SPOTLIGHT ON...

Michael Bleicher
Semikhah student

Michael Bleicher thumbTo quench my thirst for Torah, I sought a yeshiva with rebbeim of varied backgrounds, all of whom stand firmly under the umbrella of our mesorah; a yeshiva that excels in limud hatorah, ahavas hatorah, and shemiras hamitzvos. I found all of that—and more—at RIETS.

The RIETS curriculum prepares me to serve as a rabbi in the modern world by supplementing limudei kodesh with courses that greatly enhance my professional expertise, offering invaluable tools and techniques for leading a kehillah.

TORAH FROM RIETS

Hear shiurim by our peerless Roshei Yeshiva at YUTorah.org.

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WELCOME TO RABBI ISAAC ELCHANAN
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

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Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) at Yeshiva University is the Western Hemisphere’s leading center for Torah learning and training for the rabbinate. Learn more »

SIYYUM MARKS ACCOMPLISHMENT OF 24 TALMIDIM

Talmidim at the Siyyum

On June 8, talmidim and roshei yeshiva recognized 24 talmidim who completed Masekhet Gittin this year.  Talmidim were addressed by Rabbi Yona Reiss, Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS, and by one of the mesayemim and were treated to a lunchtime barbecue.  With the completion of Masekhet Gittin, talmidim eagerly jumped into Masekhet Bava Batra: the siyyum ended with the learning of the first mishna of Bava Batra.

CATALOG OF SEFARIM NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

The catalog of sefarim available in the Main Beit Midrash is now available as an Excel file by clicking here.  For a map of where sefarim are located, click here (PDF).

NEW SHIUR FOR FALL 2009

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new shiur in the Mazer Yeshiva Program, beginning in the Fall 2009 semester.  The shiur will focus on enabling talmidim to conduct independent learning with greater proficiency.  The Gemara and its commentaries will be dissected carefully and thoroughly in an interactive fashion.  Talmidim will experience how to properly examine Talmudic sources in a guided and personalized atmosphere.  Talmudic topics will be analyzed and explained in an enjoyable yet instructive and organized manner.

The shiur will be led by Rabbi Daniel Stein, who also functions as the coordinator of the Fourth Year Halakha L'ma'aseh Program within RIETS.  Rabbi Stein earned his BA in Judaic Studies from Yeshiva College, where he graduated as the valedictorian of the Mazer Yeshiva Program.  He received semikha from RIETS while he was a distinguished fellow of its Wexner Semikha Honors Program as well as its post-semikha institute, the Wexner Kollel Elyon.  Prior to teaching in the Yeshiva Program, Rabbi Stein was a shoel u'mashiv in the Yeshiva Program and the coordinator of the Presidential Bekius Program.

ONCE EVERY 28 YEARS

Jews throughout the world gathered on April 8 (Erev Pesach) to recite Birkat HaChammah. Prior to April 8, the blessing (based on the statement of Shmuel on Berakhot 59b) was last said in 1981.  It will not be said again until 2037. Birkat HaChammah recognizes that the sun’s position relative to the earth follows a 28-year cycle (known as the machzor gadol); every 28 years, then, the sun returns to the point in the sky where it was when it was created.

RIETS and the Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future recently hosted a special Arbisfeld Yom Rishon Yom Iyun about this rare event, featuring RIETS Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel Rabbi J. David Bleich (author of the ArtScroll volume on Bircas Hachamah), Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS Rabbi Yona Reiss, and Shoel U’Meshiv Rabbi David Pahmer. Recordings of the Yom Iyun are available online at YUTorah.org, and the Yom Iyun was the subject of an article in Long Island’s Jewish Star.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal each ran feature articles in anticipation of the event, and Rabbi Bleich was interviewed for both of these articles.  Click here for another New York Times article about Birkat HaChammah - from 1897.

SHAPING THE DESTINY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE

 

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At our 5766 Chag HaSemikhah, we celebrated the passion, service, and diverse accomplishments of our alumni. Meet some of our outstanding musmakhim and travel with them from the pulpit to Pasadena, from the board room to the barracks.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

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  • Our new Glueck Center, slated to open in 5769, will be a state-of-the-art facility for Jewish scholarship.
  • Our cutting-edge rabbinical education includes training in homiletics, rabbinical writing, pastoral counseling, and more.
  • Our faculty boasts some three dozen renowned Roshei Yeshiva, a wide array of experts in professional education, and a vast cadre of sganei mashgichim and mentors.
  • Of the 147 graduates of the 2002 Chag HaSemikhah, 79% directly serve the Jewish community, while 21% work in secular professions.  9% have made aliyah—building, living and learning in Israel.
  • Our dozens of placements in 2008 include positions at synagogues, schools, and community centers, and range geographically from New York to London, Manitoba to Boca Raton, and San Francisco to Ramat Gan.
  • Nearly 20,000 shiurim by our Roshei Yeshiva and other YU luminaries are available at YUTorah.org. In addition, you can enjoy divrei Torah by RIETS rabbis at TorahWeb.org.