Yeshiva Program
Mazer School of Talmudic Studies
Introduction|
Admission Requirements| Attendance|
Class Assignments|
Maintenance of Academic
Standards| School Regulations| Student Activities
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Yeshiva
Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies (MYP) offers a four- year undergraduate
course of study for men in which Talmudic texts and commentaries are probed
intensively in the original Aramaic and Hebrew in a classical yeshiva setting.
Although the program does not lead to a degree, specified credit is transferable
to all BA and BS programs at Yeshiva College and/or Sy Syms School, regardless
of the student's major. Students in MYP have varied professional and academic
interests but are united in their desire to develop in Talmudic scholarship and
knowledge of Halakhah.
MYP
was named through a major gift in 1979 by the Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation.
It has been in existence as a separate entity since 1970, but is a continuation
of the institution's oldest component, the core from which the University
developed.
The
study of Talmud and commentaries, the heart of the curriculum, is designed to
give the student a firm foundation in the skills of traditional learning and
enable him to handle original texts, to give him a method and direction, both in
learning and character, and to help him develop an appreciation of the Judaic
heritage. In addition to Talmud, there are elective classes in related texts and
lectures in Musar which emphasize the continuity of Jewish tradition from Sinai
to the present. The faculty includes many graduates of the foremost yeshivot
both here and abroad, who are internationally recognized scholars.
The
Rabbi Hyman Muss Torah Learning Center and Beit Midrash complex was built in
1997 to accommodate a growing number of students. It joins the original Harry
Fischel Synagogue Study Hall (Beit Midrash), renovated in 1979 through a major
gift by the late Joseph S. and Caroline Gruss, and again refurbished in 1998.
They remain the intellectual focus of MYP, as the Beit Midrash has always been
the academic heart of the great centers of Jewish learning through the ages. An
integral part of the program is the highly successful voluntary night seder
(study period) in the Beit Midrash, overseen by the faculty. Students also have
the opportunity to attend Bekiut shiurim (classes in additional Talmudic texts).
MYP sponsors an annual Bekiut Incentive Award Program, with Presidential prizes
for students who master large segments of additional texts beyond the regular
curriculum.
A
strong complement of s'ganei mashgichim/shoalim u'maishivim (assistant
counselors/teaching mentors) who man the various Batei Midrash for regular
morning and night s'darim has recently been added to help students in their
learning and to assist newcomers in their transition to MYP from either high
school or Israel.
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Admission
regulations pertaining to Yeshiva Program/Mazer School alone are given here;
also see those uniformly applicable to all undergraduate schools.
Requirements:
1.
Attendance at Yeshiva College or Sy Syms School, unless the student already
holds a bachelor's degree.
2.
Knowledge of Hebrew (modern, medieval, and Biblical).
3.
Passing an entrance examination demonstrating proficiency in the reading and
comprehension of selected Talmudic passages and commentaries, as well as general
background in Talmud. Applicants are placed in classes in accordance with
previous training and ability; advanced standing is given to those who have
pursued Talmudic studies in college-level programs at yeshivot in the United
States or Israel.
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The
Student Organization of Yeshiva (SOY), representing the MYP student body, meets
regularly with the administration on matters of mutual concern.
SOY
coordinates and sponsors such activities as Shabbatonim, holiday celebrations,
charity drives, periodic sales of seforim (texts), and lectures, including a
series for students and alumni during winter vacation.
SOY
publishes four journals: Enayim L'Torah
on the weekly Torah portion; Bayn Kotlei
HaYeshiva, appearing in concert with Jewish holidays; Gesher, dedicated to Jewish scholarship with articles generally in
English; and Beit Yitzchak, which
features articles of Talmudic and halakhic analyses.
Special
publications have received national and international recognition, such as a Haggadah
with commentary, Festivals and Fasts: A
Practical Guide, and A Guide to
Kashrut. Also see general student publications.
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Regulations
pertaining to MYP alone are given here; those uniformly applicable to all
undergraduate schools are given in the section University Regulations.
Students
may not register for any courses at Yeshiva College or Sy Syms School during
time designated for MYP studies.
Students
may be subject to disciplinary and academic penalties if they are excessively
absent for either hakhanah (preparation) or shiur (lecture).
Students
who are absent from a session and wish to have the absence excused must file
their excuse with the Office of the Dean within two days of their return to
school. A special form, obtainable in that office, is to be used. Ordinarily
only a note from a physician will be accepted as an excuse for an absence
because of illness.
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Class
assignments are made by the Dean of MYP based on level and progress of learning,
as well as on student requests. Changes can be made only with the permission of
the Dean. Students not attending or attending classes other than those
officially assigned to them may be dropped from MYP. Students receiving notices
that they have not been assigned must arrange to see the Dean immediately.
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Students
are required to maintain satisfactory standards of scholastic performance.
Students who miss examinations, fail courses, have generally poor academic
records, or have excessive absences will be put on probation. If the student's
record does not improve sufficiently during the course of the next semester, he
may be dropped from MYP.
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