Mercaz HaTorah is a Lithuanian-style

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

located in the

Arnona :''Arnona may also refer to Israeli property tax'' Arnona ( he, ארנונה) is an upscale neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, Israel, situated between the neighborhood of Talpiot and Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Etymology The most common explan ...

neighborhood of Jerusalem. Mercaz HaTorah was founded by Rabbi Aryeh Rottman, and is currently led by his son, Rabbi Mordechai Rottman, who is the rosh yeshiva (dean). The yeshiva caters primarily to students from the

English-speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest langua ...

History

Mercaz HaTorah was founded in 1970 by Rabbi Aryeh Rottman ZT"LWein, Rabbi Berel (19 December 2017
"Passings"
''Israel National News''. Retrieved 5 August 2019. through the encouragement of his mentor, Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth ZT"L, as a post-high school institute for Judaic and Talmudic legal studies. The yeshiva started with 15 students in a two-story building in the

neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Campus and enrollment

While Mercaz HaTorah is still located in its original location, the campus now consists of three spacious buildings. Current enrollment is 150 students. While students accepted to Mercaz HaTorah are drawn from all over the

, they mostly come from the United States. Many of the students are sons of previous alumni.

Curriculum

Mercaz HaTorah places the study of the

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cent ...

at the core of its curriculum. The vast body of post-Talmudic literature and commentary is analysed as the foundation of ''

halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

'' (Jewish law). The classic commentaries of

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...

, Tosafot, Nachmanides, Rashba, and Ritva, in addition to Medieval codifiers such as

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...

, Ran, Rosh, and Rif are all considered. To facilitate the student’s Talmudic progress, Mercaz HaTorah has adopted a learning pattern where each academic term highlights a specific Talmudic tractate or segment, which is uniformly studied by the entire student body. The variations in study levels depend upon the year of study the student is in, and whether the course constitutes a survey or an intensive study of the tractate. During the first year, students begin with the Hebraic and

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

readings in the structure and style of Talmudic argumentation, as well the interpretive points of the classic commentaries. Second year students acquire mastery of textual readings. The complexities of the Talmudic style, the articulation of the argumentative process and the conclusive decisions of these texts are explored in depth. Lectures focus on the deductive process, as students are encouraged to probe and challenge the various interpretations and comparative textual contradictions. Students who attain the third year advanced level of Talmudic research and analysis hone their analytic skills in understanding the novella of the

Rishonim ''Rishonim'' (; he, ; sing. he, , ''Rishon'', "the first ones") were the leading rabbis and '' poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, , "Set Table", a ...

and the methods of cataloging their diverse ''halakhic'' approaches. Study of the Maimonidean Code of Law as a quasi-legally binding discipline, including through its commentaries, is introduced by the process of gleaning Maimonides' interpretative stances in the Talmud from premises evident in his ''halakhic'' decisions. Similarly, the interpretive works of prominent Achronim are employed in understanding the legal and theoretical points of the Rishonim. The diverse approaches of leading 19th and 20th-century Talmudic analysts receive prominent attention.

Faculty

* Rabbi Mordechai Rottman, rosh yeshiva (dean) * Rabbi Avrohom Rottman, ''

mashgiach ruchani A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...

(spiritual supervisor) * Rabbi Yitzchok Mann, Mashgiach shlita (spiritual advisor)

Later developments

In 2015, family members of Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth who were associated with Mercaz HaTorah started an offshoot of the yeshiva which is called Toras Chaim. While some of the faculty and students remained, a number of rabbis and students decided to move to the new yeshiva, which opened in August 2015. The two yeshivas now work in harmony to help each student reach their potential.

References

External links

Official WebsiteToras Chaim
{{authority control 1970 establishments in Israel Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Jerusalem Educational institutions established in 1970 Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Jerusalem Orthodox yeshivas in Jerusalem