Yeshiva Yerucham Yeshivat Hesder Yerucham () is a

hesder yeshiva Hesder ( he, הסדר "arrangement"; also Yeshivat 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. The program allo ...

located in the development town of

Yeruham Yeruham ( he, יְרוֹחַם, ''Yeroham'') is a town (local council (Israel), local council) in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel, in the Negev desert. It covers 38,584 dunams (~38.6 km²), and had a population of ...

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 ...

. It was founded in 1993 and currently there are over 220 students. It is known for its high level of Gemara learning. Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham

History

In the early 1970s, a group of

Religious Zionists Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religious"), and in Israel, the ...

settled in Yeruham with the goal of improving the south of Israel, and helping to increase the quality of life for the residents of Yerucham. Over time, the group grew in number and expanded its activities by taking on educational responsibilities as well. After establishing "Midreshet B'Yahad", a Seminar Center of Judaism, Society and Zionism Studies, the group realized the need for a

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 s ...

as the next step in strengthening the existing projects by bringing youth to Yeruham. The leader of this group, Shmuel Friedman Ben-Shalom, approached Rabbi Eliyhau Blumenzweig, who at the time taught at

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tora ...

, with a proposition to be the Rosh Yeshiva, which he accepted. The yeshiva subsequently opened its doors in 1993. Today, the yeshiva is considered to be one of the most serious hesder yeshivas in the country.

Curriculum

Daily Schedule: Shachrit (and halachah seder): 6:30–8:00 am Breakfast: 8:00–8:30 am Morning seder: 8:30 am–1:00 pm Lunch/break: 1:00–3:00 pm Mincha: 3:00–3:20 pm Afternoon seder: 3:20–7:30 pm Supper: 7:30–8:00 pm Marriv: 8:00–8:30 pm Night seder: 8:30–11:00 pm (or later) Yeshivat Hesder Yerucham emphasizes the importance of learning

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 cente ...

in depth, specifically through the

Brisker Method The Brisker method, or Brisker ''derech'', is a reductionistic approach to Talmud study innovated by Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk (Brest, Belarus), as opposed to the traditional approach which was rather holistic. It has since become popula ...

. A typical day in Yeshiva will include two sessions of intensive Talmud study (''iyun'') and one of extensive study (''bekiut''). In terms of the afternoon seder, students can either learn with a charvuras, go to shiurim, or a combination of both. The yeshiva offers weekly classes in

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

Jewish philosophy Jewish philosophy () includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until modern ''Haskalah'' (Jewish Enlightenment) and Jewish emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconcile ...

Hasidic philosophy Hasidic philosophy or Hasidism ( he, חסידות), alternatively transliterated as Hasidut or Chassidus, consists of the teachings of the Hasidic movement, which are the teachings of the Hasidic ''rebbes'', often in the form of commentary on th ...

and the works of Jewish scholars 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 Torah ...

, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, the

Maharal of Prague Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; between 1512 and 1526 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi ...

Moshe Chaim Luzzatto Moshe Chaim Luzzatto ( he, משה חיים לוצאטו, also ''Moses Chaim'', ''Moses Hayyim'', also ''Luzzato'') (1707 – 16 May 1746 (26 ''Iyar'' 5506)), also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL (or RaMHaL, ), was a prominent Italia ...

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 ...

Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...

, and many others. The daily schedule is: shachrit at 6:30 am, followed by a halachah seder until 8:00 am. Breakfast is from 8:00–8:30 am. After breakfast is morning seder, which is typically gemara iyun, and it goes from 8:30 am – 1:00 pm. Following the morning seder is lunch and a break from 1:00–3:00 pm. Mincha is at 3:00 pm, followed by the afternoon seder, from about 3:20–7:30 pm. Afternoon seder consists of more iyun gemara, followed by a couple hours of emmunah. Many of the students use the entire afternoon seder for learning machshava, tanach, mussar, and emmunah. From 7:30–8:00 pm is Maariv, followed by supper from 8:00–8:30 pm. Night seder consists of learning bekiut, and it goes from 8:30 pm until at least 11:00 pm, although there is no given time for night seder to end, and many students learn until later. The daily schedule goes from Sunday to Thursday, and there is a morning shiurim given on Fridays as well. On motza'ei shabbos there is night seder, and on Thursday night many students do "mishmor" and learn until very late hours of the night.

Educational approach

The gemara shiurim at the yeshiva are given at a very high level, and usually go into great depth on a certain topic in the gemara. The works 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

Acharonim In Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (; he, אחרונים ''Aḥaronim''; sing. , ''Aḥaron''; lit. "last ones") are the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifi ...

are often analyzed in the shiurim. The rosh yeshiva gives a "shiur klali" for the entire yeshiva during Thursday's morning seder. The yeshiva guides its students to base their perspective upon the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi and the

in accordance with the ideology of

, as is often customary in Religious Zionist yeshivas. With the goal of educating students to deal independently with the challenges they face living as observant Jews in a modern world, the yeshiva encourages a broader study of biblical, rabbinic, and other classical and modern works. The yeshiva educates its students to be aware of their surroundings and attentive to the needs of society in general. The yeshiva believes that the keys to solving Israel's socioeconomic gaps lie in integration and education. All the students volunteer in the community mainly in the field of education. Many of the yeshiva's alumni settle in Yeruham instead of heading to the country's central cities. The yeshiva also promotes other programs, among them: * ''Ye'adim'' (goals) - Concern of the Ethiopian Jewry in Israel's situation led Yerucham students to create a leadership training program for Ethiopian students with the intention of their returning to their communities. During the 5 years of Hesder the students synchronize their full Yeshiva studies with a

B.Ed. A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

degree in

Herzog College Herzog College ( he, מכללת הרצוג, ''Mikhlelet Herzog'') is an Israeli teachers' college with campuses in Jerusalem, Alon Shvut and Migdal Oz. History Herzog College is named for Yaakov Herzog, an Israeli diplomat, scholar and son of Isr ...

. * Young Study Partners - First and second year students dedicate 2 hours weekly to studying Torah subjects with children from the local elementary school. They also serve as positive role models for the local youth and look to form a connection with their families. * Charity Fund - The goal of the Fund is to help the needy of Yeruham become self-sufficient and better managers of their money. The Fund uses the cooperation of the local welfare and professional financial advisors to this end. * ''B'levav Shalem'' Yeshiva High School – Because of the lack of high quality religious high schools in the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...

, and as a part of the integration program the Hesder Yeshiva believes in, it was decided by alumni, residents of Yerucham, to open a Yeshiva High School for the local and general population.

Educational staff

The original Rosh Yeshiva was Rabbi Eliyahu Blumenzweig. In 2018, Rabbi Blumenzweig retired, and Rabbi Uriel Eitam and Rabbi Chaim Wolfson were appointed to be the new roshei yeshiva. Rabbi Uriel Eitam and Rabbi Chaim Wolfson had previously both worked as teachers (ra'amim) in the yeshiva for a number of years. The other rabbis who teach in the Yeshiva are Rabbi Shmuel Gleizer, Rabbi Achiya Ben Pazi, Rabbi Shmuel Ariel, Rabbi Shai Gnizi, Rabbi Asher Weiss, Rabbi Ido Heber, and Rabbi Elyakim Sharir. Rabbi Gnizi, Rabbi Gleizer, Rabbi Asher Weiss, and Rabbi Ben Pazi all began as students in the yeshiva. There are also rabbis who come from afar to give weekly classes, such as Rabbi Eliyahu Bazak and Rabbi Meir Kahana. Previously there were other teachers who have since left. These include Rabbi Dr. Michael Abraham, Rabbi Ehud Barzilai, Rabbi Yair Ya'acobi (who is now serving as the rosh yeshiva of yerucham's religious highschool "''B'levav Shalem''"), Rabbi Avi Luria, Rabbis Yoseph Elitzor, and Rabbi Nir Weinberg (who left to establish and head the Hazor'im Yeshiva High-School in the lower Galilee).

Yeshiva's publications

Here are some of the publications from the yeshiva's collective student body that have come out over the past number of years: *''Kutanot Or'' (Coats of Light) - "A Jewish Perspective on the meaning of

modesty Modesty, sometimes known as demureness, is a mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others. The word "modesty" comes from the Latin word ''wikt:modestus, modestus'' which means "keeping within ...

and its value", collection of essays edited by Yeshiva's students. *''Mimidbar Matana'' (A Present From The Desert) - A monthly newsletter which is sent out to students in the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

and alumni. *''Meisharim'' (Righteous) - A journal of articles on a variety of Torah topics, written by the students and teachers, published annually by the Yeshiva. *''Hahazit ShebaOref'' (The Home-Front Front) - A collection of essays dealing with the trials and challenges of a non-combat soldier. The book's intention is to answer some of the questions that soldiers serving in non-field units, such as the importance of their service, and

halakhic ''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 ...

perspective on different situations. Many of the rabbis that teach in the yeshiva have also published a number of sefarim.

References

External links

Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham
(Hebrew)
Midreshet Beyahad
(Hebrew)

Bibliography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeshivat_Hesder_Yerucham

Educational institutions established in 1993 1993 establishments in Israel