Aish HaTorah

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(Redirected from Aish Hatorah)

Aish HaTorah ("Fire of the Torah") is an Orthodox organization and yeshiva. The organization's stated mission is "providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their heritage." Its headquarters are in the Old City of Jerusalem. The government of Israel awarded it 40 percent of the land facing the Western Wall.

The organization has branches in 35 cities around the world. Each branch has independent governance and funding.

In Jerusalem, the Aish HaTorah 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. Areas of study include Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy and Hebrew language ulpan. A US-accredited college, the yeshiva offers degrees to college and university age students.

The rabbinic ordination program combines classical Talmudic training with intensive instruction in outreach and leadership skills. 200 men have graduated from its rabbinic program, assuming leadership and religious roles in many Jewish communities around the world.

[edit] History

Aish HaTorah was established in Jerusalem by Rabbi Noah Weinberg in 1974, after he broke away from the Ohr Somayach yeshiva which he had previously co-founded.

Philosophically, Aish HaTorah follows the traditions of the Ashekenazi Lithuanian yeshivas, as compared to Hasidic Judaism.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Educational philosophy

Judaism is not "all or nothing"; it is a journey where every step counts, to be pursued according to one's own pace and interest.
Every Jew and human being is worthy of profound respect, no matter their level of observance, knowledge or affiliation. No one knows who is a better Jew or human being.
Mitzvot ("commandments") are not mere rituals, but opportunities for one's personal growth, to be studied and understood.
Torah is the "wisdom for living", teaching people how to maximize their potential and pleasure in life.
The Jewish people's history and destiny is to serve as a light unto the nations.
The Torah’s ideas have civilized the world and can continue to do so, if the Jewish people as a nation continue to accept the challenge.

[edit] Meaning of name

The name Aish HaTorah, literally "Fire [of] the Torah", was inspired by the Talmudic story of Rabbi Akiva, the once illiterate 40-year-old shepherd who subsequently became the most famous sage of the Mishnah. One day he came across a stone that had been hollowed out by a constant drip of water. He concluded, "If something as soft as water could carve a hole in solid rock, then how much more so can Torah — which is compared to fire — make an indelible impression on my heart." [While the comparison to fire is reflected in the yeshiva's name ("aish" means fire), the simile in this story is that of water and the Torah, which is frequent in the Talmud).] Rabbi Akiva committed himself to study the Torah.

Elie Weisel said, "Aish HaTorah means to me the passion of teaching, the passion of learning. The study of Torah, the source of Jewish values, is the way to Jewish survival." ^[1]

[edit] Organizational goals

Aish HaTorah's self-declared objective is to revitalize the Jewish people by providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their heritage in an atmosphere of open inquiry and mutual respect.

Worldwide, Aish HaTorah operates about 35 full-time branches on five continents, providing seminars, singles events, executive learning groups, Shabbat and holiday programs, and community building.

In Jerusalem, it has built a high-tech main campus and outreach center that features a rooftop vista overlooking the Temple Mount, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre, which will house a dramatic film presentation of the Jewish contribution to humanity. Scheduled to open in 2009, the outreach center anticipates one million visitors annually. Also recently opened is a branch of the yeshiva in Passaic New Jersey.

[edit] Internet presence

Aish HaTorah's website, Aish.com [1], features articles, videos and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, weekly Torah portion, Holocaust studies, an "Ask the Rabbi" service, and political articles. Aish.com is the largest Jewish educational website with 270,000 unique email subscribers and 2.6 million monthly visits.

The site operates a 24-hour live webcam that faces the Western Wall, which has registered 25 million visits [2]. There are also spin-off sites in Hebrew [3], Spanish [4], Portuguese, French [5] and Russian [6]. It also has an Aish Audio site with recordings of classes and lectures about Judaism.

[edit] Seminars

A key Aish HaTorah program is the Discovery Seminar, which uses scientific methods, such as the Bible Code, to explore the authenticity of Judaism and its relevance to modern times. The four-hour seminar presents an overview of the entire gamut of Jewish history, philosophy, and attempts to answers questions such as, "Why Be Jewish?" "Does God Exist?" and "Is Torah True?"

The seminar has been given in hundreds of cities throughout the world, at university campuses, Jewish Community Centers, and Reform, Conservative and Orthodox synagogues. More than 100,000 people worldwide have attended the seminars, including guest hosts Ed Asner, Kirk Douglas, Elliot Gould, Joel Grey and Jason Alexander.

The seminar has been adapted for presentation to Jewish day schools, yeshivas, and Beth Jacob schools as "Project Chazon."

[edit] Films

In 2005 Aish HaTorah produced a documentary film, Inspired, which chronicles the lives of selected baalei teshuvah ("returnees to Jewish observance"). Aish HaTorah believes that the high rate of intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews has diluted the Jewish people’s vitality. Inspired was produced to encourage more observant Jews to share their positive Jewish religious experiences of Jewish life with non-observant Jews, as a way to strengthen the baal teshuva movement and revitalize Jewish life.

[edit] Dating

Designed to help Jewish singles meet each other, Aish HaTorah's SpeedDating is popular in North America.

[edit] Audio Center

The Aish HaTorah Audio Center is a collection of recorded Jewish lectures, with over 5,000 titles on every subject in Judaism. Hundreds of Torah tape lending libraries have been established in cities with large Jewish populations, with MP3 downloads available online at Aish Audio's website. [7] Many of Aish Audio's Jewish classes are also available as mp3 downloads at the Classic Sinai website. [8]

[edit] Conferences

Aish HaTorah stresses volunteer leadership involvement, and thousands of active partners teach, organize, promote and fundraise. Its annual Partners Conference attracts hundreds of lay leaders who come together to exchange ideas and glean inspiration for expanding activities. The annual "Power of One Award" honors an Aish HaTorah partner who, it claims, personifies the goal of realizing his or her potential in the service of the Jewish people.

[edit] Learning programs

Aish HaTorah's Executive Learning Program is geared towards successful Jewish men and women of all ages to participate in individually-designed personal study programs.

Aish New York has the largest group within the Executive Learning Program with over 40 participants.

[edit] Philanthropic fund

The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah has brought important political, business and entertainment leaders on private missions to Israel to increase their support for the Jewish state. The Theodor Herzl Mission, co-sponsored by the Mayor of Jerusalem, has brought international leaders to Israel such as Lady Margaret Thatcher, U.S. Senator John Kerry, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Elie Weisel.

[edit] Essentials program

The "Essentials" introductory program, for Jewish men ages 18-29, offers an understanding of the core concepts of Jewish thought. The educational goals of "Essentials" are to examine the relevance of being Jewish in today's world, define major tenets of Jewish thought from a rational perspective, and explore major themes and practices in Jewish spirituality. Students can participate for one class, a day, a week, or a month. Students live and study in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City.

[edit] Women's programs

Aish HaTorah also operates two women’s programs in Jerusalem, "Jewel" and "EYAHT", which offer comprehensive, multi-level study programs for university and professional women from all backgrounds. EYAHT is headed by Rebbetzin Dena Weinberg. Due to increased demand from post-college Jewish women, the program moved into a new modern seminary building of classrooms and dormitories in 2006.

[edit] Hasbara Fellowships

Main article: Hasbara Fellowships

When the Israeli Foreign Ministry sought to combat anti-Israel ideas on college campuses, it called on Aish HaTorah to develop 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 80 college campuses.

Hasbara Fellowships groups have met with Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon, Yitzchak Rabin, Binyamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Shamir, and other prominent leaders from across the political spectrum. Over 1000 people have participated in the fellowships since the program's founding in 1980.

Hasbara Fellowships are also known as "Jerusalem fellowships".

[edit] Jerusalem Road Trips

Aish HaTorah partnered with the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity to run an official Israel trip for their undergraduate members. This three week trip combines Jewish education and touring Israel along with adventurous activities.

[edit] Honest Reporting

Main article: Honest Reporting

HonestReporting.com was established with the assistance of Aish HaTorah, and has existed as an independent organization since 2001. It is the largest organization^{[citation needed]} in the world fighting what it describes as anti-Israel media bias. HonestReporting scrutinizes news agencies worldwide, and then alerts its 150,000 subscribers to respond to the media directly.

[edit] Clarion Fund

Main article: The Clarion Fund

The Clarion Fund distributes films. According to Clarion Fund's incorporation papers, it is based as the same address as Aish Hatorah.^[2] The Clarion Fund has collaborated with Aish HaTorah's media watch organization HonestReporting in the production of its films.^[3]

[edit] References

^ Aish haTorah's pamphlet
^ http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43983
^ http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43983

[edit] External links

[0] Aish haTorah's pamphlet

[1] ttp://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43983

[2] ttp://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43983

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