Yeshiva Toras Moshe is an

English-speaking 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 ...

Litvish ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged''/''mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...

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 ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Founded in 1982, it was established in Israel to cater to post-high school students from English-speaking countries. It has since graduated over 1,000 students.

History

The yeshiva was founded in 1982 by Rabbi

Moshe Meiselman Moshe Meiselman is an American-born Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshiva Toras Moshe in Jerusalem, which he established in 1982. He also founded and served as principal of Yeshiva University of Los Angeles (YULA) fro ...

, a grandson of Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik and nephew and student of Rabbi

Joseph B. Soloveitchik Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( he, יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ׳יק ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion ...

, together with Rabbi Doniel Lehrfield, now Rosh yeshiva of

Yeshivas Bais Yisroel Yeshivas Bais Yisroel, colloquially known as "Bais", is an English-language, Litvish Orthodox yeshiva for post-high-school boys located in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem. Founded in 1985 by Rabbi Doniel Lehrfeld, the yeshiva's studen ...

. Meiselman named the yeshiva after his grandfather Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik (1879–1941). The yeshiva was first housed in Machon Harry Fischel in the Bucharian neighborhood of Jerusalem. In the early 1990s the Yeshiva moved to the center of

in a building founded by the Dean of Yeshivas Novhardok, Rabbi Ben-Zion Brook. In 2009 the yeshiva moved to its own, permanent home in the

Sanhedria Murchevet Sanhedria HaMurhevet ( he, סנהדריה המורחבת, also spelled Sanhedria HaMurchevet) is a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem. Its name translates as "expanded Sanhedria". The neighborhood was founded in 1970 as a northern expansion of S ...

neighborhood. The new three-story building includes a

beis medrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth knes ...

, dining hall, dormitories, and basketball court.

Staff

*Rosh yeshiva: Rabbi

, *''

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 ...

'': Rabbi Elchonon Meir Fishman, a student of

Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh ( he, ישיבת כרם ביבנה, lit. ''Vineyard in Yavne Yeshiva'') is a youth village and major yeshiva in southern Israel. Located near the city of Ashdod and adjacent to Kvutzat Yavne, it falls under the jurisdict ...

, the Navardok yeshiva, and of Rabbi Tzvi Kushelevsky, Rabbi

Shlomo Wolbe Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe (August Wilhelm, 1914 - April 25, 2005) was a Haredi rabbi born in Berlin in the early part of the twentieth century. He is best known as the author of ''Alei Shur'' ( he, עלי שור), a musar classic discussing dimensional ...

and Rabbi Shlomo Brevda. The senior faculty also include another student of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik: Rabbi Michel Shurkin, as well as Rabbi Yehuda Abramowitz, a student of Rabbi Nochum Partzovitz, and Rabbi Zev Klein a student of Rabbi

Abba Berman Abba Mordechai Berman (1919–2005) was a Talmudist and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Iyun HaTalmud. Early life Abba Berman was born on Tu BiShvat 5679 (1919) in Łódź, Poland to Shaul Yosef Berman, rosh yeshiva of Toras Chesed in Lodz and a stu ...

. Rabbi Shurkin, has written three volumes of transcriptions of the Talmud lectures of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik. One of the senior faculty, Rabbi Mosheh Twersky, was murdered along with four others in a terrorist attack on the morning of 18 November 2014 while praying in the Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue in

Har Nof Har Nof ( he, הר נוף, lit. ''scenic mountain'') is a neighborhood on a hillside on the western boundary of Jerusalem with a population of 20,000 residents, primarily Orthodox Jews. History In Talmudic times, Har Nof was an agricultural settl ...

, in the

2014 Jerusalem synagogue massacre On the morning of 18 November 2014, two Palestinian men from Jerusalem entered Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue, in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, and attacked the praying congregants with axes, knives, and a gun. They killed four dual-nati ...

Studies

Students

All of the students are English-speaking. The vast majority come from all parts of Canada and the United States. A minority of students come from other countries such as South Africa and England. In keeping with the yeshiva's philosophy of building personal connections between staff and students, many alumni remain connected to the yeshiva after graduation. Some yeshiva lecturers send copies of their '' shiurim'' (Torah lectures) to current and former students, while the yeshiva hosts regular reunions and fund-raising gatherings. In 2009 the yeshiva took both current and former students on a trip to the former Torah centers of Brisk and

Volozhin Valozhyn, Vałožyn or Volozhin ( be, Вало́жын, , russian: Воло́жин, lt, Valažinas, pl, Wołożyn, yi, וואָלאָזשין ''Volozhin''; also written as Wolozin and Wolozhin) is a town in the Minsk Region of Belarus. The pop ...

to mark the 80th anniversary of the arrival of Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik in America.

Curriculum

Institutional Philosophy

Toras Moshe emphasizes full-time immersion in Torah study. Toras Moshe is not per se opposed to college studies so long as they are purely for vocational purposes, and many of its alumni hold jobs that require a college or other vocational degree. The schedule is standard for a traditional orthodox yeshiva. The students study for ten and a half hours daily, which includes

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 ...

, Mussar, and

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 ...

. In addition to this, most students learn an extended amount of time on their own or with study partners ('' chavrusas'') beyond the required amounts. Several times a week the students hear a lecture, or ''vaad'', from the ''mashgiach'' in Mussar or a lecture in Halacha from either Rabbi Sinowitz, Rabbi Raymon, or Rabbi Weiner. The academic philosophy is founded on the classic concept of Torah Lishmah and is centered on mastery of the Talmud. There are many different classes for a student to choose from in the yeshiva. The yeshiva is split into two tracks for three years worth of courses, though many stay longer. After three years students can apply for a

Bachelor of Liberal Arts The Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA or ALB) is the title of an undergraduate bachelor's degree. Generally, it is awarded to students who major in liberal arts, pursue interdisciplinary studies, or design their own concentrations. Often a ''Bachelor ...

degree. Toras Moshe also offers a

graduate program Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

designed for students who have finished many years of Talmudic study and are preparing for a career in Judaic and/or Talmudic studies.

References

External links

Yeshiva Toras Moshe websiteYeshiva Toras Moshe website of shiurim
{{coord missing, Israel 1982 establishments in Israel Educational institutions established in 1982 Toras Moshe Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Jerusalem