A mashgiach ruchani (; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im''), sometimes mashgiach for short, is a spiritual supervisor or guide. They are usually a

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 ...

who has an official position within 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 is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.''HaRav Schach: Conversations: Stories to Inspire the Yeshiva World''. Elʻazar Menaḥem Man Shakh - 2004 p52: "Speaking about the position of Mashgiach Ruchani (Spiritual Supervisor) in a yeshiva, Rav Schach used to say that while it goes without saying that the Mashgiach must be a God-fearing man, and a person capable of inspiring others with his ..."

Description

The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the establishment of the modern " Lithuanian-style" musar yeshivas. The prototype of this new type of rabbinical leader and educator was Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (1849-1927) known as the Alter (elder) of the Slabodka yeshiva,

Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka) Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (; ) was a yeshiva located in the town of Vilijampolės Slabada in the Kovno Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Vilijampolė in Kaunas, Lithuania). It operated from the late 19th century until World War II. Origins ...

, in Lithuania. The role of the mashgiach ruchani was strongest in the era before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when often the mashgichim were responsible for maintaining the yeshiva financially, recruiting and interviewing new students, and hiring staff, something akin to academic

deans Deans may refer to: People * Austen Deans (1915–2011), New Zealand painter and war artist; grandfather of Julia Deans * Bob Deans (1884–1908), New Zealand rugby union player; grandson of John and Jane Deans * Bruce Deans (1960–2019), New Zeal ...

. After

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, the influence and position of the mashgiach decreased, and the roles of the

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 ...

s have grown at the expense of those of the mashgichim. A modern mashgiach/mashgicha is somewhat equivalent to the secular counselor position. The need for having mashgichim within the modern yeshivas was tied in with the rise of the modern musar movement (teaching of Jewish ethics), inspired by the 19th-century rabbi Israel Salanter.. Some yeshivas may refer to a mashgiach/mashgicha ruchani as a ''menahel ruchani'' (the word ''menahel'' means 'principal', as in the principal of a school, or 'supervisor'.)

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

yeshivas have a similar position referred to as mashpia, meaning a person who provides (spiritual) influence.

Famous mashgichim

* Nosson Tzvi Finkel (1849-1927) mashgiach ruchani of

, Lithuania * Yehuda Leib Chasman, mashgiach ruchani of the Hebron Yeshiva, Israel *

Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (; 1892 – 31 December 1953) was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Jewish philosopher of the 20th century. He is best known for being the ''mashgiach ruchani'' ("spiritual counselor") of the ...

(1892-1953), mashgiach ruchani of the Ponevezh yeshiva in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

, Israel * Binyamin Finkel, mashgiach ruchani of Yeshivas Mishkan Yisrael, Jerusalem * Yechezkel Levenstein (1895-1974), mashgiach ruchani of Mir yeshiva, Poland *

Yeruchom Levovitz Rav Yeruchom Levovitz (; – 1936), also known by his hundreds of students simply as The Mashgiach, was a famous mashgiach ruchani and baal mussar (Jewish Ethics) at the Mir Yeshiva in Belarus. Early life R' Yeruchom Levovitz was born in 187 ...

(1873-1936), mashgiach ruchani of the Mir yeshiva, Poland *

Moshe Rosenstein Rabbi Moshe Rosenstain ( 1881–1940) was an Ashkenazi rabbi in pre-World War II Eastern Europe. He served as mashgiach ruchani in the Lomza Yeshiva in Poland. Early life Rabbi Rosenstain was born in Uzvent, Lithuania in 1881. As a teenage ...

(1880-1941), mashgiach ruchani of

Lomza Yeshiva The Lomza Yeshiva () was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Łomża, Poland, founded by Rabbi Eliezer Bentzion Shulevitz in 1883. Rabbi Yechiel Mordechai Gordon served as the yeshiva's rosh yeshiva for many years, and Rabbi Moshe Rosenstain served as t ...

, Poland *

Don Segal Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, G ...

Beryl Weisbord Beryl ( ) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Naturally occurring hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several meter ...

, mashgiach ruchani of

Yeshivas Ner Yisroel Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville, Maryland. It was founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, a discipl ...

, Baltimore *

Elyah Lopian Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian (; 1876 – 21 September 1970), known as Reb Elyah, was a rabbi of the Mussar Movement. Biography Lopian was born in Grajewo, Poland in 1876 and studied at the yeshiva in Łomża and at the Kelm Talmud Torah of Rabbi Si ...

(1876-1970) mashgiach ruchani of

Knesses Chizkiyahu Knesses Chizkiyahu was one of the first Litvak yeshivas founded after the establishment of the State of Israel and one of the first Torah institutions in the northern part of the country. Founded in Zikhron Ya'akov in 1949, it relocated to Kfar ...

, Israel *

Matisyahu Salomon Matisyahu Chaim Salomon (November 28, 1937 – January 2, 2024) was an English-born American rabbi, author and public speaker. He served as the ''mashgiach ruchani'' (spiritual supervisor) of Beth Medrash Govoha, one of the world's largest yes ...

(1937 - 2024) mashgiach ruchani of Gateshead Yeshiva and later, Beth Medrash Govoha (the Lakewood Yeshiva) * Nosson Meir Wachtfogel (1910-1998), mashgiach ruchani of Beth Medrash Govoha (the Lakewood Yeshiva), USA, from 1941 to 1998 * Shlomo Wolbe (1914-2005) * Dov Yaffe (1928-2017), mashgiach ruchani of

, Israel * Avigdor Miller (1908-2001) mashgiach ruchani of

Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin () is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York. The school's divisions include a preschool, a ''yeshiva ketana'' (elementary school), a ''mesivta ...

, USA, from 1944 to 1964 * Shlomo Carlebach (scholar), (1925-2022) mashgiach ruchani of

, USA, from 1966 to 1978 * Daniel Rhein mashgiach ruchani of

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a Hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced T ...

, Israel, from 2001

References

External links

* Jewish religious occupations Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles Musar movement Hebrew words and phrases {{Yeshiva-stub

Description

Famous mashgichim

See also

References

External links