• Guide to Israel Schools

  • Reishit Yerushalayim—S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program

  • Goal of the Program

    Reishit is an extraordinary Yeshiva with a unique approach to teaching, designed to offer qualified young men an incomparable experience of Torat Eretz Yisrael. We aim to cultivate within each student a genuine and lasting connection to God through serious Torah study, passionate Avodat Hashem, and personal character development.

    Hashkafa
    Goal of Program
    We are committed to instilling in our students a love of Torah, the Jewish people and Israel. This is accomplished in a friendly, open environment; each person is respected and appreciated for his own singular personality, and is nurtured and educated accordingly.

    Attitude towards Israel and Medinat Yisrael
    Very positive, we celebrate all holidays and educate through hands-on tiyulim and stimulating lectures

    Attitude towards University Studies
    We encourage our talmididm to pursue university studies which are important for their intellectual and personal development.

    Attitude towards Extracurricular Activities
    We strongly urge our students to participate in chessed programs and tiyulim which are an integral part of our program. Students are constantly being invited to the homes of their rabbeim for Shabbatot, Yamim Tovim, barbeques and dinners.

    Preparation for Post Israel
    We provide strong and personal guidance to all students before the end of their stay at Reishit.

    The "Successful" Student
    A talmid who reaches his spiritual potential and is constantly striving to make a kiddush HaShem in all he does.

    Dress
    There is a dress code meant to foster a serious, wholesome learning environment.

    Guidance Personnel
    Staff is always available and eager to provide guidance to our talmidim and they consult with a number of top professionals in the field.

    Supervision
    The hanhala live a short walk from Yeshiva and are there 7 days a week. Many students find that the most remarkable and memorable experience of their year in Israel is the forging of open, special relationships with their rabbeim. At Reishit, this is not merely a byproduct of our educational system, but rather its centerpiece, our focus. Reishit also staffs a team of budding scholars who are available to learn individually with any interested student during night seder. And of course, our Av Bayit and dorm counselors live in the dorms with the students, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    Curriculum

    Makeup
    Reishit offes a broad curriculum including in-depth gemara, gemara bekiyut, in-depth tanach study, tanach bekiyut , halacha, machashava, chassidut, mussar and iyun tefillah.

    Courses Offered
     

    Gemara

    • Masechet Baba Kamma B’Iyun (Morning Shiur)
    • Masechet Brachot BiKiyut (Afternoon Seder)
    • Masechet Taanit BiKiyut (Afternoon Seder)
    • B’Iyun Shiur / Sugyot (Rav Mendel Blachman)
    • Masechet Tamid (Night Seder / Rav Simcha Hochbaum)
    • Bekiyut Incentive Program (Rav Elie Marcus)
    • Gemara Methodology (Rav Moshe Benovitz)
    • Sugyot / “Lomdus” Chabura (Rav Shalom Rosner)
    • Daf Yomi Review (Rav Doni Marcus)
    • Shas Survey (Rav Ari Marcus)

    Tanach & Commentaries

    • Survey of Nevi'im Rishonim (Rav Simcha Hochbaum)
    • Table Talk/ Parshat Hashavua (Rav Yehoshua Landau)
    • Weekly Review of Rashi’s Commentary (Rav Avi Perlowitz)
    • Insights on Sefer Tehillim (Rav Moshe Benovitz)
    • Parshat Hashavua (Rav Doni Marcus)
    • Shivat Tzion / Sefer Ezra & Nechmiah (Rav Simcha Hochbaum)
    • Parsha Points to Ponder (Rav Dov Lipman)
    • Five Megillot in Depth (Rav David Zeit)

    Halacha / Jewish Law

    • Sefardic Halacha (Rav David Zeit)
    • Daily Halacha Shiur- Orach Chaim (Rav Ari Marcus)
    • Halacha and The State of Israel (Rav Jay Marcus)
    • Practical Halacha (Rav Danny Myers)
    • Hilchot Shabbat (Rav Shalom Rosner)
    • Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Rav Mendel Schulman)
    • Topics in Contemporary Halacha (Rav Daniel Myers)
    • Mishnah Berurah Shiur (Rav Yosef Bronfeld)

    Torat Eretz Yisrael

    • Zionism, Politics & Halacha: Daily Update (Rav Jay Marcus)
    • Halacha & The Jewish State (Rav Moshe Yeshurun / Rav Jay Marcus)
    • Weekly Course on Zionism & Israeli History (Prof. Ze'ev Ben-Shachar, The David Project & Yavneh Olami)
    • Mitzvot of the Land of Israel (Rav Daniel Myers)
    • Writings of Rav Kook & His Students (Rav Judah Mischel)
    • Shivat Tzion (Rav Simcha Hochbaum)
    • Ulpan (Bi-Weekly) (Yossi Bienenstock)
    • Jewish History from 1948 (BCE) to 1948 (Rav Elie Marcus)
    • Sefer Ayelet Hashachar (Rav Judah Mischel)
    • "Kum Hit’halech B’Aretz": Tiyulim & Special Programs

    Jewish Philosophy & Chassidus

    • Weekly Va'adim in Machshevet Yisrael (Rav Doni Marcus)
    • Shiur Klali on Topics in Jewish Philosophy (Rav Mendel Blachman)
    • Jewish Philosophy Survey (Rav Dov Lipman / Rav Avi Fertig)
    • Sefer Tanya (Rav Ari Marcus)
    • Nefesh HaChayim (Rav Mendel Blachman)
    • Thought of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (R. Yosef Karduner)
    • Sefer Netivot Shalom (Rav Simcha Hochbaum)
    • Selected Writings of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik (Rav Moshe Yeshurun)
    • Leket Amarim of Rav Yakov Meir Shechter (Rav Elie Marcus)
    • Chovat HaTalmidim - Piasetzna (Rav Judah Mischel)
    • Fundamentals of Faith (Rav Mendel Schulman)
    • Chasidic Masters on the Weekly Parsha (Rav Elie Marcus)

    Jewish Ethics / Mussar

    • Weekly Sicha (Rav Elie Marcus)
    • Guided Study in Messilat Yesharim (Rav Moshe Benovitz)
    • Messilat Yesharim Chabura (Rav Elie Marcus)
    • Sefer Alei Shur (Rav Avi Fertig)
    • Pirkei Avot (Rav Doni Marcus, Rav Avi Perlowitz)
    • Rabbeinu Yonah on Avot (Rav Bronfeld)
    • Sefer Orchot Tzadikim (Rav Judah Mischel)
    • Development of Mussar Movement (Rav Avi Fertig)
    • Weekly Chabura- Assorted Topics (R. Dan Wurtzberger)

    Prayer

    • Sefer Hishtapchut HaNefesh- Breslov (R. Yosef Karduner)
    • Biyurei Tefilla (Rav Simcha Hochbaum)
    • Siddur Insights (Rav Judah Mischel)
    • Halachot of Davening (Rav Daniel Myers)
    • The Siddur (Rav Ari Marcus)

    Note: not all classes are offerred every year

    Daily Schedule
    7:45 AM SHACHARIT
    HALACHA SHIUR
    9:30-12:30 MORNING SHIUR/ CHAVRUTA STUDY
    12:30 LUNCH AND BREAK
    3:15 MINCHA
    3:30-5:30 B’KIYUT SHIURIM
    5:30-6:30 SELF STUDY AND OPTIONAL SHIURIM
    6:30 DINNER
    7:30-8:30 NIGHT SHIURIM
    8:30-9:45 SELF STUDY and TUTORS
    9:45 MA’ARIV

    Language of Instruction
    English

    Ulpan or Hebrew Class
    Two levels of Ulpan are offerred to the students – Beginner and Intermediate. Each is given twice a week.

    Assessment and Grading
    Class participation and oral interviews – some shiurim feature short written exams

    Shana Bet
    There are three shana bet tracks, one focused on advanced in-depth gemara skill building, one focused on inyanim of the gemara and one offering a broader curriulum of tanach, gemara and machshava shiurim.

    Joint Program
    We have official joint programs with YU and Touro College.

    Staff
    Rabbi Moshe Benovitz – Director of NCSY Program and Director of Student Affairs
    Rav Mendel Blachman
    Rav Yosef Bronfeld
    Rav Avi Fertig
    Rav Ezra Hershberg
    Rav Simcha Hochbaum
    Rav Yehoshua Landau
    Rav Dov Lipman – Co-Director NCSY Program
    Rav Ari Marcus
    Rav Elie Marcus - Mashgiach
    Rav Doni Marcus – Director of Student Life
    Rav Judah Mischel
    Rav Daniel Myers
    Rav Avi Perlowitz
    Rav Shalom Rosner – Director of Advanced program
    Rav Mendel Schulman
    Rav Chayim Soloveichik
    Rav Yerachmiel Stewart
    Rav Raphael Willig
    Rav David Zeit – Director Sephardic Program
    Extra-Curricular Activities
    Interaction with Israelis
    Daily interaction with Israeli society; various personalities who give guest lectures; tiyulim and shabbatons.

    Special Informal programs
    Kumsiztes; chesded programs and carnivals; shabbatons; tiyulim and Yimei Iyun.

    Sports Facilities
    Full sized indoor gym, state of the art workout room, hockey/tennis court, grassy field

    Programming for Shabbat and Yom Tov
    One out of every three Shabbatot is an ‘in’ Shabbat with special speakers, lectures and onegs; shabbatons are sprinkeled thorughout the year in various locations, rabbeim homes are always open. The yeshiva is always open, meals, shabbat and yom tov minyanim are always available.

    Field Trips
    Educational field trips once a month – some multi-day tiyulim for the whole yeshiva and some are day trips for select shiruim
    Eligibility
    Level of Learning Offered
    Reishit provides shiurim for students with varied backgrounds. We have an NCSY Mechina Program geared for students with limited background; a Sephardie Program geared to teach Sephardic minhagim and learning styles as well as our Traditional Program with varied levels of shiurim in Gemara, Tanach, Iyun, Tefillah, Halacha and Jewish Philosophy as well as our Advanced Program.

    Hebrew Knowledge Required
    NCSY program requires a beginner level of Hebrew. Most other shiurim require intermediate level. The Advanced Program requires an advanced level of Hebrew.

    Religious Observance Required
    All students must be fully shomrei torah and mitzvot. We are specifically looking for students with a strong desire to develop spiritually and who are committed to participating in all shiurim and programs. NCSY Mechina program members come primarily from public schools but have demonstrated special interest in torah and mitzvot previously. Sephardic program participants must have a background in Sephardic tefillah and basic halacha. Advanced program talmidim must have previously demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in their gemara studies in high school.
    Population
    Type of American Student
    We have students from across the United States and Canada. Aside from our NCSY program participants almost all are yeshiva high school graduates.

    Overall Number of Students (Kollel, Israeli, Foreign)
    No information provided

    Foreign Student Percentage
    No information provided

    Number of 1st Year American Students
    Approximately 100 first year students

    Number of 2nd Year American Students
    30-50 second year

    Other Nationalities
    No information provided

    Number of Students per Class
    12-14 students per class
    Accommodations
    Living Quarters
    Fully air conditioned dormitory suites with private bathrooms and refrigerators. There are 4 students to a room.

    Availability of Private Kitchen Facilities
    Microwaves available in student lounge

    Facility use during Shabbat and Yom Tov
    We are always open, meals and second day yom tov meals and tefillah are always available

    Curfew
    1:00 AM

    Security Arrangements
    Security is of prime importance to us. Full time security companies monitor premises and we have an armed shomer. Our facility is completely fenced in. If the situation warrants it, we are in telephone contact with talmidim. On tiyulim we always travel with an armed shomer and medic.
    History
    The yeshiva is in its 16th year, our 11th year in our beautiful Bet Shemesh campus. We have inspired nearly 1200 talmidim through out those years and have kept strong kesharim with many of them.
    Accrediting Universities
    Reishit Yerushalayim is part of the Yeshiva University S. Daniel Abraham Program. It also takes part in a joint program with Touro College. Many colleges and Universities in the United States accept credits from our program.
    Tuition
    Tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year is $20,900 with MASA providing $1,000 towards tuition. Tuition includes room, board, tiyulim and all academic activities.
    Additional Information
    No information provided.
    Contact Information

    Reishit Yerushalayim
    U.S. Office
    Rabbi Chaim Marcus
    3 Richland Drive
    Springfield, NJ 07081
    Phone: (973) 379-2343
    Fax: (973) 379-3928

    Israel Office
    Rabbi Ari Marcus / Yehoshua Herling
    21 Rashi Street
    Bet Shemesh 99523
    Phone: (02) 999-7155
    Fax: (02) 999-7154
    Email: rashie@reishit.org
    www.reishit.org 

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