Eretz Hemdah

Eretz Hemdah’s main goal is to train a new generation of scholars who are both learned in Torah and loyal to the people and State of Israel, individuals with open minds and broad horizons who will work for greater understanding and unity among Jews, and improvement of the quality of Jewish life, socially and spiritually. In the Eretz Hemdah Institute in Jerusalem study two special groups of rabbis, most of whom have served in the Israel Defense Forces and most have received Semichah (rabbinical ordination), and some of whom have already received academic degrees. The first group consists of 30 rabbis studying towards "Yadin-Yadin" ordination, the highest rabbinical ordination, which is also recognized by the Israeli ministry of education as equivalent to an academic Ph.D. This program is the most intensive, deep and comprehensive program in Torah studies in Israel and in the world. In this eight-year program, the rabbis are preparing for the highest positions in rabbinical world, including becoming dayanim (rabbinical judges), roshei yeshiva and city rabbis. The second group consists of 10 rabbis studying for "Rav Ir" (city rabbi) ordination. This is a five-year program, and following completion, the graduating rabbis are committed to serving in rabbinical positions in Jewish communities outside of Israel around the world. The students of Eretz Hemdah are carefully chosen through difficult entrance examinations, both oral and written (out of dozens who apply each year, 3-5 are accepted) so that they will be able to succeed in these difficult and challenging programs. Additionally, in Eretz Hemdah’s ‘Beit Midrash for the Development of Community Rabbis’, located in Ra'anana within the Ohel Ari community, 10 students who served in the army, mostly Hesder Yeshiva graduates, study for rabbinical ordination in order to serve as community rabbis. These students are active in the community, both in learning with community members and participating in community events. All these programs include the study of Tanach and Jewish philosophy, focusing both on breadth and depth. The scholars must also complete a series of enrichment courses in general subjects including secular law, psychology, sociology, homiletics, etc. This knowledge provides them with the tools to better serve in the fields of Jewish education and spiritual leadership, and to be able to cope with different social problems that unfortunately are a part of any Jewish community, such as tragedy, poverty, divorce, etc. In this fashion, their Torah will be a Torat Chessed (a Torah of kindness). We expect them to master not only the four volumes of the Shulhan Aruch, but also the unwritten “fifth volume”- how to apply the sacred laws in a sensitive and wise manner and with an uncommon level of common sense so as to insure that our Torah remains a living document. Although these programs are quite demanding, the rabbis also devote half a day per week to engage in community service. They teach in Batei Midrash and give classes to youth and adults, including those who are not observant of Jewish law. The young scholars also serve the Jewish communities in the Diaspora in many ways: 1. Shu”t Bemar’eh Habazak – within this framework, Rabbis from around the world submit Halachic questions that arise in their communities and receive responses from Eretz Hemdah. The responses are succinct but include detailed sources, which allow the questioning Rabbi the opportunity to further clarify the issues. To date, over 2,000 questions have been answered and most are published in the nine volumes of Shut Bemareh Habazak. 2. “Ask the Rabbi” – Jews around the world can submit questions about any aspect of Jewish law or tradition via the Eretz Hemdah website (www.eretzhemdah.org) and receive a response. Each year, approximately two thousand answers are sent to those who inquire from all around the world. A selection of these questions and answers has been collected in our five volumes of Living the Halachic Process – questions and answers for the modern Jew. All the books are available on our website. Four additional volumes were published under the title "Ask the Rabbi". 3. Hemdat Yamim - A weekly leaflet on the Torah portion, which contains a collection of divrei Torah in Hebrew and English, is published. This can be accessed on our website. 4. Support of the operation of Beit Midrash for the development of community Rabbis in Italy - Collegio Rabbinico, in Rome. 5. Operation of the Beit Midrash for the development of rabbis and rabbinical judges for the Jewish communities of South Africa, located in Johannesburg. 6. Operation of the Beit Midrash for the development of rabbinical judges for communities in North America with cooperation of the RCA. 7. Operation of Batei Midrah for community Rabbis in North Europe for the development of rabbinical judges for the communities there. 8. Operation of the Beit Midrash for the development of rabbis for the United Kingdom's Jewry. 9. Together with Bnei Akiva of North America, a program opened for high school graduates from the United States and Canada who come to study in Israel for a year. These young people are given tools to deal with confrontations awaiting them as religious students at universities in North America. They will serve there also as ambassadors of the State of Israel. Lastly, I would like to tell you about one of Eretz Hemdah’s most important projects, the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit network of Batei Din (Rabbinic courts). One of the main charges of the Torah and our prophets to rabbinic leadership is to create a just society, and to defend the weaker people in society from being taken advantage of. Yeshayahu Hanavi cried out: "Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow" (Yeshayahu 1, 17). Turning to modern Israeli society, one of the most sensitive meeting points between Israeli citizens and the rabbinical establishment is the rabbinical court (beit din). Regrettably, the rabbinical courts of the State of Israel have become a symbol of a lack of sensitivity to the needs of the people who turn to them. There is a need for an alternative rabbinical court system that will be a bright light and a center that will connect more Jews to their roots and to the rich Jewish tradition. Eretz Hemdah’s rabbinical courts serve as a meeting point between rabbis and the general public and between the general public and Jewish legal tradition. If this encounter strengthens the Jewish identity of those who turn to the rabbinical court system, and their experience leaves them with an impression of fairness, pleasantness and professionalism, then the effects of this encounter on the connection of the people to Judaism will be profound and lasting. The rabbinical court system of Eretz Hemdah – Gazit has been operating for nearly a decade and given its success and the demand for its services, there is a need to expand it. The following, summarizes the current problematic legal situation in Israel: * Monetary disputes – There is no government service for resolving monetary disputes in accordance with the Jewish principles of justice. The Supreme Court of the State of Israel has prohibited the rabbinical courts of the State of Israel from dealing with monetary cases, while the regular courts of the State of Israel are based on the English legal system and Ottoman law and not on the principles of Jewish law. In addition, the courts of the State of Israel are tremendously overloaded, making it nearly impossible to receive justice and fair treatment within a reasonable time frame. * Monetary disputes related to divorce - there is an unhealthy condition of a "jurisdiction race" between the rabbinical courts of the State of Israel and the family courts of the State of Israel. * "Agunot" - One of the most difficult problems in the divorce process is the use of the "get" (the religious procedure for enacting the divorce) as leverage for obtaining financial gain. This in turn has also negatively affected the status of the rabbinical courts of the State of Israel. The Eretz Hemdah - Gazit court system offers a solution to these issues, operating in accordance with Israeli and International Arbitration Law and issuing rulings based on Jewish principles of justice. The courts are spread across Israel (eight branches), and offer a professional, timely and efficient service to all applicants, handling both general monetary disputes and monetary disputes involved in the divorce process (apart from the issuing of the "get"). Through this process, we strive to reduce and solve the problem of the "Agunot", the women who are in the terrible situation of being precluded from remarrying due to unfortunate divorce struggles. The courts of the State of Israel and the rabbinical courts of the State of Israel both refer litigants who are interested to the Eretz Hemdah – Gazit rabbinical court system. This court system provides Israeli society with a tool for solving a serious problem, in a way that can bridge cultural and social gaps. The solution provided is one that is acceptable both halachically and legally, and allows for justice in accordance with Jewish values, which is legally enforceable under the Israeli and International arbitration law. This is an opportunity to offer a halachic service which is given as a choice to (and not forced upon) the general public, and may bring people to a positive encounter with the rich Jewish legal tradition which has been developed over the course of many generations. Morenu – rabbinic ordination without ruling authority Today's Jewish world is fortunately blessed with many people with yeshiva background and high intellectual capabilities who are interested in utilizing their spare time to study Torah in depth. This has led us to establish the Morenu program, which may provide an answer to this challenge. Each week a learning booklet is sent to the participants for in depth study, to which one must dedicate at least an hour a day of study. An additional booklet, expounding and going even more in depth, is provided to those interested. Each week a shiur (hour and half length) is given on the topics studied. The participants of the program are exposed to the Halachic way of Eretz Hemdah, which is also expressed in Eretz Hemdah's responsa projects, Shut Bemareh Habazak and Ask the Rabbi. All the materials of the program may be found on Eretz Hemdah's website: http://www.eretzhemdah.org/content.asp?PageId=3101&lang=he The Moreno program in Hebrew was launched in the beginning of the year and with Hashem's help, we will start advertising the Morenu program in English in September. All of our activities are carried with an approach of “[the Torah’s] ways are paths of pleasantness” and “it is preferable to exercise the strength of leniency.” More information and learning resources can be found on our website: www.eretzhemdah.org