Yeshivas Ner Yisroel

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Yeshivas Ner Yisroel (Hebrew: ישיבת נר ישראל) officially the Ner Israel Rabbinical College or NIRC, is a yeshiva in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, one of the primary disciples of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, dean of the Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. It is currently headed by Rabbi Aharon Feldman, a disciple of Rabbi Ruderman. The yeshiva was named after Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin Salanter [1], the founder of the mussar movement and teacher of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel.

The yeshiva is an all-male Lithuanian (Litvish)-style Haredi Talmudic college and is politically affiliated with Agudath Israel. It presently consists of a high school numbering over 250 students, an undergraduate Beis Medrash program numbering about 400 students, and a kollel post-graduate rabbinical division numbering about 180 students[citation needed].

The yeshiva is on a self-contained campus located at Mt. Wilson Lane, Pikesville, Maryland, just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. Ner Yisroel has two central study halls, one for the high school and one much larger for the beis medrash and the kollel (also doubling as the main prayer sanctuaries). The campus also includes lecture halls, classrooms, libraries, a dining hall, dormitories, faculty housing and outdoor recreational space.

Ner Yisroel is also an accredited college by the state of Maryland, and has agreements with Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, Community College of Baltimore County, Loyola College in Maryland, University of Baltimore, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County where the under-graduate students (excluding freshmen) can, on a limited bi-weekly and summer basis, take night courses at these colleges and universities in a variety of academic fields, and also receive academic credits for their religious studies. This program appeals to many Orthodox young men looking to combine academic study with a yeshiva experience .

Ner Yisroel Beis Medrash

Contents

[edit] Curriculum

The yeshiva's studies are primarily Talmud texts and relevant rabbinic literature .The yeshiva has a rotating cycle of eight different tractates it covers in the course of eight years. The day, aside from prayers and meals, is divided into three primary sections in which a "sugya" (section of the Talmud) is studied in depth. Smaller time slots are allotted daily to both mussar (Jewish ethics) and halachah (practical Jewish law). Most undergraduate students attend a lecture three or four times a week on the relevant topic, given by the faculty. The Rosh Hayeshiva also delivers a lecture to the general student body once a week.

Senior students and most members of the kollel are part of various chaburahs (informal study groups). Some of these groups study the same tractate as main student body and study towards rabbinic ordination. Also, Rabbi Yissocher Frand has a class where the emphasis is on studying "aliba d'hilchisa" (learning with an emphasis on practical Jewish law).

Degrees granted by Ner Israel are a Bachelor of Talmudic Law (four years), Master of Talmudic Law (six years), Doctorate in Talmudic Law (ten years and authoring a commentary on Talmudic or Rabbinic texts). Semichah/Rabbinic ordination can also be conferred in NIRC.

NIRC's Machon program trains future religious educators for Jewish communities and schools. Students earn a Torah Umesorah recognized certification. Today, there are a high number of congregational rabbis, Jewish educators & administrators who learned in NIRC and graduated from the Machon.

[edit] Past leadership

Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, the son-in-law of Rabbi Sheftel Kramer founded the yeshiva in 1933 with six students. He had a vision, to build a yeshiva in the European style on American soil. He authored the Avodas Levi on ritual sacrifices.

Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger, also a son-in-law of Rabbi Sheftel Kramer and an alumnus of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Europe. Rabbi Neuberger was president of Ner Israel, from 1940 until his passing in 2005.

Rabbi Dovid Kronglass, also of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Europe was the yeshiva's first mashgiach until his passing in 1973. His personality and fiery ethical lectures strongly influenced the yeshiva's character.

Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, a descendant of prominent hasidic personalities and son-in-law of Rabbi Ruderman, served on the Ner Yisrael faculty for nearly 50 years. Upon Rabbi Ruderman's passing in 1987, took his place, a capacity he held until his own passing in 1999. Rabbi Weinberg was married to Chana Ruderman, the only child of Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman. His students posthumously published his works on the introduction the Rambam gives to his Mishneh Torah called Meoros Harambam.

After Rabbi Weinberg's passing, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky, a leading Talmudist in Ner Israel and disciple of Rav Shlomo Heiman, took over the rosh yeshiva position, which he retained until his passing in 2001. His influence in the yeshiva was noticeable in his passionate love for and diligence in studying the Talmud.

Other prominent Rabbis who have served on the faculty include Rabbi Shimon Schwab zt"l, later rabbi of the German-Jewish Frankfurt Kehillah/community in Washington Heights N.Y., Rabbi Simcha Zissel Broide zt"l of the Chevron Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Rabbi Ephraim Eisenberg zt"l, the son-in-law of the Telshe Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Mordechai Gifter zt"l who himself lectured in the yeshivah during the Second World War, Rabbi Moshe Eisenmann, prolific author of many books on Jewish topics, who served as its second mashgiach ruchani and is presently retired, and Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, presently Rav of the Agudath Israel of Baltimore and Star-K, the kashrus organization.

[edit] Present leadership

A student studying inside the Bais Medrash

The yeshiva today is headed by Rabbi Aharon Feldman, who serves as the rosh yeshiva and is also a council member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Rabbi Beryl Weisbord, the yeshiva's mashgiach ruchani and the husband of Dr. Aviva Weisbord, daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, and Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger, the nasi (president) of the yeshiva; he succeeds his father, Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger, who held the same position. Rabbi Tzvi Berkowitz teaches the largest shiur, which numbers over 100 students. The menahel (principal) of the mechina (high school) is Rabbi Yosef Tendler.

[edit] Student Body

Drawn from all over the world, Ner Yisroel attracts students from Australia, Belgium, England, Israel, South Africa, Russia and many other countries. The bulk of the yeshiva, however, is from Baltimore, the New York area, and the rest of the United States and Canada. Due to Rabbi H. Neuberger's close association with the Persian-Jewish community and assistance in helping them escape Iran and re-settle in the U.S.A., Ner Yisroel possesses a large contingent of students of Persian background. South American Jewry is also well represented in the yeshiva.

Most undergraduate students in NIRC will have studied in Israel for two or three years prior to their arrival, or plan to upon completion of their studies in Ner Yisroel. Yeshivos most commonly attended are the Mirrer Yeshiva, Toras Moshe, Mercaz Hatorah, Birchas Mordechai, Kol Torah, Bais Yisroel, and Rav Tzvi Kaplan's yeshiva.

Major student projects include "PROJECT YAHUD", a spring break fundraising effort where older students disperse across North America to Jewish communities to raise funds for the religious schools in the impoverished and primarily Sephardic city in Yahud, Israel, and "PROJECT SEED", a summertime outreach effort in smaller communities in which groups of six to eight students along with a Kollel family study as a group in the morning, with individual community members at night, and engage in recreational activities in the afternoon.

[edit] Branching out

In 1964, Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg went to the branch of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Toronto that had been established by Rabbi Sholom Gold in 1959 in Toronto where he served as rosh yeshiva until 1971. This branch still serves Toronto's Jewish community, but it is no longer affiliated with its founder.

More recently, Ner Yisroel has sent many married men and their families to "out of town" kollelim. Though not officially affiliated with NIRC, the kollelim in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus, Phoenix, Providence and St. Louis are filled with many NIRC alumni, and on an informal level are very much connected to Ner Yisroel.

[edit] Prominent alumni

[edit] In Popular Culture

In the book "The Forgotten" by Faye Kellerman the son of protagonist Rina Lazarus applies to Ner Israel.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sefer HaYovel - HaPardes. Jubilee Book HaPardes - Rabbinical monthly journal, pg. 397. New york, NY: 1951. Can be seen here: http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=3153&pgnum=404
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