FEATURE

Yeshivat Siach Yitzchak, under the direction of the Roshei Yeshiva Rabbis Shimon Gershon Rosenberg (Shagar) and Yair Dreyfus, was founded in 1996 in an attempt to offer an alternative vision of limud Torah to the Israeli religious Zionist public. From 1999, with the help of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and Ohr Torah Stone, the yeshiva has found its permanent home on the Dagan Hill of Efrat, Gush Etzion's "capitol city." Today, Siach Yitzchak comprises a Hesder yeshiva, full-time kollel for married students and part-time learning options for yeshiva graduates.

The original thinking of Rav Shagar has always attracted the attention of many. Of his "way of learning" Rav Shagar has written:

"My intention has always been to move beyond the intellectual grasp of the material I teach. My aim is to enable my students to feel the life-changing power that lies in the Torah. My efforts are aimed at finding the proper "language" that will allow the translation of the words of our Sages and the Rishonim into an idiom that can be understood in our post-modern world. ... This must be accomplished without damaging the classic understanding of limud Torah as the covenant between the student and G-d."

The yeshiva has become a home to dozens of students, some of them just out of high school, some after their army service and others who are already working in their chosen professions. All these students share a common bond in their search for meaning in their Torah studies. For these students, who seek both intellectual and spiritual honesty in their learning, the teachings of Rav Shagar, whether in Gemara or Chasidut, have become an important part of their own personal intellectual and spiritual landscape.

The present collection of essays is the first time that the thoughts of Rav Shagar have been presented to the English-speaking world. All of these discourses were originally presented to the yeshiva orally, then transcribed and edited in the Hebrew by Odeah Tzuriali, a long-time student of Rav Shagar. It is our sincere hope that this present translation will offer others the opportunity to experience some of what Rav Shagar has been transmitting to a generation of his Israeli students.

The book costs $18, and makes a perfect Rosh Hashana gift. To order, email ShagarEssays@ohrtorahstone.org.il