Yeshivat Har Etzion#Educational and religious philosophy

{{Infobox university

| name = Yeshivat Har Etzion

| native_name = {{Script/Hebrew|ישיבת הר עציון}}

| image = TheGush2.jpg

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| caption = Yeshivat Har Etzion's main Bet Midrash building

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| established = {{Start date|1968|11|24}}, 3 Kislev 5729

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| founder = Rav Yehuda Amital, Rav Hanan Porat, Rav Yoel Bin-Nun, Moshe Moskowitz

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| students = 480

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| address = HaYeshiva St 1

| city = Alon Shvut

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| province = West Bank

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| coor = {{Coord|31.6577|N|35.1233|E|source:placeopedia_type:landmark_region:IL|display=title}}

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| religious_affiliation = Religious Zionism / Modern Orthodoxy

| website = {{URL|haretzion.org}}

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Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; {{Langx|he|ישיבת הר עציון}}), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a Hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Torah study in the world and with a student body of roughly 480, it is the second largest hesder yeshiva in Israel.{{cite web|url=https://www.kipa.co.il/amp/1104145/ |title=המספרים נחשפים: עשר ישיבות ההסדר הגדולות בישראל }}{{Cite web|title=Yeshivat Har Etzion Rabbis|url=https://korenpub.com/collections/yeshivat-har-etzion-rabbis|access-date=January 14, 2022|website=Koren Publishers Jerusalem}}

History

In 1968, shortly after the Six-Day War, a movement was founded to resettle the Gush Etzion region, from which Jews had been expelled following the Kfar Etzion massacre. Yehuda Amital, a prominent rabbi and Jewish educator, was asked to head a yeshiva in the region. In 1971, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein moved from the United States to join Amital as rosh yeshiva. First established in Kfar Etzion, it moved to Alon Shvut, where it developed into a major institution."Lonely man of faith", Larry Derfner, Jerusalem Post, December 22, 1995 The current yeshiva building was finished in 1977.{{Cite web|url=http://inthegush.blogspot.com/2017/04/35_5.html|title=in The Gush: הספרייה התורנית של ישיבת הר עציון – הנצחת זכרון הנופלים|first=In The|last=Gush|date=April 5, 2017}}

In 1997 a women's beit midrash was established for Israeli and overseas students as a sister school in Kibbutz Migdal Oz, which goes by the name Migdal Oz.

On January 4, 2006, Rabbis Yaakov Medan and Baruch Gigi joined Amital and Lichtenstein as rashei yeshiva in anticipation of Amital's upcoming retirement. Amital's involvement in the yeshiva effectively ended due to illness in the later months of 2009, and he died in July 2010. Mosheh Lichtenstein, son of Aharon Lichtenstein, was appointed as rosh yeshiva alongside and to eventually replace his father in 2008; Aharon Lichtenstein died in April 2015. The current rashei yeshiva are Rav Yaakov Medan, Rav Baruch Gigi and Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein.

Most of the students are Israelis in the hesder program, which integrates intensive yeshiva study with at least 15 months of active service in the Israel Defense Forces, an idea developed by the founding Rosh yeshiva, Rav Yehuda Amital.{{Cite news |title=This Day in Jewish History A Yeshiva Head and Settler Who Had a Change of Heart Is Born |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2014-10-31/ty-article/.premium/this-day-settler-rabbi-who-had-a-change-of-heart-is-born/0000017f-f0ee-da6f-a77f-f8eedea30000 |access-date=2023-09-11}}

There is a post-high school overseas program which receives students from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and France. There is also a Southern Hemisphere program for students from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia under Bnei Akiva's MTA program. Yeshivat Darkaynu, a yeshiva program for students with special needs is housed on the YHE campus.{{Cite web|url=https://darkaynu.org.il/|title=Home|website=Darkaynu|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-12}}

Several of the overseas students join the Israeli Hesder program and make aliyah. Most return to university outside of Israel. Some students eventually come back to the yeshiva to study for the rabbinate in the yeshiva's Semicha Program (Semicha given by the Israeli Rabbanut) and affiliated Herzog College.

Many alumni, both overseas and Israeli, have gone on to become rashei yeshiva or to take on other rabbinical positions in Israel and abroad. Over 550 alumni from overseas have made aliyah and a high percentage are involved in Jewish education. Others have gone on to prominent academic careers in fields such as science, law, medicine, engineering and mathematics.

In 2022 the Yeshiva opened a high school in Alon Shevut, Yeshivat Har Etzion Latze'irim headed by Rabbi Amichai Gordin, who left his position as a Ram in the Yeshiva to take on this position.{{Cite web |last=Desk |first=Jewish Press News |date=August 31, 2022 |title=Yeshivat Har Etzion Opens New High School in Gush Etzion |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/on-campus/yeshivat-har-etzion-opens-new-high-school-in-gush-etzion/2022/08/31/ |access-date=2023-06-16 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Julian |first=Hana Levi |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Yeshiva Har Etzion to Establish New Yeshiva High School in Alon Shvut |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/jewish-news/yeshiva-har-etzion-to-establish-new-yeshiva-high-school-in-alon-shvut/2021/11/02/ |access-date=2023-06-16 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2022 |title=Har Etzion Yeshiva opens new high school south of Jerusalem |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/359018 |access-date=2023-06-16 |website=Israel National News |language=en}} The high school was established to promote excellence in Gemara learning already from the high school age.{{Cite web |title=עמוד הבית |url=https://yt-haretzion.co.il/ |access-date=2023-06-16 |website=הישיבה התיכונית הר עציון |language=he-IL}}

Educational and religious philosophy

Yeshivat Har Etzion advocates a combination of Torah study and a love of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.{{cite web|url=http://www.haretzion.org/about-us/mission-statement|title=Mission Statement|author=|work=haretzion.org}} It is known for a more moderate and open approach to the role of religion in the modern world; the Yeshiva's slogan is "Immersed in Torah – Engaged with the World."{{Cite web |title=Etzion Foundation's 2022 In Person Annual Dinner |url=https://etzion.org.il/sites/default/files/2022-03/Save%20the%20Date%202022%20Annual%20Dinner%20June%209.pdf |website=Eztion.org.il}} The yeshiva encourages serious study, creative thought, intellectual rigor, and a universal, humanistic outlook.

The Yeshiva's core philosophy is illustrated by two key works by its founding Roshei Yeshiva: Jewish Values in a Changing World by Rav Amital (Hebrew: והארץ נתן לבני אדם) and By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God by Rav Lichtenstein (Hebrew: באור פניך יהלכון).{{Cite book |last=Amital |first=Yehuda |title=Jewish Values in a Changing World |year=2005 |publisher=KTAV Publishing House |isbn=978-0881258813 |language=English}}{{Cite book |last=Lichtenstein |first=Aharon |title=By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God |publisher=Maggid |year=2017 |isbn=978-1592644698 |language=English}}

The central focus of study is the Gemara or Talmud and the yeshiva is known in Israel and abroad for its rigorous standards of Talmud learning.See "Har Etzion" Listing under Yeshiva University's [https://www.yu.edu/israel-program/gis/mens Men's Schools – S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program] The Yeshiva in parallel emphasizes Tanach (Bible), Mussar (ethics and character development), Machshava (Jewish Thought), and Halakha LeMaaseh (practical Jewish law), facilitating students development in these areas also.

The study of Gemara at the yeshiva "trains talmidim [students] to analyze, explore and evaluate differing opinions in the hope that they will grow to be discerning individuals [and] sophisticated thinkers..."[http://www.haretzion.org/prospective-students/38-frequently-asked-questions Prospective Students FAQ], haretzion.org

In particular, the Yeshiva emphasizes the Brisker method of Talmud study, a method innovated by Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik; see {{slink|Yeshiva|Talmud study}}.

Some have argued that the complexity with which the yeshiva's students regard both Jewish and global matters can be seen as a product of the Brisker methodology, emphasizing as it does the compounded and dichotomous nature of many issues and subjects.For further discussion, see for example, pp. 37–65 in Haim Sabato and Aharon Lichtenstein (2016)[https://books.google.com/books?id=ob6gDAEACAAJ Seeking His Presence: Conversations with Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein], Yedioth Ahronoth Books, 2016. {{ISBN|978-9655456738}}. The yeshiva's relatively liberal and open worldview is also seen as a product of this Brisker approach, viewing the world as complex, a composite of many different dichotomous principles, whose inherent tension needs to be recognised.

The yeshiva actively encourages ethical and philosophical study - Mussar and Machshavah - both academically, and especially so as to cultivate the student's love of Torah study and religious commitment.

[https://www.yu.edu/israel-program/gis/mens "Har Etzion"]: Listing on S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program site at yu.edu

Numerous formal shiurim are offered in these areas daily,

[http://etzion.haretzion.org/about-us/vision "Vision of the Yeshiva"], etzion.haretzion.org

and students are encouraged to also study these areas privately.

However unlike a classic Mussar yeshiva, there is no formal Mussar seder (a study session set aside for learning moral-ethical texts).{{Citation |last=Kaplan |first=Lawrence J. |title=Joseph Soloveitchik and Halakhic Man |date=June 4, 2007 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ccol0521813123.011 |work=The Cambridge Companion to Modern Jewish Philosophy |pages=209–233 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/ccol0521813123.011 |isbn=9780521813129 |access-date=2022-03-01}}

The yeshiva is also well known for its pioneering and continuing role in the study of Tanach.

From the yeshiva's conception it was desired that Tanach would have an important role, something uncommon for Yeshivot at the time,

See description at, [https://korenpub.com/products/torah-mietzion-bereshithardcover "Torah MiEtzion", Bereshit volume], Koren Publishers Jerusalem{{Cite book |last1=רייס |first1=יהושע |url=http://etzion.haretzion.org/images/stories/YHE/publications/hi-sichati-toc-email.pdf |title=היא שיחתי |last2=Ziegler |first2=Reuven |last3=Lichtenstein |first3=Mosheh |last4=Marcus |first4=Yoseph |publisher=Koren Publishers Jerusalem |year=2013 |isbn=9789655261455 |location=Israel |language=Hebrew}}

and the Yeshiva thus pioneered the "Bible Revolution", "מהפכת התנ״ך", a renaissance in the status of and approach to Tanach study in the Religious Zionist (and broader religious) public, led by Yaaqov Medan and Yoel Bin-Nun.{{Cite web|last=Drazin|first=Israel|date=August 30, 2012|title=A Deeper Examination of the Bible|url=http://booksnthoughts.com/a-deeper-examination-of-the-bible/|website=Booksnthoughts.com}}

This approach emphasises the literal meaning (peshat) of biblical verses, but also takes into account the overall structure of the relevant section, the context and any intertextual references. It includes a more psychological and literary approach to character and narrative analysis, often known as "תנ"ך בגובה העיניים" ("Tanach at Eye Level"), all the while incorporating the views and ideas of the Midrash and later Rabbinical commentaries.The book Hi Sichati: Al Derech Limmud HaTanach (Hebrew: היא שיחתי: על דרך לימוד התנ״ך), which was published jointly by Yeshivat Har Etzion and Michlelet Herzog in 2013, comprises an analysis of the methodology of studying Tanach and deals at length with the discussion surrounding the Eye Level Approach

In the past, Rabbi Mordechai Breuer, the founder of the Shitat Habechinot ("The Aspects Approach"), also taught at the yeshiva.

Many of the yeshiva's teachers and alumni have published sefarim on Tanach. For example, the "Torah MiEtzion" series presents essays on the five books of the Torah from the rabbis of the yeshiva. The approach of the series is "centered on learning the 'simple meaning' of the text but also incorporating the disciplines of literary theory, geography, archeology and history in order to better understand the text."Jotkowitz, Alan. "Book Review: Torah MiEtzion". Jewish Press Book Supplement. Together with Herzog College, the Yeshiva produces several formal publications in the field, including the Journal Megadim.

Libraries

The Yeshiva operates two libraries. The Torah Library is the largest of any yeshiva in Israel, with over 90,000 volumes, as well as CDs, microfilms, rare Judaica and antique books, including the personal collection of Rav Yisachar Tamar collection and a four-hundred year-old collection from the Etz Chayim community of Amsterdam.{{Cite web|title=Yeshivat Har Etzion: Har Etzion Library|url=https://www.haretzion.org/torah/har-etzion-library/13-torah/torah/259-har-etzion-library-collections|work=haretzion.org |access-date=November 18, 2021}} The Pedagogic Resource Center of the Herzog College supplements the central Torah library, providing audio-visual material for teachers of Judaic studies in Israel and worldwide.

Online platforms

The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash provides yeshiva-style courses and shiurim (lectures) in Torah and Judaism to students of all ages online. Over 18,000 subscribers around the world subscribe to weekly shiurim, in English, Hebrew, and Russian covering subjects such as Tanakh, Gemara, Halakha, Jewish philosophy, and various other Jewish topics.{{cite web|url=http://www.etzion.org.il|title=vbm haretzion|work=etzion.org.il}}

KMTT is a daily Torah study Podcast from Yeshivat Har Etzion which is sent out every day of the week.{{cite web|url=http://www.kimitzion.org|title=KMTT – The Torah Podcast|work=kimitzion.org}}

Notable faculty

Yehuda Amital – Founding Rosh yeshiva,{{Cite web|url=http://www.haretzion.org/faculty/roshei-yeshiva|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320120009/http://www.haretzion.org/faculty/roshei-yeshiva|url-status=dead|title=Roshei Yeshiva|archive-date=March 20, 2012}} founder of the Meimad party
Amnon Bazak – Ram and lecturer at Herzog College
Ezra Bick – Ram, author, director of the Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash{{cite web | url=https://etzion.org.il/en | title=Torat Har Etzion }}
Yoel Bin-Nun – co-founder of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Gush Emunim
Mordechai Breuer – leading expert on Tanakh
Baruch Gigi – Rosh yeshiva
Menachem Leibtag – leading Tanakh scholar
Aharon Lichtenstein – Rosh yeshiva
Mosheh Lichtenstein – Rosh yeshiva
Yaakov Medan – Rosh yeshiva
Hanan Porat – co-founder of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Gush Emunim