Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim: Rabbinical Seminary of America
Encyclopedia
Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen, also known as Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim: Rabbinical Seminary of America (RSA), and often referred to as just Chofetz Chaim is a major Orthodox
yeshiva
in the United States
based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
, New York
. It is primarily an American, Lithuanian
-style Talmud
ic yeshiva.
The yeshiva is named in memory of Rabbi
Yisroel Meir Kagan
, who was known as the Chafetz Chaim after the name of his book with the same title. Chafetz Chaim means "Seeker/Desire [of] Life" in Hebrew
.
The yeshiva was established in 1933 by Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz
, a disciple of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel ("The Alter of Slabodka"). Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz also studied under Rabbi Naftoli Trop
and the Chofetz Chaim in the Raduń Yeshiva
. Both of these yeshivas were in Lithuania
. However, for a time Radin was governed by the Polish.
After its founder's death in December 1941, the yeshivah was headed and developed by his son, Rabbi Henoch Leibowitz
(d. April 15, 2008). Today, it is led by two of Rabbi Henoch's close disciples, Rabbi Dovid Harris
and Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt
.
RSA also has a branch in the Sanhedria Murchevet section of Jerusalem, and many affiliates located throughout North America
and beyond.
An Alumni website is located at www.RSAalums.org
. The cause of the dispute is not known. At the time, Rabbi Leibowitz taught the "top shiur," or most prestigious class, at Torah Vodaas, and when he quit to create his own yeshiva most of his students left with him. The new yeshiva was named for his great uncle Yisroel Meir Kagan, who had died that year.
The Yeshiva's first building was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
; later it relocated to Forest Hills, Queens, and more recently, to Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
.
Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim houses a boys' yeshiva
high school, an undergraduate yeshiva, and a rabbinical school that grants ordination
. Rabbinical students at Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva often spend a decade or more at the Yeshiva, studying a traditional yeshiva curriculum focusing on Talmud
, Mussar
("ethics"), and Halakha
("Jewish law").
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is primarily an American, Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
-style 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....
ic yeshiva.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Yisroel Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Poupko , known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life...
, who was known as the Chafetz Chaim after the name of his book with the same title. Chafetz Chaim means "Seeker/Desire [of] Life" in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
.
The yeshiva was established in 1933 by Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz
Dovid Leibowitz
Dovid Leibowitz was a leading rabbi and disciple of prewar Europe's Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania who went on to found the Rabbinical Seminary of America as its first Rosh yeshiva in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, New York...
, a disciple of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel ("The Alter of Slabodka"). Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz also studied under Rabbi Naftoli Trop
Naftoli Trop
Rabbi Naftoli Trop was the Rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Raduń, Poland. He was a renowned Talmudist and Talmid Chacham.-Early years:...
and the Chofetz Chaim in the Raduń Yeshiva
Radun Yeshiva
Raduń Yeshiva, originally located in Raduń, Poland , was established by the Chofetz Chaim in 1869.-Origins:In 1869 when the Chofetz Chaim returned from Vashilyshok to Raduń his first action was to establish a group to whom he could spread the knowledge of Torah...
. Both of these yeshivas were in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. However, for a time Radin was governed by the Polish.
After its founder's death in December 1941, the yeshivah was headed and developed by his son, Rabbi Henoch Leibowitz
Henoch Leibowitz
Alter Chanoch Henoch Leibowitz was an Orthodox rabbi who was rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen, which was founded by his father Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz in 1933.- Life :...
(d. April 15, 2008). Today, it is led by two of Rabbi Henoch's close disciples, Rabbi Dovid Harris
David Harris (rabbi)
Dovid Harris is an Orthodox rabbi who as co-rosh yeshiva heads the Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen. He is a prominent figure in the yeshiva world and speaks annually at the Torah Umesorah - National Society for Hebrew Day Schools convention...
and Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt
Akiva Grunblatt
Akiva Grunblatt is an Orthodox rabbi who as co-rosh yeshiva heads the Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen. in Flushing, New York. Before being appointed to his current position in 2000, he was a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva Toras Chaim in Miami, Florida.-References:...
.
RSA also has a branch in the Sanhedria Murchevet section of Jerusalem, and many affiliates located throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and beyond.
An Alumni website is located at www.RSAalums.org
History
The yeshiva was established in 1933 following a dispute between Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz and the administration of Yeshiva Torah VodaasYeshiva Torah Vodaas
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas is a yeshiva located in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.- History :...
. The cause of the dispute is not known. At the time, Rabbi Leibowitz taught the "top shiur," or most prestigious class, at Torah Vodaas, and when he quit to create his own yeshiva most of his students left with him. The new yeshiva was named for his great uncle Yisroel Meir Kagan, who had died that year.
The Yeshiva's first building was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
; later it relocated to Forest Hills, Queens, and more recently, to Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
Kew Gardens Hills, also sometimes incorrectly referred to as Kew Garden Hills, is a one-square mile sub-neighborhood of Flushing in the New York City borough of Queens. The western border is Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, on the north is Jewel Avenue, on the south is Union Turnpike and to the east...
.
Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim houses a boys' 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...
high school, an undergraduate yeshiva, and a rabbinical school that grants ordination
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 students at Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva often spend a decade or more at the Yeshiva, studying a traditional yeshiva curriculum focusing on 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....
, Mussar
Mussar movement
The Musar movement is a Jewish ethical, educational and cultural movement that developed in 19th century Eastern Europe, particularly among Orthodox Lithuanian Jews. The Hebrew term Musar , is from the book of Proverbs 1:2 meaning instruction, discipline, or conduct...
("ethics"), and Halakha
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...
("Jewish law").
Characteristics
There are four primary characteristics of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim of Queens that distinguish it from other Yeshivos:- An emphasis upon unfolding the latent processes of reasoning within the steps of the Talmudic sugya ("section") being studied. The methodology places emphasis on the notion that the initial assumptions of the Talmud must be highly rigorous, and that the movement between the initial thought process (known as the hava aminah) of the Talmudic sugya to the final thought process (known as the maskana) must be fully unfolded and understood.
- An approach to ethical and Biblical texts and its commentaries that emphasizes a rigor that other yeshivas of this genre generally accord to Halakhic or Talmudic texts alone. The yeshiva promotes the idea that ideally a deduction from these texts should be muchrach meaning "logically and textually compelling." This approach yields a convincing discourse on Torah that is "well-grounded".
- The study of MussarMussar movementThe Musar movement is a Jewish ethical, educational and cultural movement that developed in 19th century Eastern Europe, particularly among Orthodox Lithuanian Jews. The Hebrew term Musar , is from the book of Proverbs 1:2 meaning instruction, discipline, or conduct...
("ethics"), both by attending and reviewing semiweekly lectures (that are presented in the well-grounded method described above) and through daily individual study of Mussar texts, is strongly emphasized. Rabbi Dovid LeibowitzDovid LeibowitzDovid Leibowitz was a leading rabbi and disciple of prewar Europe's Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania who went on to found the Rabbinical Seminary of America as its first Rosh yeshiva in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, New York...
founded the Chofetz Chaim yeshiva in the footsteps of his rebbeRebbeRebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
, the Alter of Slabodka, and Rabbi Yisroel SalanterYisrael SalanterRabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
, the founder of the Mussar movementMussar movementThe Musar movement is a Jewish ethical, educational and cultural movement that developed in 19th century Eastern Europe, particularly among Orthodox Lithuanian Jews. The Hebrew term Musar , is from the book of Proverbs 1:2 meaning instruction, discipline, or conduct...
. Through the study of mussar one may hope, over many years, to improve characterMoral characterMoral character or character is an evaluation of a particular individual's durable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits...
traits by increasing self-awareness and self-control. Rabbi Henoch LeibowitzHenoch LeibowitzAlter Chanoch Henoch Leibowitz was an Orthodox rabbi who was rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen, which was founded by his father Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz in 1933.- Life :...
would continually remind his students that as important as it is to become a lamdenLamdenLamdan is a late Hebrew expression for a man who is well informed in rabbinical literature, although not a scholar in the technical sense of the term ; it does not seem to have been used before the 18th century...
("analytical scholar") and a great pedagogue, it is even more important to become a mentch ("a good human being"). - An emphasis on propagating the ideals and values of Judaism. Upon completion of a rigorous term of study, students are encouraged to seek employment in the field of Jewish education, often launching their own educational institutions themselves or with a partner. Hundreds (possibly thousands) of alumni have gone on to become religious instructors, synagogue rabbis, education and outreach coordinators, community leaders, and organizational officials.
Affiliates and branches
- The Mesivta of Roslyn also known as the Joseph Grunberg Torah Academy or Yeshiva Ateres Yitchok opened in 2000 with a small student group. In June 2010 it ended its final school year and closed its doors due to mounting financial issues.
Affiliates and branches by state
- CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- Valley Torah High School, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- Torah High Schools of San Diego, San DiegoSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
- Valley Torah High School, Los Angeles
- FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
- Yeshiva Toras Chaim, North Miami BeachNorth Miami Beach, FloridaNorth Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...
- Rabbi Binyomin LubanBinyomin LubanRabbi Binyomin Luban is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras Chaim in North Miami Beach, Florida-Life and Education:Rabbi Luban was born and raised in Queens, New York. His brother is Rabbi Yaakov Luban, the rabbinic coordinator of the Orthodox Union's Kashruth division. He attended the flagship high...
Rosh Yeshiva - JEC of South Florida, Boca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
- Torah Academy of Boca Raton
- Yeshiva Toras Chaim, North Miami Beach
- MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
- Missouri Torah Institute, St. LouisSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
- Missouri Torah Institute, St. Louis
- New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
:- Cherry Hill
- ManalapanManalapan Township, New JerseyManalapan Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,872. The name "Manalapan" comes from the Lenape word for "land of good bread or good land to settle upon."...
- NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
:- Las Vegas Kollel
- New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
:- CedarhurstCedarhurst, New YorkCedarhurst is a village in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, in the USA. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 United States Census. The village is named after a grove of trees that once stood at the post office....
- HuntingtonHuntington, New YorkThe Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
- Yeshiva Zichron YaakovYeshiva Zichron YaakovYeshiva Zichron Yaakov is an all-male Jewish Orthodox high school located in New Hempstead, New York which operates under the direction and leadership of Rabbi Eliyahu Maza.-Affiliaton:...
, MonseyMonsey, New YorkMonsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet... - New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
- QueensQueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
- Mesivta Kesser Yisroel, Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
- Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel, Brooklyn
- Talmudical Institute of Upstate New York, RochesterRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
- RoslynRoslyn, New YorkRoslyn is a village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,770...
- closed down in 2010
- Cedarhurst
- TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- Texas Torah Institute, DallasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
- Texas Torah Institute, Dallas
- WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
- The Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study, MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
- The Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study, Milwaukee
- Canada
- Pacific Torah InstitutePacific Torah InstituteThe Pacific Torah Institute or PTI is an all-male yeshiva high school in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.The school is an affiliate of the Rabbinical Seminary of America or Chofetz Chaim yeshiva. The school is the only all-male yeshiva high school in the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada...
, VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
- Pacific Torah Institute
- IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
- Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim-Israel Branch-CCJ
- Zichron Aryeh Yerushalayim
- Jerusalem, Ramot