benefited from the continuity of leadership of the
Roshei YeshivaRosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
,
Rabbi Yehuda AmitalRabbi Yehuda Amital, , born Yehuda Klein on 31 October 1924) is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:...
and
Rabbi Aharon 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...
, both of whom are known for a combination of traditional advocacy of intensive
Torah studyTorah 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...
with a principled approach to the modern world. In addition, Rabbis
Baruch 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...
,
Yaaqov 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....
, and Mosheh Lichtenstein also serve as
Roshei YeshivaRosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
.
YHE has a faculty of renowned Torah scholars whose diverse styles, backgrounds and approaches complement one another in an effort to create an open and challenging environment for students. The Rabbeim serve as exceptional role modes who view themselves as mentors striving to imbue students with passionate, authentic, rational, and religiously intense lifestyle.
History
In 1968, after the re-capture of
Gush EtzionGush Etzion refers to a group of Jewish villages established from the 1920s south of Jerusalem on the northern part of Mount Hebron in the southern West Bank, and destroyed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War: Kfar Etzion, Massu'ot, Ein Tzurim and Revadim...
during the Six Day War, a movement to resettle this region and reestablish its
settlementsIsraeli settlements are Israeli civilian communities in the Israeli-occupied territories . Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights...
ensued. The leaders of this movement, among them Chanan Porat and Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun, asked Rabbi Amital, a prominent religious and military figure, to head a
yeshivaYeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for study of its traditional, central texts...
in one of the nascent settlements. Rabbi Amital agreed, and with help from the Israeli government, Yeshivat Har Etzion was founded in
Kfar EtzionKfar Etzion is a religious Israeli settlement and kibbutz located in the Judean Hills between Jerusalem and Hebron in the southern West Bank...
. Soon after this the small yeshiva moved to
Alon ShvutAlon Shvut is an Israeli settlement and a village in the Judean Mountains of the southern West Bank, administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, a settlement established concurrently with YHE's move, that has since blossomed with YHE at its center.
In 1971, upon hearing that
Rabbi Aharon 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...
, a renowned disciple and son-in-law of
Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikJoseph Ber Soloveitchik Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov, Yoshe Ber) Soloveitchik Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov, Yoshe Ber) Soloveitchik ( (1903-1993) was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty....
, intended to move to Israel, Rabbi Amital invited him to join as co-Rosh Yeshiva. Since then, the two luminaries have shaped the character of YHE, today a thriving institution of higher Judaic study. On January 4, 2006,
Rabbi Yaaqov 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....
and
Rabbi Baruch 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...
joined Rabbis Amital and Lichtenstein as
roshei yeshivaRosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
in anticipation of
Rabbi Amital'sRabbi Yehuda Amital, , born Yehuda Klein on 31 October 1924) is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:...
upcoming retirement. On October 28, 2008, Rabbi Amital retired and Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein joined his father,
Rabbi Aharon 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...
, along with Rabbis
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....
and
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...
as rosh yeshiva.
In 2002, an overseas student studying at the Yeshiva for a second year, Yoni Jesner from Glasgow, was killed in a suicide bombing in
Tel AvivTel Aviv-Yafo , usually called Tel Aviv, is the second largest city in Israel, with an estimated population of 391,300. The city is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, with a land area of...
.
Values
YHE advocates intense spirituality and religious striving, tempered with a message of moderation and openness. Following the example of the Roshei Yeshiva, YHE encourages serious study, creative thought, intellectual rigor, a true sense of fellowship with all Jews, regardless of level of observance or political outlook, as well as a universal, humanistic appreciation. YHE believes that this philosophy enables the teachers and
rabbiRabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("1460")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Torah">Torah
The term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
, a love of the Jewish people, and the ability to engage the contemporary world and be enriched by it. YHE has received praise for producing students who are strong in their beliefs and uncompromising in their commitment to serving both
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
and the Jewish people.
YHE's values have been epitomized by the message of the story told by Rabbi Amital since before its inception, that one's study of Torah needs to sensitize one to the "Crying baby" of the Jewish people.
Libraries
Two libraries are housed at Yeshivat Har Etzion. 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 is a teacher's college located in Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, in Israel. It is named for the diplomat Yaakov Herzog. It is located adjacent to, and associated with Yeshivat Har Etzion....
supplements the central Torah library, providing a wealth of
audio-visualThe term audio-visual may refer to works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or the equipment involved in presenting such works. Movies and television shows are examples of audio-visual presentations....
material for teachers of Judaic studies in Israel and worldwide.
The Virtual Beit Midrash
In more recent years, YHE established the Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash, which provides
yeshivaYeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for study of its traditional, central texts...
-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,
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
,and Cyrillic in
TanakhThe Tanakh is a name for the Bible used in Rabbinic Judaism, also known as the Masoretic Text. The name "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
,
GemaraThe Gemara is the part of the Talmud that contains rabbinical commentaries and analysis of 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...
,
HalakhaHalakha — also transliterated Halocho and Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
,
Jewish PhilosophyJewish philosophy refers to the conjunction between serious study of philosophy, Jewish scholasticism and Jewish theology. In one sense, it refers to all philosophical activity carried out by Jews or in relation to the religion of Judaism...
and various other Jewish topics.
- English language: http://www.vbm-torah.org
- Hebrew language: http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm
- Russian language: http://www.etzion.org.il/rvbm
K.M.T.T.
KMTT is a daily
Torah studyTorah 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 in Israel. Every day, five days a week, one 30-40 minute shiur is sent. The MP3 file can be played on your computer or transferred to your portable MP3 playing device. See http://www.kimitzion.org (English), http://www.etzion.org.il/keshet (Hebrew).
Faculty
- Rabbi Yehuda Amital
Rabbi Yehuda Amital, , born Yehuda Klein on 31 October 1924) is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:...
- Rosh Yeshiva Emeritus
- Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
Aharon 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
- Rabbi Baruch Gigi
Rabbi 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
- Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein - Rosh Yeshiva
- Rabbi Yaaqov Medan
Rabbi 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
- Rabbi Shlomo Levi - Head of Kollel
A kollel is an institute for advanced studies of the Talmud and of rabbinic literature for Jewish men, essentially a post-graduate yeshiva which pays married men a regular monthly stipend or annual salary to study Judaism's classic texts in depth.-Original sense:Originally, the word was...
- Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon - Ra"m (Rav Mechanech, teaching rabbi or Reish Metivta, Head of School)
- Rabbi Amnon Bazak - Ra"m
- Rabbi Yair Kahn - Ra"m
- Rabbi Shlomo Brin - Ra"m
- Rabbi Uzi Friedlich - Mashgiach Ruchani
Mashgiach Ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives...
- Rabbi Yitzchak Levi - Mashgiach Ruchani
- Rabbi Hillel Rachmani - Mashgiach Ruchani
- Rabbi Ezra Bick - Ra"m
- Rabbi Eliakim Krumbein - Ra"m
- Rabbi Amichai Gordin - Ra"m
- Rabbi Moshe Taragin - Ra"m
- Rabbi Mordechai Friedman - Ra"m
- Rabbi Menachem Leibtag
- Rabbi Pini Cohen - Ra"m
- Rabbi Moshe Aberman - Ra"m
- Rabbi Doniel Schreiber - Ra"m
- Rabbi Daniel Rhein - Mashgiach Ruchani
- Rabbi Binyamin Tabory - Ra"m
Related institutions
- Herzog College
Herzog College is a teacher's college located in Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, in Israel. It is named for the diplomat Yaakov Herzog. It is located adjacent to, and associated with Yeshivat Har Etzion....
- The Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women (Migdal Oz)
See also
- 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...
- Yeshiva
Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for study of its traditional, central texts...
- Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion refers to a group of Jewish villages established from the 1920s south of Jerusalem on the northern part of Mount Hebron in the southern West Bank, and destroyed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War: Kfar Etzion, Massu'ot, Ein Tzurim and Revadim...
- Aharon Lichtenstein
Aharon 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...
- Yehuda Amital
Rabbi Yehuda Amital, , born Yehuda Klein on 31 October 1924) is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and a former member of the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:...
- Torah 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...
- Migdal Oz
The Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women, more commonly known as Migdal Oz , which is the name of the kibbutz in which it is located, is a midrasha, or Orthodox Jewish institution of higher Torah study for women, located in Gush Etzion, Israel...
External links