Matityahu, Mateh Binyamin
Encyclopedia
Matityahu is a moshav
and Israeli settlement
in the West Bank
, located approximately midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
, near the city of Modi'in. Matityahu was initially founded in 1981 by a group of English
-speaking immigrants from the United States
and elsewhere, and it is now home to a community of observant Jewish families. Matityahu vineyards sell grapes to Israeli winemakers. The community also has agricultural fields operated by independent contractors and rental properties in its commercial park. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
of central Israel, in the Matte Binyamin
region. Matityahu is adjacent to the rapidly-expanding Haredi
city of Modi'in Illit
, and is across the highway from the community of Hashmonaim
. Other towns in the immediate vicinity include Lapid
, Kfar HaOranim
, Kfar Ruth, and Shilat
. Situated 286 metres (938.3 ft) above sea level, Matityahu's climate is temperate
. Summer temperatures range between 28 and 35 °C (82.4 and 95 F) during the day, with approximately 65% humidity during the hottest summer days. Winters are mostly mild, with frequent rain and almost never any snow.
A centrally important aspect of Matityahu is that it is a litvish community with one rabbi and one synagogue. It is required that every family accepts Rabbi Zev Leff
's (the community rabbi) da'at torah and halakhic
rulings for all matters that may impact on others and respect the "united community" aspect of life in the community. Therefore, all residents are expected to be religiously observant and strict religious standards are demanded including a ban on television and videos. All homes are required to follow the kashrut
standards set by Rabbi Leff and women must dress with complete adherence to the specific tzniut
standards. A significant number of men study Torah
full time in a kollel
. The general philosophy of Matityahu differs from that of mainstream Israeli Haredi communities in a few key ways. Examples of these differences include accepting men who work in full-time jobs, allowing those who wish to acknowledge Yom Ha'atzmaut
to do so, and not demanding that men dress only in white shirts, jackets, and hats (although many do).
of Yeshiva Gedolah Matisyahu and as spiritual advisor of the elementary school in nearby Chashmonaim. As in European Jewish communities in the past, the rabbi sets the spiritual tone of the community, provides leadership in halakhic and communal areas, and delivers lectures to moshav members and others seven days a week. Rabbi Leff is one of Israel's active English-speaking Torah educators and often travels to speak at schools, yeshiva
s, seminaries, community centers, and events throughout the country and overseas. Rabbi Leff is particularly well known for his Tisha B'Av
Kinnot
shiur, which attracts hundreds of English-speaking visitors to Matityahu each year.
Rav Leff received his semicha
(rabbinical ordination) from the Telshe yeshiva
in Cleveland, Ohio
, where he studied under Rabbi Mordechai Gifter
. From 1974 to 1983, Rav Leff served as rabbi of Young Israel of North Miami Beach, where he built a successful Torah-oriented community. In August 1983, Rav Leff assumed the position of the village rabbi.
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
and Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, located approximately midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, near the city of Modi'in. Matityahu was initially founded in 1981 by a group of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking immigrants from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and elsewhere, and it is now home to a community of observant Jewish families. Matityahu vineyards sell grapes to Israeli winemakers. The community also has agricultural fields operated by independent contractors and rental properties in its commercial park. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
International law and Israeli settlements
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Location and climate
Matityahu is located in the foothills of the Judean MountainsJudean Mountains
The Judaean Mountains, ;, also Judaean Hills and Hebron Hills is a mountain range in Israel and the West Bank where Jerusalem and several other biblical cities are located. The mountains reach a height of 1,000 m.-Geography:...
of central Israel, in the Matte Binyamin
Matte Binyamin Regional Council
Mateh Binyamin Regional Council is a regional council covering 42 Israeli settlements in the southern Samarian hills of the West Bank. The seat of the council is Psagot. The council is named for the ancient Israelite tribe of Benjamin, whose territory roughly corresponds to that of the council.In...
region. Matityahu is adjacent to the rapidly-expanding Haredi
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
city of Modi'in Illit
Modi'in Illit
Modi'in Illit is a Haredi Israeli settlement and a city in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Modi'in Illit was granted city status by the Israeli government in 2008. It is located six kilometres northeast of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut and is often referred to as Kiryat...
, and is across the highway from the community of Hashmonaim
Hashmonaim
Hashmonaim is an Israeli settlement in the Binyamin Region, in the northern section of the West Bank. The settlement located off Route 443, and on Route 446, which connects between Modi'in and Ariel. Less than a kilometer East of Hashmonaim, is the major Haredi settelment, Modi'in Illit , the...
. Other towns in the immediate vicinity include Lapid
Lapid
Lapid is an Israeli communal settlement bordering on the West Bank but within the Green Line. Located near Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 2,300....
, Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim , also known as Menora or Giv'at Ehud, is a communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is contiguous with Lapid and near to the major city of Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council...
, Kfar Ruth, and Shilat
Shilat
Shilat is a moshav in Israel located around a kilometre north of Modi'in, just west of the Green Line. It falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council...
. Situated 286 metres (938.3 ft) above sea level, Matityahu's climate is temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
. Summer temperatures range between 28 and 35 °C (82.4 and 95 F) during the day, with approximately 65% humidity during the hottest summer days. Winters are mostly mild, with frequent rain and almost never any snow.
Community
As of 2010, Matityahu consists of 70 families (about 400 residents in the moshav). Over the next ten years, Matityahu plans to add another 250 carefully selected families (a building project constructing a new neighborhood of 40 single family homes commenced in the spring of 2009). Of the current resident families, more than half speak English at home (the others are primarily Hebrew-speaking). There is a wide range of ages – from families with parents in their twenties to great-grandparents. A number of households consist of parents who themselves grew up in Matityahu.A centrally important aspect of Matityahu is that it is a litvish community with one rabbi and one synagogue. It is required that every family accepts Rabbi Zev Leff
Zev Leff
Zev Leff, Rav of moshav Matityahu, Mateh Binyamin, Israel, is an American-born Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a widely-popular Torah educator who teaches and lectures regularly at English-speaking yeshivot, girls' schools, community centers, synagogue functions, and other events in Israel, as well as in...
's (the community rabbi) da'at torah and halakhic
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
rulings for all matters that may impact on others and respect the "united community" aspect of life in the community. Therefore, all residents are expected to be religiously observant and strict religious standards are demanded including a ban on television and videos. All homes are required to follow the kashrut
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
standards set by Rabbi Leff and women must dress with complete adherence to the specific tzniut
Tzniut
Tzniut is a term used within Judaism and has its greatest influence as a concept within Orthodox Judaism...
standards. A significant number of men study Torah
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
full time in a kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
. The general philosophy of Matityahu differs from that of mainstream Israeli Haredi communities in a few key ways. Examples of these differences include accepting men who work in full-time jobs, allowing those who wish to acknowledge Yom Ha'atzmaut
Yom Ha'atzmaut
Yom Ha'atzmaut commemorates Israel's declaration of Independence in 1948. It is celebrated on 5 Iyar according to the Hebrew calendar. Yom Ha'atzmaut is preceded by Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day.-History:...
to do so, and not demanding that men dress only in white shirts, jackets, and hats (although many do).
Matityahu's rabbi
Rabbi Leff has been the single religious leader of the community for about 30 years. He also serves as the rosh yeshivaRosh 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...
of Yeshiva Gedolah Matisyahu and as spiritual advisor of the elementary school in nearby Chashmonaim. As in European Jewish communities in the past, the rabbi sets the spiritual tone of the community, provides leadership in halakhic and communal areas, and delivers lectures to moshav members and others seven days a week. Rabbi Leff is one of Israel's active English-speaking Torah educators and often travels to speak at schools, yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s, seminaries, community centers, and events throughout the country and overseas. Rabbi Leff is particularly well known for his Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
Kinnot
Kinnot
Kinnot are dirges or elegies traditionally recited by Jews on Tisha B'Av to mourn the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history, including the Crusades and the Holocaust...
shiur, which attracts hundreds of English-speaking visitors to Matityahu each year.
Rav Leff received his semicha
Semicha
, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...
(rabbinical ordination) from the Telshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva was a famous Eastern European yeshiva founded in the Lithuanian town of Telšiai. After World War II the yeshiva relocated to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is currently known as the Rabbinical College of Telshe, It is one of the most prominent Haredi institutions of Torah...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, where he studied under Rabbi Mordechai Gifter
Mordechai Gifter
Rabbi Mordechai Gifter was the rosh yeshiva of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland and among the foremost religious leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the late 20th century. He studied in yeshivas in Lithuania and held several rabbinical positions in the United States of America.-Biography:Mordechai Gifter...
. From 1974 to 1983, Rav Leff served as rabbi of Young Israel of North Miami Beach, where he built a successful Torah-oriented community. In August 1983, Rav Leff assumed the position of the village rabbi.