David Hirsch (born 1968) is an American rabbi. He serves as

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 ...

at the

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan S ...

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He is the spiritual leader and rav of Kehillas Bais Yosef in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

Early life

David Hirsch grew up in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

and attended the Fasman Yeshiva High School in Skokie. He was the captain of his high school basketball team. After graduating from Fasman, Hirsch spent two years studying in

Yeshivat Sha'alvim Yeshivat Sha'alvim is a hesder yeshiva, a kollel and a yeshiva high school for boys, located in Kibbutz Sha'alvim. It is one of the most prestigious Yeshivas in central Israel. History Yeshivat Sha'alvim was founded in 1961 by Meir Schlesinger ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Hirsch studied under

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 ...

during that time. He continued his learning at the

Hebron Yeshiva Hebron Yeshiva, also known as ''Yeshivas Hevron'', or Knesses Yisroel, is a yeshiva (school for Talmudic study). It originated in 1924 when the Rosh yeshiva, roshei yeshiva (deans) and 150 students of the Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka), Slabo ...

in Israel. In 1990, Hirsch graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva College. He majored in computer science. Upon graduation, Hirsch received the Rothman Award for Excellence in Talmud. He earned his MS degree in Jewish education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration in 1993. That same year, he was ordained at the

(RIETS). He also received ''

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) from Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg. After Hirsch was granted ''semikhah'' from RIETS, he was named a fellow of the Gruss Kollel Elyon.

Career

On June 7, 2000, Hirsch was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of the Stone Beit Midrash Program at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

, where he taught for seven years. He holds the "Eva, Morris, and Jack K. Rubin Memorial Chair in Rabbinics" there. He also served as an assistant to the Rosh Kollel of the Katz Kollel. He was later appointed to Rosh Yeshiva in the Mazer Yeshiva Program where he currently teaches. As a pulpit rabbi, Hirsch served as the senior rabbi at the Fleetwood Synagogue, a

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

shul located in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

, just outside of New York City. He then moved his family to

, where he currently serves as the rabbi of Kehillas Bais Yosef."Kehillas Bais Yosef"
GoDaven.com.Rabbi David Hirsch
YU Torah. Accessed February 7, 2022. "A native of Peoria, Illinois, he is married to Miriam Hirsch. They have five children and live in Passaic, NJ, where he is the rav of Kehilas Beis Yosef." During the summer months, Hirsch has served as rosh kollel for many years, including at Camp Lavi in the Poconos, and at his own Passaic Summer Kollel in New Jersey.

Works

Hirsch is a prolific speaker, with over 1,000 lectures on Judaism captured on media and available online. He has published hundreds of articles and Dvrei Torah. He published his first sefer, called, V'Yosef Dovid.

Personal life

Hirsch lives in Passaic, New Jersey with his wife, Miriam, a professor at Stern College for Women. They have five children.

References

External links

Shiurim by Rabbi David Hirsch at YUTorah.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, David 1968 births People from Peoria, Illinois People from Passaic, New Jersey Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients Rabbis from New Jersey American Orthodox rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Yeshiva University alumni Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas Living people Hebron Yeshiva alumni