WebYeshiva.org is a pioneering
"WebYeshiva.org To Broadcast Free Classes From Sick Student's Home" -- Five Towns Jewish Times /ref>
"... and the Online Yeshiva" -- The Jewish Chronicle /ref>
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
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 ...
and
midrasha
A ' (Hebrew: , pl. ') is an institute of Torah study for women, usually in Israel, and roughly the equivalent of a yeshiva for men.
A "seminary" (Hebrew ''seminar'', sometimes ''seminaria'')
Semicha
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).
It was founded in November 2007 by Rabbi Chaim Brovender
and is directed by Rabbi Jeffrey Saks.
WebYeshiva is a project of the Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directions (ATID).ATID Support Page /ref>
It is headquartered on HaNassi St., in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
The Yeshiva's goal is to offer Torah classes to students around the world via the
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
;
it draws on the large resource of quality teachers with high levels of study and knowledge in and around
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
WebYeshiva offers advanced course-based
Torah study
Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the '' mitzvah'' ("com ...
for men and women,
including classes in
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 ce ...
Halacha
''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 comman ...
'' (Jewish law), '' Chassidut'', and ''Machshava'' (Jewish philosophy);
some are offered in various languages (Hungarian, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish).
Its offering thus replicates that of a traditional Yeshiva; see .
Students may learn live, fully interacting with the teacher and other students.
For students who cannot attend live, all classes are recorded in several formats (
mp3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
WebEx
Webex by Cisco is an American company that develops and sells web conferencing, videoconferencing and contact center as a service applications. It was founded as WebEx in 1995 and taken over by Cisco Systems in 2007. Its headquarters are in San ...
) and archived within 24 hours. This gives students the option of downloading the classes and learning on their own time."High-tech Torah Learning" -- The Jerusalem Post /ref>
Programs
In 2010, WebYeshiva launched TorahTutors.org, which aimed to create programs fitted to the needs of the user, including professionals looking for
chavruta
''Chavrusa'', also spelled ''chavruta'' or ''ḥavruta'' (Aramaic: חַבְרוּתָא, lit. "fellowship" or "group of fellows"; pl. חַבְרָוָותָא), is a traditional rabbinic approach to Talmudic study in which a small group of stu ...
(learning partner) study, Jewish day school students requiring a tutor for Torah subjects, or Jewish homeschooling.
In 2013, WebYeshiva launched an advanced track, the "
Halacha
''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 comman ...
Mastery Program",
focused on in-depth study of the major practical halachic topics - Shabbat, Kashrut,
Niddah
Niddah (or nidah; he, נִדָּה), in traditional Judaism, describes a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirem ...
,
Avelut
Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of '' minhag'' and '' mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community.
Mourners
In Judaism, the ...
- with their sources.
The program is offered to men and women with a sufficient background, and spans three-years (it is tuition-based; courses may be taken either synchronously over three years or via self-paced archive study).
It comprises six courses (~22 weeks each), three mandatory and three elective, where each requires sitting a midterm and then final examination.
Students who complete all courses and pass the tests, receive a certificate.
From 2016, male students who complete the Halacha Mastery Program may proceed to an intensive
Semicha
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 ...
(ordination) track.
In 2017 WebYeshiva first gave rabbinical ordination to students completing the track and its requirements; the Semicha certificate is signed by Rabbi Brovender and Rabbi David Fink (see faculty listing below).
The ordination requires students to complete three further examined courses, two Intensive and one Survey:
An intensive course covering the principles underpinning Rabbinic decision making;
Shabbat observance in further, intensive, detail, applying these principles (content mirroring the ''semicha'' test of the late Rabbi
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 Auer ...
);
Other topics re Shabbat, in survey.
In 2015, WebYeshiva launched an online sofer stam certification program for men. The (discontinued) course was ten weeks, with each session lasting 90 minutes and upon completion of all course materials and passing the exam students may be certified as a Sofer Stam, a Jewish ritual scribe.
Notable partnerships
Webyeshiva partners with the S.Y. Agnon House in Jerusalem by offering courses on the writer's works that are broadcast directly from his residence."Online course analyzes Agnon's stories" -- YNet /ref>
Notable educators
;Founders
*Rabbi Chaim Brovender is the Rosh Yeshiva of WebYeshiva.org and President of ATID. He is the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hamivtar and Michlelet Bruria (today,
Midreshet Lindenbaum
Midreshet Lindenbaum (), originally named Michlelet Bruria, is a midrasha in Talpiot, Jerusalem. It counts among its alumnae many of the teachers at Matan, Nishmat, Pardes and other women's and co-ed yeshivas in Israel and abroad.
History
Michl ...
).WebYeshiva.org website Rabbi Brovender was one of the first Orthodox Jewish rabbis to teach Talmud to women,"...and the online yeshivah" -- The Jewish Chronicle and most WebYeshiva classes have both male and female students.
*Rabbi Jeffrey Saks is the founding Director of ATID, and as of February 2019 is editor of the journal “
Tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
.” He received his bachelor's degree, master's degree, and rabbinical ordination from
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU on the Yeshiva Universi ...
.Rabbis.org
;Other notable faculty
*Rabbi David Fink, a well-known and an authoritative
posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. He received his Rabbinic ordination from
Yeshivas Itri
Yeshivas Itri ( he, ישיבת איתרי) is an Orthodox yeshiva in southeast Jerusalem. Founded in 1968 by Rabbi Mordechai Elefant, the yeshiva has several branches in Israel and the United States, and spawned several educational programs for D ...
and the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and was awarded his
Ph.D
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigra ...
and
Linguistics
Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...
from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
. He has been actively teaching for more than three decades.
*Rabbi Yitzchak Blau, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Orayta. He was
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); ...
at Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah, and previously taught at Yeshivat Hamivtar and at the
Yeshivah of Flatbush
The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox private Jewish day school located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. It educates students from age 2 to age 18 and includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary s ...
High School.Rabbis.org He holds a BA, MA and Semicha from YU / RIETS.
*Rabbi Dr. Gidon RothsteinRabbis.org a
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); ...
, published author, and Community Rabbi; he holds rabbinical ordination from
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU on the Yeshiva Universi ...
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
.
*Rabbi Shlomo Katz, a well known singer, former chaplain (of Cedars Sinai Hospital), and currently Rabbi of the Shirat David synagogue and learning center in Efrat, Israel. He received his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi
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 Auer ...