Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
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Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת שער השמים, lit., "Gate of Heaven") is an
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
yeshiva in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
dedicated to the study of the
kabbalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
teachings of the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria). It is famous for its student body of advanced kabbalists — many of them
roshei yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
and Torah scholars — as well as beginning and intermediate scholars who study both the revealed and concealed Torah.


Name

The name of the yeshiva was taken from the
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
passage in which
Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...
dreams of a
ladder A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rollable ladders, such a ...
stretching from earth to heaven. After he awakens from his dream, Jacob exclaims, "This is none other than the House of God, and this is the Gate of Heaven (''Shaar Hashamayim'')!" (
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
28:19).


Origins

The impetus to found Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva came from a dream experienced by two noteworthy Jerusalem rabbis on the same night in 1906. Rabbi
Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach (1883 – 26 September 1954) was a Haredi rabbi and roshei yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva, a landmark Jerusalem institution specializing in Talmudic and kabbalah studies for Ashkenazi scholars that he helped found in ...
, author of ''Chacham Lev'', awoke one night from a strange dream and went back to sleep, only to be awakened again after the dream repeated itself. He got dressed and set out for the home of Rabbi Shimon Horowitz, a kabbalah scholar and author of ''Shem MiShimon'' and ''Kol Mevaser'', to discuss the dream with him. As he walked, he saw someone approaching him in the night and was surprised that it was none other than Horowitz, who was coming to see him about the dream ''he'' had just dreamed. It turned out that they had dreamed the same dream. They had each envisioned an honorable Jew, his face shining with a supernatural light, who had demanded to know why people weren't studying his teachings. "My Torah has the power to bring the Divine Presence back from its exile," the man told them. The two realized that the man in the dream was the Arizal, the sixteenth-century mystic of
Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...
, who was known to have regretted the fact that few Jewish men who studied the Torah also studied Kabbalah, in particular the Ashkenazi Jews of Jerusalem. At that time, the only place where the Arizal's teachings were studied was the
Beit El Synagogue Beit El Kabbalist yeshiva (Beit El means "House of God") (also: ''Midrash Hasidim'' 'School of the Devout' or ''Yeshivat haMekubalim, Yeshiva of the Kabbalists') is a center of kabbalistic study in Jerusalem. Today it consists of two buildings, on ...
in Jerusalem. On the spot, Auerbach and Horowitz decided to open a yeshiva for the study of the Arizal's kabbalah and share the responsibilities as joint roshei yeshiva. The yeshiva opened shortly afterwards in the
Old City Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town. Old City may refer to several places: Historical cities or regions of cities ''(by country)'' *Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan * Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...
of Jerusalem, with accommodations for a
Talmud Torah Talmud Torah ( he, תלמוד תורה, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary educat ...
, a ''yeshiva ketana'', a ''yeshiva gedola'', and a
kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
for married students.


Curriculum

In 1924, the yeshiva published a pamphlet describing its aims and approach as follows:
First, the study of the revealed Torah, as it is studied in all the holy yeshivot, ncluding''
Shas Shas ( he, ש״ס) is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 under the leadership of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until his death in October 2013, it primarily ...
'' in depth and ''
poskim In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities ar ...
''. Second, the study of kabbalah, mussar and inquiry.
his is His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...
the only place in the world where the Torah of kabbalah is studied in an orderly manner, progressing from simple teachings to more difficult ones, taught by talmidei chachamim who are qualified for the task. …
The yeshiva's intention is not to provide its students with a simple, superficial understanding of the works of kabbalah, to afford a mere glimpse, wherein lies the danger of stumbling — as ''
Chazal Chazal or Ḥazal ( he, חז״ל), an acronym for the Hebrew "Ḥakhameinu Zikhronam Liv'rakha" (, "Our Sages, may their memory be blessed"), refers to all Jewish sages of the Mishna, Tosefta and Talmud eras, spanning from the times of the fina ...
'' put it, "He glimpsed and was injured." Only extensive inquiry and in-depth study of all the kabbalah works ensures full, rounded knowledge. This is what Yeshivas Shaar HaShamayim and its branches aim to provide.
Then as now, kabbalists who wish to study at the yeshiva must demonstrate extensive knowledge of the revealed Torah, and spend half the day in the yeshiva learning the revealed Torah. The yeshiva offers daily ''
shiurim Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), Tanakh (Bible), etc. History The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of Ju ...
'' (classes) in
Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
,
poskim In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities ar ...
,
halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
and
aggadah Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, ...
. Classes on the concealed Torah (i.e., kabbalah) are organized by level. The first level is introductory, with the study of the Arizal's ''Otzros Chaim''. The second level studies the Arizal's lessons in ''Eitz Chaim'' in depth. The third level studies the ''kavannot'' (mystical concentrations) of the Rashash.


Student body

One of the first students in the new yeshiva was Rabbi
Tzvi Pesach Frank Tzvi Pesach Frank (20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) (Hebrew: הרב צבי פסח פרנק) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960). Biography Frank was born in Kovno, Vilna ...
, a '' dayan'' (rabbinical judge) on the Jerusalem ''beit din'' (rabbinical court) and future
Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
of Jerusalem. The yeshiva has produced a number of Torah scholars, Torah disseminators and
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
s. It has also published many works on kabbalah.


Destruction and relocation

Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva operated at 1 Gal'ed Street in the
Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...
from 1906 to 1948. The
1927 Jericho earthquake The 1927 Jericho earthquake was a devastating event that shook Mandatory Palestine and Transjordan on July 11 at . The epicenter of the earthquake was in the northern area of the Dead Sea. The cities of Jerusalem, Jericho, Ramle, Tiberias, and Nab ...
damaged the building. During the
1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
,
Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...
fighters used the yeshiva's roof to fire on the
Jordanian army The Royal Jordanian Army (Arabic: القوّات البرية الاردنيّة; ) is the ground force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). It draws its origins from units such as the Arab Legion, formed in the British Mandate of Transj ...
. When the Old City fell to the Jordanians, the yeshiva evacuated to Amatzia Street in the
Katamon , settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem , image_skyline = בית רה"מ לוי אשכול ברחוב בוסתנאי 3 בשכנות קטמון בירושלים.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = House ...
neighborhood. The Jordanians set fire to the Old City building, burning all the ''
seforim ''Sifrei Kodesh'' ( he, ספרי קודש, , Holy books), commonly referred to as ''sefarim'' ( he, ספרים, , books), or in its singular form, ''sefer'', are books of Jewish religious literature and are viewed by religious Jews as sacred. T ...
'' (holy books) and furniture inside. After the liberation of the Old City by the
Israeli army The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...
in 1967, the yeshiva tried to reclaim its property, without success. Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva next moved to the
Beit Yisrael Beit Yisrael ( he, בית ישראל, lit. ) is a predominantly Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is located just north of Mea Shearim on Ha-Rav Zonenfeld St 13. The name Beit Yisrael is taken from the verse in Ezekiel , in which E ...
neighborhood, occupying the building that now houses the shtieblekh. In 1958, the yeshiva moved to Rashbam Street in the
Mekor Baruch Mekor Baruch ( he, מקור ברוך, lit., "blessed source" or "fountain of blessing") also spelled Makor Baruch, is a neighborhood in Jerusalem. The neighborhood is bordered by Malkhei Yisrael Street to the north, Sarei Yisrael Street to the west ...
neighborhood. When Rabbi Refoel Dovid Auerbach became the
rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
, he succeeded in establishing a permanent home for the yeshiva at 71 Rashi Street in 1992.Rossoff, ''Where Heaven Touches Earth'', p. 403. The design for the uppermost story of the building features thirteen windows on the sides facing the street and the rear courtyard, totaling twenty-six (the
gematria Gematria (; he, גמטריא or gimatria , plural or , ''gimatriot'') is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher. A single word can yield several values depending on the cipher ...
of
YHWH The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', ''waw'', and '' ...
, one of the names of
God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
). (In recent years, a building addition on the top rear story covered over three of the thirteen windows there.)


Leadership

The first roshei yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva were the founders, Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach and Rabbi Shimon Horowitz. Auerbach chose to stay with the yeshiva even after his father, the
Admor A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
of
Chernowitz Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the u ...
- Chmielnik, died and his
Hasidim Ḥasīd ( he, חסיד, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observ ...
asked Auerbach to take his father's place. He declined, leaving the position of Admor unfulfilled. Following Auerbach's death in 1954, his son, Rabbi Eliezer Auerbach, led the yeshiva for many years. After his death, another of Auerbach's sons, Rabbi Refoel Dovid Auerbach, assumed leadership. Subsequent roshei yeshiva were Rabbi Aharon Slotkin (who died in 1973), Rabbi
Yechiel Fishel Eisenbach Yechiel Fishel Eisenbach (1925 – 4 September 2008) was a Haredi rabbi and long-time rosh yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest kabbalists in Israel, and was an expert in the writings ...
(who served from 1973 until his death in 2008), and the current roshei yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter and Rabbi
Gamliel Rabinowitz Gamliel HaKohen Rabinowitz (Rappaport) is a rosh yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a recognized expert in Jewish Law and Kabbalah. Family Rabinowitz is the son of Rabbi Levi HaKohen Rabinowitz (1920-2015), author o ...
. Auerbach's eldest son, Rabbi
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ( he, שלמה זלמן אויערבאך; July 20, 1910 – February 20, 1995) was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem neighborhood Ramat Shlomo i ...
, served as president of the yeshiva; after his death, his son, Rabbi
Shmuel Auerbach Shmuel Auerbach ( he, שמואל אורבך) (September 21, 1931 – February 24, 2018) was a Haredi rabbi in Jerusalem. Rav Auerbach led a large portion of more radical elements of the non-Hasidic Haredi community. His followers formed a political ...
, succeeded him. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman's nephew, Rabbi Yakov Schlaff, acts as yeshiva administrator.


Public events

Shaar HaShamayim Yeshiva invites the public to participate in special yeshiva events during the year. The most popular is the Thursday afternoon prayer service held during the weeks of ''
Shovavim Shovavim ( he, שובבי"ם) is a period of six to eight weeks each year, in which some Kabbalists teach one should focus on repenting for one's sins, particularly sexual sins. The name ''shovavim'' is a Hebrew acronym for the Jewish parshioth (T ...
'' (the weeks coinciding with the Torah readings of '' Shemot'', ''
Va'eira Va'eira, Va'era, or Vaera ( — Hebrew language, Hebrew for "and I appeared," the incipit, first word that God in Judaism, God speaks in the ''parashah'', in ) is the fourteenth weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Judaism, Jewish c ...
'', '' Bo'', ''
Beshalach Beshalach, Beshallach, or Beshalah (—Hebrew for "when elet go" (literally: "in (having) sent"), the second word and first distinctive word in the parashah) is the sixteenth weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of To ...
'', ''
Yitro Yitro, Yithro, Yisroi, Yisrau, or Yisro (, Hebrew for the name " Jethro," the second word and first distinctive word in the parashah) is the seventeenth weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ...
'', and ''
Mishpatim Mishpatim (—Hebrew for "laws," the second word of the parashah) is the eighteenth weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the sixth in the Book of Exodus. The parashah sets out a series of laws, whic ...
'', and, in a Jewish leap year, ''
Terumah A ''terumah'' ( he, תְּרוּמָה) or heave offering is a type of sacrifice in Judaism. The word is generally used for an offering to God, although it is also sometimes used as in ''ish teramot'', a "judge who loves gifts". The word ''teru ...
'' and ''
Tetzaveh Tetzaveh, Tetsaveh, T'tzaveh, or T'tzavveh (—Hebrew for " oushall command," the second word and first distinctive word in the parashah) is the 20th weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eight ...
''). This service incorporates special kabbalistic ''tikkunim'' (rectifications). Other types of ''tikkunim'' and ''pidyonos'' (redemptions) are also held in the yeshiva, but without publicity. Shaar HaShamayim Yeshiva has increased public awareness of the
yahrzeit Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of ''minhag'' and ''mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community. Mourners In Judaism, the p ...
of the Arizal on 5 Av, and reintroduced the custom of visiting his gravesite in Safed on that day.


See also

*
Beit El Synagogue Beit El Kabbalist yeshiva (Beit El means "House of God") (also: ''Midrash Hasidim'' 'School of the Devout' or ''Yeshivat haMekubalim, Yeshiva of the Kabbalists') is a center of kabbalistic study in Jerusalem. Today it consists of two buildings, on ...


References


Further reading

*
Jonatan Meir Jonatan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jonatan (footballer) (born 1992), Brazilian football midfielder, full name Jonatan da Silva Lima *Jonatan Berg (born 1985), Swedish football midfielder * Jonatan Briel (1942–1988), ...

"The Imagined Decline of Kabbalah: The Kabbalistic Yeshiva Sha'ar ha-Shamayim and Kabbalah in Jerusalem in the Beginning of the Twentieth Century"
in ''Kabbalah and Modernity''.
Boaz Huss Boaz Huss (born 1959) is a professor of Kabbalah at the Goldstein-Goren Department of Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He is a leading scholar in contemporary Kabbalah. Early life and education Boaz Huss was born in Jerusalem ...
, Marco Pasi, and
Kocku von Stuckrad Kocku von Stuckrad (born 6 April 1966) is a German scholar of religious studies. He specialises in the European history of religion and the academic study of Western esotericism. Biography Kocku von Stuckrad was born in Kpando, Ghana on 6 April 1 ...
, eds. Brill: Leiden & Boston, 2010, pp. 197–220. *
Jonatan Meir Jonatan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jonatan (footballer) (born 1992), Brazilian football midfielder, full name Jonatan da Silva Lima *Jonatan Berg (born 1985), Swedish football midfielder * Jonatan Briel (1942–1988), ...

"Rehovot ha-Nahar: Kabbalah and Exotericism in Jerusalem (1896-1948)"
Jerusalem: Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi, 2011. *
Jonatan Meir Jonatan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jonatan (footballer) (born 1992), Brazilian football midfielder, full name Jonatan da Silva Lima *Jonatan Berg (born 1985), Swedish football midfielder * Jonatan Briel (1942–1988), ...

"Toward the Popularization of Kabbalah: R. Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad and the Kabbalists of Jerusalem"
Modern Judaism 33(2) (May 2013), pp. 147–172


External links



{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaar Hashmayaim Yeshiva 1906 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Jerusalem Educational institutions established in 1906 Haredi Judaism in Jerusalem Haredi yeshivas Isaac Luria Kabbalah Orthodox yeshivas in Jerusalem