Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (Hebrew:ראש ישיבה,pl.Hebrew:ראשי ישיבה,roshei yeshiva, rashe yeshiva; Anglicized pl.rosh yeshivas) is the title given to the dean of ayeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily theTalmud and theTorah, andhalakha (Jewish law).
The general role of the rosh yeshiva is to oversee the Talmudic studies andpractical matters. The rosh yeshiva will often give the highestshiur (class) and is also the one to decide whether to grant permission for students to undertake classes for rabbinical ordination, known assemicha.
The term is acompound of the Hebrew wordsrosh ("head") andyeshiva (a school of religious Jewish education). The rosh yeshiva is required to have a comprehensive knowledge of the Talmud and the ability to analyse and present new perspectives, calledchidushim (novellae) verbally and often in print.
In some institutions, such as YU'sRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, the title ofrosh yeshiva is given to many rabbis and the dean of the yeshiva is known as therosh ha-yeshiva.
The primary role of the rosh yeshiva is not simply to be the dean, but is generally to give thehighest-level lecture in the yeshiva, which is usually a program of at least two years. Students who have studied in a yeshiva are generally known as "students of the Rosh Yeshiva", as their lecture is the one in which they usually attain their method of Talmudic analysis and critical reasoning, and this method is based on the particular style of that rosh yeshiva.
In addition, since yeshivas play a central role in the life of certain communities withinOrthodox Judaism, the position of rosh yeshiva is more than just the position within the yeshiva. A rosh yeshiva is often seen as a pillar of leadership in extended communities.
InHasidic Judaism, the role of rosh yeshiva is secondary to theRebbe, who is head of the Hasidic dynasty that controls it. In many Hasidic groups, the rosh yeshiva of a school will be the son or son-in-law of the rebbe, the assumed heir of the rebbe. However, the role that yeshivahs have within Hasidic communities is not nearly as important as it is in Lithuanian Jewish (Litvishe) communities. Hasidic students usually get married at the age of 18, which—in most cases—is the end of their yeshiva education. Students in the Lithuanian Jewish communities typically continue to study until they get married starting at around age 23, with the vast majority continuing their studies in akollel after marriage. As a result, the role that a rosh yeshiva plays in Lithuanian Jewish communities is much more important than in the Hasidic ones.
Yeshivas continue the scholarly traditions of the sages of theMishnah andTalmud who often headed academies with hundreds of students. In theTalmudic academies in Babylonia, the rosh yeshiva was referred to as thereishmetivta ("head of the academy" inAramaic) and had the title ofgaon. Regard for the rosh yeshiva in many ways is the transplantation of Hasidic attitudes in the Lithuanian world.
Depending on the size of the yeshiva, there may be several rosh yeshivas, sometimes from one extended family. There are familial dynasties of rosh yeshivas, for example, theSoloveitchik,Finkel,Feinstein,Kotler, andKook families, which head many yeshivas in theUnited States andIsrael.
Prior tothe Holocaust, most of the large yeshivas were based inEastern Europe. Presently, the majority of the world's yeshivas and their rosh yeshivas are located in theUnited States andIsrael.
The following is a list of some famous rosh yeshivas:
The titlerosh mesivta (alt. rosh metivta)[1] has a long history, going back many centuries.[2] The role is comparable to a dean in a university.[3]
The personal and ethical development of the students in the yeshiva is usually covered by a different personality, known as themashgiach or spiritual supervisor. This concept, introduced by theMussar movement in the 19th century, led to perfection of character as one of the aims of attending a yeshiva. One typical and influentialmashgiach wasEliyahu Eliezer Dessler.
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