David Hirsch (born 1968) is an American rabbi. He serves as

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

at the

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan S ...

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He is the spiritual leader and rav of Kehillas Bais Yosef in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...

Early life

David Hirsch grew up in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

and attended the

Fasman Yeshiva High School Fasman Yeshiva High School, known colloquially as Skokie Yeshiva, is an Orthodox Jewish all-boys high school in Skokie, Illinois. As of the 2020-2021 school year, the school has 120 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Fasman Yeshiva offers a dual ...

in Skokie. He was the captain of his high school basketball team. After graduating from Fasman, Hirsch spent two years studying in

Yeshivat Sha'alvim Yeshivat Sha'alvim is a hesder yeshiva, a kollel and a yeshiva high school for boys, located in Kibbutz Sha'alvim . History Yeshivat Sha'alvim was founded in 1961 by Meir Schlesinger, the rabbi of Kibbutz Sha'alvim. The yeshiva, like the kibbu ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Hirsch studied under

Zalman Nechemia Goldberg Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ( he, זלמן נחמיה גולדברג; January 28, 1931 – August 20, 2020) was a rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva in Israel. The scion of a Lithuanian Jewish family, Goldberg was also a son-in-law of Shlomo Zalman Aue ...

during that time. He continued his learning at the

Hebron Yeshiva Hebron Yeshiva, also known as ''Yeshivas Hevron'', or Knesses Yisroel, is a yeshiva devoted to high-level study of the Talmud. It originated in 1924 when the roshei yeshiva and 150 students of the Slabodka Yeshiva, known colloquially as the "mother ...

in Israel. In 1990, Hirsch graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva College. He majored in computer science. Upon graduation, Hirsch received the Rothman Award for Excellence in Talmud. He earned his MS degree in Jewish education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration in 1993. That same year, he was ordained at the

(RIETS). He also received ''

semikhah Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

'' (rabbinic ordination) from Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg. After Hirsch was granted ''semikhah'' from RIETS, he was named a fellow of the Gruss Kollel Elyon.

Career

On June 7, 2000, Hirsch was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of the Stone Beit Midrash Program at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...

, where he taught for seven years. He holds the "Eva, Morris, and Jack K. Rubin Memorial Chair in Rabbinics" there. He also served as an assistant to the

Rosh Kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

of the Katz Kollel. He was later appointed to Rosh Yeshiva in the Mazer Yeshiva Program where he currently teaches. As a pulpit rabbi, Hirsch served as the senior rabbi at the Fleetwood Synagogue, a

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

shul located in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

, just outside of New York City. He then moved his family to

, where he currently serves as the rabbi of Kehillas Bais Yosef."Kehillas Bais Yosef"
GoDaven.com.Rabbi David Hirsch
YU Torah. Accessed February 7, 2022. "A native of Peoria, Illinois, he is married to Miriam Hirsch. They have five children and live in Passaic, NJ, where he is the rav of Kehilas Beis Yosef." During the summer months, Hirsch has served as rosh kollel for many years, including at Camp Lavi in the Poconos, and at his own Passaic Summer Kollel in New Jersey.

Works

Hirsch is a prolific speaker, with over 1,000 lectures on Judaism captured on media and available online. He has published hundreds of articles and Dvrei Torah. He published his first sefer, called, V'Yosef Dovid.

Personal life

Hirsch lives in Passaic, New Jersey with his wife, Miriam, a professor at Stern College for Women. They have five children.

References

External links

Shiurim by Rabbi David Hirsch at YUTorah.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, David 1968 births People from Peoria, Illinois People from Passaic, New Jersey Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Rabbis from New Jersey American Orthodox rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Yeshiva University alumni Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas Living people