Torah Lehranstalt, also known as the Frankfurt Yeshiva or the Breuer Yeshiva, was an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...

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 ...

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, founded in 1893 by Rabbi Dr. Solomon Breuer, the rabbi of the city's seceded Orthodox community (the Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft, Khal Adath Jeshurun).

History

Samson-raphael-hirsch-schule frankfurt hesse germany

Rabbi Breuer served as the rabbi of Frankfurt's seceded Orthodox Jewish community, having received the position after the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi

Samson Raphael Hirsch Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the '' Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', hi ...

. In 1893, he founded the Torah Lehranstalt yeshiva, aiming to raise his community's appreciation of

Torah The Torah ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

study. The yeshiva was run in the style of the Hungarian yeshivas which Rabbi Breuer had studied in prior. Besides for the classic

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemore) is an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah and presented in 63 books. The term is derived from the Aram ...

study, the yeshiva also included a secular studies program as well as classes in Jewish history and ''

Nevi'im The (; ) is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the ''Tanakh''), lying between the () and (). The Nevi'im are divided into two groups. The Former Prophets ( ) consists of the narrative books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings ...

''. There was also a focus on studying the laws of

Shabbos Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the cre ...

kashruth (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashken ...

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

, and blessings. In 1911, his son, Rabbi Joseph Breuer, joined the yeshiva faculty and introduced a learning program where the older students of Torah Lehranstalt studied together with the younger students from the community's Orthodox high school, the '' Samson Raphael Hirsch Realschule''. This convinced the ''Realschule'' students to enroll in yeshiva after graduation. In 1921, the yeshiva was divided into five levels of study, with approximately thirty students in each track. While the students were primarily Germans, many came from Hungary, Austria, and

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

as well. After the death of Rabbi Solomon Breuer in 1926, his son Rabbi Joseph Breuer became

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 ...

(dean). The yeshiva closed at the onset of

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 ...

. Rabbi Breuer left Germany in 1938 and became the leader of Khal Adath Jeshurun community in New York. In some sense, the Yeshiva Gedolah Frankfurt established in 2000, continues the tradition.

Notable alumni

* Rabbi

Isaac Breuer Isaac Breuer (; 1883–1946) was a rabbi in the German Neo-Orthodoxy movement of his maternal grandfather Samson Raphael Hirsch, and was the first president of Poalei Agudat Yisrael. Biography Isaac Breuer was born in Pápa, Austria-Hungary ...

* Rabbi Shimon Schwab * Rabbi Dr. Joseph (Yosef) Breuer * Rabbi Dr. Leo (Yehudah) Breslauer

References

{{Coord missing, Hesse 1893 establishments in Germany 1938 disestablishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Frankfurt Educational institutions established in 1893 Jewish German history Defunct yeshivas in Europe Orthodox Jewish educational institutions Pre–World War II European yeshivas Jewish schools in Germany Yeshivas of Germany Jews and Judaism in Frankfurt