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Rosh yeshiva

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Famous rosh yeshivas
'''Rosh yeshiva''', ([[plural|pl]]. [[Hebrew language|Heb]]. ''Roshei yeshiva''; [[Yeshivish]] ''Rosh yeshivas''), ({{lang-he|ראש ישיבה}}), is the title given to the [[Dean (education)|dean]] of a [[Yeshiva|Talmudical academy]]. It is made up of the Hebrew words ''rosh'' — meaning head, and ''yeshiva'' — a school of religious Jewish education. The rosh yeshiva is required to have a vast and penetrating knowledge of the [[Talmud]] and the ability to achieve a level of mastery of his material and an ability to analyse and present new perspectives, called ''chidushim,'' (novellae) verbally and often in print.

==Role==
Yeshivas play a central role in the life of certain communities within [[Orthodox Judaism]], so the position of rosh yeshiva is more than just a dean of a school. A rosh yeshiva is often a pillar of leadership in extended communities. In [[Hasidic Judaism]] the role of rosh yeshiva is secondary to the [[Rebbe]], who is head of the Hasidic dynasty that controls it. In many Hassidic sects, the rosh yeshiva of a school will be the son or son-in-law of the Rebbe, the assumed heir of the Rebbe.

==History==
Yeshivas continue the scholarly traditions of the Biblical [[Sanhedrin]] and the Seventy Elders wherein were discussed and elaborated the [[613 Mitzvot]]. This tradition was continued by the sages of the [[Mishnah]] and [[Talmud]] who often headed academies with hundreds of students. In Babylonia the rosh yeshiva was referred to as the ''Reish Metivta'' in [[Aramaic]].

==General role==
The general role of the rosh yeshiva is to oversee the Talmudic studies and [[halakha|practical]] matters. The rosh yeshiva may lecture on a daily or weekly basis to the highest class. He is also the one to decide whether to grant permission for students to undertake classes for rabbinical ordination, known as [[semicha]].

==Rosh yeshiva dynasties==
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 the [[Soloveitchik]] family which heads many yeshivas in the [[United States]] and [[Israel]].

==Famous rosh yeshivas==
Prior to [[the Holocaust]] most of the large yeshivas were based in [[Eastern Europe]]. Many rosh yeshivas were trained by graduates of the [[Volozhin yeshiva]], headed by Rabbi [[Chaim Volozhin|Chaim of Volozhin]], ([[1749]] - [[1821]]). It was known as the "Mother of Yeshivas" because so many of its alumni established yeshivas of their own. Rabbi Chaim was the chief disciple of the famed [[Elijah ben Solomon|Vilna Gaon]] ([[1720]] - [[1797]]).

Presently the majority of the world's yeshivas and their rosh yeshivas are located in the [[United States]] and [[Israel]].

The following is a list of some famous rosh yeshivas:

{| width="100%"
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*Rabbi [[Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin]]
*Rabbi [[Moshe Mordechai Epstein]]
*Rabbi [[Moshe Feinstein]]
*Rabbi [[Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht]]
*Rabbi [[Nachman Shlomo Greenspan]]
*Rabbi [[Yitzchok Hutner]]
*Rabbi [[Dovid Leibowitz]]
*Rabbi [[Henoch Leibowitz]]
*Rabbi [[Aharon Lichtenstein]]
*Rabbi [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]]
|width="50%"|
*Rabbi [[Yechezkel Sarna]]
*Rabbi [[Hershel Schachter]]
*Rabbi [[Gedalia Schorr]]
*Rabbi [[Naftoli Shapiro]]
*Rabbi [[Shimon Shkop]]
*Rabbi [[Chaim Shmuelevitz]]
*Rabbi [[Joseph B. Soloveitchik]]
*Rabbi [[Adin Steinsaltz]]
*Rabbi [[Naftoli Trop]]
*Rabbi [[Chaim Volozhin]]
|}

==Current rosh yeshivas==
{{main|List of Rosh Yeshivas}}

==Role of mashgiach ruchani==
{{main|Mashgiach ruchani}}
The personal and ethical development of the students in the yeshiva is usually covered by a different personality, known as the [[mashgiach ruchani|mashgiach]] or spiritual supervisor. This concept, introduced by the [[Mussar movement]] in the [[19th century]], led to perfection of character as one of the aims of attending a yeshiva. One typical and influential mashgiach was Rabbi [[Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler]].


{{OrthodoxJudaism}}

[[Category:Rosh yeshivas| ]]
[[Category:Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]]

[[he:ראש ישיבה]]
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