Together, with Momentum

After forty years of establishing itself as a solid and powerful Torah institution on the desert frontier east of Jerusalem—a Torah habitus that had much to do with the creation of the city of Ma’ale Adummim and the blossoming of the entire area with all its villages and hamlets, Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Ma’ale Adummim now aspires to new momentum in the fulfillment of its original vision: to be a major source of influence on Israeli society.

Message from the Rosh Yeshiva

G-d fulfills His wishes through the work of our hands. The yeshiva that was founded at Mishor Adummim in four tents by forty pioneering talmidim (students) and two ramim (class instructors) has expanded over the years. Thus, under the leadership of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz shlita, Yeshivat Birkat Moshe has turned out thousands of alumni as well as thousands of lovers of Torah who listen to its shiurim (Torah lectures). At the Yeshiva’s bet midrash, hundreds of young men learn Torah assiduously and train themselves in service of G-d with devotion, effort, profundity, and much proficiency. The yeshiva’s special voice is well known among the public. Its graduates stand out for their erudition, thinking, and dedication. The yeshiva quickly established its place among the leading institutions of its kind. At all times it has followed a consistent path that combines thoroughgoing study, common sense, moral qualities, profound faith, and love of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel with devoted service in the Israel Defense Forces. It has published exemplary sefarim (Torah-oriented books) that have impressed the religious and scholarly worlds and become widely known. Dozens of books published by the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Rabinowitz; by Rabbis Sabato and Sheilat; by the ramim, Rabbis Elisha Aviner and Eliahu Lifschitz; and by the researchers at Ma’aliyot Institute have enriched Israel’s Torah library. Now Yeshivat Birkat Moshe wishes to switch from stability to momentum. In the past year, we have established two continuing programs: a kollel (program for married students) for the training of dayyanim (rabbinical judges) and a kollel for the study of the Torah’s laws of Jewish statehood—in addition to the existing central kollel for rabbinical ordination. The yeshiva also has new, highly impressive and important programs in Torah literature. We also aspire to enhance the depth of our education and our relationship with our talmidim and graduates by augmenting our staff of class instructors and educators.

To attain these goals, the Yeshiva is launching a mass fundraising campaign.

We urge you, friends of the Yeshiva, to be our partners in this effort. Be generous with our Yeshiva, which generates a light that shines on us all.

May we and you be of good strength for our people
and for the Torah of the L-rd our G-d. 

With Torah greetings
Rabbi Haim Sabato Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat

Together in a momentum toward the fulfillment of the dream

Bet Midrash with Momentum   $3,875,000

Momentum in High-Level Continuing Programs

$ 1,600,000 

8 years . Teaching fees . Dayyanut scholarships

Momentum in Training Dayyanim

For the first time since it was founded more than forty years ago, Yeshivat Birkat Moshe has opened a kollel for the training of dayyanim. Headed by Rabbi Aryeh Katz, it is attended by roughly ten of the Yeshiva’s top Torah scholars. This eight-year program features a regular, systematic curriculum that includes broad and voluminous knowledge, in-depth instruction, and the participants’ practical development. These together assure a very high level of studies that, G-d willing, will produce top-rate Torah personalities and epitomic scholars who will reflect our yeshiva’s Torah worldview and influence the future image of Israel’s rabbinical courts.

To set up and maintain the kollel, major funding will be needed.

Momentum in Teaching Torat haMedina—the Torah’s Laws of Jewish Statehood

$ 675,000

3 years . Unique professional learning . A special scholarship

One of the Yeshiva’s loftiest tasks is the training of Torah scholars who will take up posts in all walks of life in Israel and ensure in them the presence of the light of Torah. To strengthen this intention, the Yeshiva has established a program called Torat haMedina (the Laws of Jewish Statehood), comprising three years of advanced studies for graduates of the hesder (combined study and military service) program. It is headed by Rabbi Oz Bluman. 

To establish the kollel and give it dedicated professional guidance, funding will be needed for its unique program of study and for the construction of a classroom of its own.

Momentum in Training Torah Leadership 

$ 200,000

Iyun and Halacha Studies , Practical training

This special program trains spiritual leaders who also combine Torah scholarship with attentiveness to the problems of our generation. The program imparts dedicated and unique tools with which its participants may cope with challenges of contemporary spiritual leadership, combining in-depth study with practical training that confers experience in general and Torah leadership. Our aim is that those who complete the program will take up positions as congregational rabbis, yeshiva instructors, school principals, and so on.

Momentum in Empowering the Bet Midrash 

$ 450,000

The changes that are sweeping our generation require a personal connection with, and personal attention to, each of our students. As a yeshiva that places itself at the cutting edge of Torah education, we must adjust to the needs of the generation and expand our teaching faculty. This will allow us to teach in small groups and enable students to advance individually, so as to be privileged to grow in Torah. 

Momentum in Disseminating Torah 

$ 950,000

The Yeshiva is interested in having its voice heard and in being a leading voice in religious society and thence in general society as well. To accomplish this, among other actions, it needs to upgrade its website seriously and so that, through the use of modern technological media, it can disseminate its teachings and its rabbis’ areas of expertise in Torah, literature, and education.

More than 20,000 shiurim (Torah lectures) are available on the Yeshiva’s site and new ones are added every week. This trove of Torah deserves to reach anyone who searches for Torah. Upgrading the site and making it suitable for today’s online uses, however, is a very costly enterprise. Funding for this purpose will enable us to let the Torah speak to numerous congregations and hundreds of thousands of Torah seekers.

Building with Momentum 

$ 2,745,000

The Yeshiva’s old building needs an immediate an upgrade in order to accommodate its new programs and meet its growing needs.

We are planning to place a second floor atop the building in order to house a spacious lecture hall and new classrooms for our continuing programs.

The old kitchen needs to be replaced with a modern facility that will meet the students’ needs. The dining room should be expanded and upgraded into a dual-purpose hall.

Creative Torah Endeavor with Momentum 

$ 200,000

The Yeshiva’s projects have earned renown in the Torah world and among the public at large. They include Rabbi Rabinowitz’s Yad Peshuta commentary on the Rambam, a complete edition of Ralbag’s commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Sheilat’s accurate edition of Rambam’s Mishne Torah, and Rabbi Sabato’s writings on Torah topics, to name only a few.

We are continuing this creative Torah endeavor with momentum. Forthcoming are immeasurably important new editions of works of the Rishonim (early halakhic authorities) and original products of our bet midrash.

Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Numbers

Our Graduates “Out There”—

among many, many others.…

The Yeshiva Today

Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Ma’ale Adummim—“Yeshivat Ma’ale Adummim”—is known throughout the Zionist Torah world for its high level of studies; the scale, importance, and quality of original Torah literature that it produces; and the balanced, judicious, and character-building education that it gives its talmidim. The Yeshiva represents the mainstream in the Religious Zionist universe. We avoid extremism in either direction and steer clear of struggles and negativity. Instead, we add light and, modestly and intensively, accent the positive in the manner of talmidei hakhamim, Torah scholars who multiply peace in the world and devote all their days to productive, lasting endeavor.

Today, the unique voice of Yeshivat Birkat Moshe is an anchor for many committed Torah Jews, lovers of Torah, and even for intellectuals and opinion-makers who do not inhabit the Torah world.

Let us together preserve this great luminescence and this singular voice and give them emphasis as inseparable parts of Israel’s reality.