Aish, formerly known as Aish HaTorah (Hebrew: אש התורה, lit. "Fire of the Torah"), is a Jewish educational organization. The focus of Aish is the spread of traditional Jewish religious teachings and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

to Jews around the globe, utilizing a significant online presence made up of its website, Aish.com, and various social media channels. In addition to the educational organization, the organization's main campus in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

also includes a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

and a women's seminary, as well as several other in-person programs.

History

Aish, founded in

in 1974 by

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 t ...

Noah Weinberg Yisrael Noah Weinberg (; February 16, 1930 – February 5, 2009) was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi and the founder of Aish HaTorah. Early life Noah Weinberg was born on the Lower East Side of New York City. His father, Yitzchak Mattisya ...

after leaving the Ohr Somayach yeshiva, which he had co-founded, aimed to educate young Jewish students, particularly travellers and volunteers, in the history and traditions of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...

. It later expanded worldwide and established 30 branches; each is currently run as its own entity. Aish continues to promote an extensive array of relevant in-person courses and online educational material. After Weinberg died in February 2009, his son, Rabbi Hillel Weinberg, served as interim dean for a few years. In 2015, Rabbi Steven Burg was named CEO of the organization, and, in 2019, Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits was named ''

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

''.

Philosophy

Rabbi Weinberg developed the yeshiva’s philosophy by blending

Lithuanian Jewish {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Litvaks , image = , caption = , poptime = , region1 = {{flag, Lithuania , pop1 = 2,800 , region2 = {{flag, South Africa , pop2 = 6 ...

traditions with

Hasidic philosophy Hasidic philosophy or Hasidism (), alternatively transliterated as Hasidut or Chassidus, consists of the teachings of the Hasidic movement, which are the teachings of the Hasidic ''rebbes'', often in the form of commentary on the Torah (the Five ...

. Educated in Lithuanian Jewish schools and as the grandson of the Slonimer Rebbe, he incorporated influences from both traditions. Additionally, he drew on various streams of

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

, including those of

Moshe Chaim Luzzatto Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (; also ''Moses Chaim'', ''Moise Vita'', ''Moses Hayyim'' or ''Luzzato''; 1707 – 16 May 1746), also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL (or RaMHaL; ), was an Italian Jewish rabbi, kabbalist, and philosopher. Biograph ...

and the

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...

, to enrich the yeshiva’s curriculum. The organization is ideologically

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

and its officials have stated they oppose a full hand-over of the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

to the

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

Programs

Aish operates roughly 30 full-time branches on five continents, providing seminars, singles events, executive learning groups,

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

and

Jewish holiday Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...

programs, and community-building. Aish.com Aish has an interactive-online website at Aish.com which hosts a wealth of articles on almost every topic in Judaism. Additionally, the website hosts live chat sessions with Rabbis who are available to answer any question. Aish has an online community of over 3 million followers across multiple social media platforms. Branches There are 30 full-time branches on five continents, providing seminars, singles events, executive learning groups, Shabbat and Jewish holiday programs, educational classes, and community building. These branches are all their own separate entities and serve their own communities, but they operate under the same banner and share a similar history. The Dan Family Aish World Center The Jerusalem headquarters includes a high-tech main campus and outreach center, that features a rooftop vista overlooking the Temple Mount. The Jerusalem Yeshiva In Jerusalem, the Aish yeshiva offers both beginners' "drop-in classes" and full-time, intensive study programs for Jewish men and women of all backgrounds and levels of knowledge. The offering extends through a 4-year ''

semikhah ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 CE. Si ...

'' (rabbinic ordination) program; previously, participants were tested by the

posek In Jewish law, a ''posek'' ( , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the application of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah, in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are incon ...

Zalman Nechemia Goldberg Zalman Nechemia Goldberg (; 28 January 1931 – 20 August 2020) was an Ashkenazi rabbi, posek (decider on points of religious law), and rosh yeshiva (dean) in Israel. He was a son-in-law of Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. Goldberg was an authority on h ...

. Discovery Seminar Aish HaTorah runs the ''Discovery Seminar''. The four-hour seminar reviews

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

Jewish philosophy Jewish philosophy () includes all philosophy carried out by Jews or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until the modern ''Haskalah'' (Jewish Enlightenment) and Jewish emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconc ...

, and Jewish philosophy questions. The Discovery Seminar aims to imbue participants with a newfound connection to Judaism, discovering its depth, beauty, and practical significance in their daily lives. Essentials Program Essentials classes is a series of ongoing drop-in classes that explore critical topics such as God, religion, relationships, Jewish history, and philosophy. With teachers and educators, each session offers diverse perspectives. These classes are offered at the Aish World Center in Jerusalem. Hasbara Fellowships The Israeli Foreign Ministry worked with Aish HaTorah to combat anti-Israel ideas on college campuses via the Hasbara Fellowships. This program has flown hundreds of student leaders to Israel for intensive training in pro-Israel activism training. In North America, Hasbara Fellowships guides and funds pro-Israel activities on over 100 college campuses.

Embezzlement case

In December 2013, Aish HaTorah of New York filed suit against its former chief financial officer Jacob Fetman to enforce a Beth Din ruling that Fetman had stolen $20 million in funds from the organization.

Notable faculty

(1930 – 2009), founder * Chaim Malinowitz (1952 – 2019) * Rabbi

Steven Burg Steven Burg (born April 23, 1972) is an American Orthodox rabbi, educator, and Jewish communal leader. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aish, a Jewish outreach organization. Education Rabbi Burg received his rabbinic ordinati ...

, CEO * Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, Rosh Yeshiva

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aish Hatorah Baalei teshuva institutions Educational institutions established in 1974 Orthodox Jewish outreach Orthodox yeshivas in Jerusalem Giving Jewish organizations based in Israel Religious organizations based in Israel Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Israel Israel articles missing geocoordinate data Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem) Zionist organizations Religious Zionist organizations Synagogues in Ontario Words and phrases in Modern Hebrew