Machon Yaakov
Encyclopedia
Machon Yaakov www.machonyaakov.org is a baal teshuva
yeshiva for men located in Har Nof
, Jerusalem, Israel
. Its faculty and student body are all English speaking.
The program, which is designed for students with little or no formal Jewish education, has a one-year minimum and a two-year maximum. Enrollment is limited to about 32 students, generally weighted about 2/3-1/3 between the first- and second- year programs.
Student ages range between 20 & 35. There are 16 faculty members with several of the faculty holding accomplished records in business, academia, psychology and sports. The Rosh Yeshiva
is Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld; the director of the yeshiva and co-founder is Rabbi Avraham Yitzchok Jacobs. Rabbi Gershenfeld also serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Machon Shlomo (also a Har Nof-based baal teshuva yeshiva) as well as chairman of MEOR www.meor.org, which offers 10-week courses and Israel learning/touring trips to students on more than 20 US college campuses. Prior to Machon Yaakov, Rabbi Jacobs enjoyed a distinguished career on Wall Street, as a managing director at JPMorgan and partner at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. He was also an Emmy- and Pulitzer-nominated journalist. Rabbi Yosef Lynn serves as the yeshiva's Dean of Students; Rabbi Lynn served as captain of the USA's national and world running-cycling team, and competed in the Ironman Triathalon competition
According to its website Machon Yaakov aims to connect its students to classical Jewish texts and perspectives and to give its students independence and inspiration towards a lifetime of Jewish growth. The directions viewed as acceptable for its alumni include both religious (rabbis and teachers) and secular (businessmen, doctors, lawyers and academics) oriented careers.
The program include as subjects Talmud
, Chumash, musar literature
(character development and ethics), and Hebrew language (ulpan
). The programs are housed in a 5-story building in Har Nof
, Jerusalem which contains classrooms, offices, study hall, dining facilities, dormitories, student lounge, exercise facilities and a half-basketball court.
Baal teshuva
Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah , sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jew who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "repentant", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God...
yeshiva for men located in Har Nof
Har Nof
Har Nof is a neighborhood on a hillside on the western boundary of Jerusalem, Israel, with a population of 20,000 residents, primarily Orthodox Jews.-History:...
, Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Its faculty and student body are all English speaking.
The program, which is designed for students with little or no formal Jewish education, has a one-year minimum and a two-year maximum. Enrollment is limited to about 32 students, generally weighted about 2/3-1/3 between the first- and second- year programs.
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
is Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld; the director of the yeshiva and co-founder is Rabbi Avraham Yitzchok Jacobs. Rabbi Gershenfeld also serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Machon Shlomo (also a Har Nof-based baal teshuva yeshiva) as well as chairman of MEOR www.meor.org, which offers 10-week courses and Israel learning/touring trips to students on more than 20 US college campuses. Prior to Machon Yaakov, Rabbi Jacobs enjoyed a distinguished career on Wall Street, as a managing director at JPMorgan and partner at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. He was also an Emmy- and Pulitzer-nominated journalist. Rabbi Yosef Lynn serves as the yeshiva's Dean of Students; Rabbi Lynn served as captain of the USA's national and world running-cycling team, and competed in the Ironman Triathalon competition
According to its website Machon Yaakov aims to connect its students to classical Jewish texts and perspectives and to give its students independence and inspiration towards a lifetime of Jewish growth. The directions viewed as acceptable for its alumni include both religious (rabbis and teachers) and secular (businessmen, doctors, lawyers and academics) oriented careers.
The program include as subjects Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, Chumash, musar literature
Musar literature
Musar literature is the term used for didactic Jewish ethical literature which describes virtues and vices and the path towards perfection in a methodical way.- Definition of Musar literature :...
(character development and ethics), and Hebrew language (ulpan
Ulpan
An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan is a Hebrew word meaning basically studio or teaching, instruction....
). The programs are housed in a 5-story building in Har Nof
Har Nof
Har Nof is a neighborhood on a hillside on the western boundary of Jerusalem, Israel, with a population of 20,000 residents, primarily Orthodox Jews.-History:...
, Jerusalem which contains classrooms, offices, study hall, dining facilities, dormitories, student lounge, exercise facilities and a half-basketball court.