Mazer Yeshiva Program

Eva, Morris, and Jack K. Rubin Memorial Chair in Rabbinics

Rabbi Elchanan Adler has served since 1998 as a Rosh Yeshiva at ’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he occupies the Eva, Morris and Jack Rubin Chair in Rabbinics. His affiliation with Yeshiva began in 1988 as a fellow of the prestigious Gruss Kollel Elyon. While there, he edited Volumes 3 and 4 of Beit Yosef Shaul, and received the Imrei Shefer writing award. Prior to his appointment as a rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Adler served as a shoel u’meishiv/sgan mashgiach (mentor/counselor to students).

An accomplished speaker and writer, Rabbi Adler has lectured in communities across the country and is the author of a number of seforim including: Sefer Mitzvat HaShabbat (on the evolution of the mitzva of Shabbat, 2008), Yerach Tov (on Birkat HaChodesh, OU Press, 2014,) Asher Chanan (Discourses and Essays), Eis Lechenina (on the Shabbos Musaf amida) and Tzvi Tifara (on Anim Zemiros), as well as numerous Torah articles in both Hebrew and English on diverse topics of Jewish thought. Rabbi Adler also served as co-editor of the Torah journal, Or HaMizrach, from 2003 to 2006, overseeing the publication of seven issues of the Journal.

Before joining Yeshiva, Rabbi Adler studied at Yeshivas Beis Yosef-Novardok, Mirrer Yeshiva and Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem, where he received semikha (rabbinic ordination) from Rav Dovid Feinstein. Rabbi Adler holds a BA summa cum laude in psychology from CUNY and an MS in secondary Jewish education from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, where he received the Axelrod Scholarship Award for Academic Excellence. Rabbi Adler’s shiurim are known for their substantive content and organized presentation. His talks often combine rigorous halachic analysis with practical psychological insight.

To purchase any of his seforim, please contact Rabbi Adler at eadler1@yu.edu. The English edition of Yerach Tov is available for online purchase on the OU Press website.

Maxwell R. Maybaum Memorial Chair in Talmud and Sephardic Codes (Halacha)

Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Haim is a Sephardi rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Orthodox halachist. He is the Av Beit Din (head of the rabbinical court) of Mekor Haim in Queens, New York, and a prominent leader of New York's Sephardi Jewish community.

Born in Israel, Rabbi Ben-Haim studied at Yeshivat Porat Yosef, where he was recognized as a prodigy with a distinguished memory. He attended the shiur of Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul and received semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Ezra Attia and other great Rabbis at the age of 17, he was tested on the entire Shulchan Aruch. In Porat Yosef, Rabbi Ben-Haim fostered a close relationship with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who studied Even Ha'ezer with him.

In 1962, at the age of 22, he was appointed maggid shiur at Yeshiva Beth Harashal in Jerusalem. Five years later, he became the rosh yeshiva of that yeshiva. In 1973 he began teaching at the Lifshitz Teachers Seminary in Jerusalem. In 1975 he was sent by the Jewish Agency to serve as a rabbi in Tehran, where he hosted Rabbi Ovadia Yosef during his historic trip to Iran. In Tehran, Rabbi Ben-Haim began serving the local community of Mashadi Jews as a rabbi. In 1979, in the wake of the Iranian Revolution, he came with his family to the United States and served as the chief rabbi of the Mashadi Persian Jewish community of Long Island (UMJCA). Since 1993, he has lectured at Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan (RIETS) at .

Rabbi Ben-Haim was considered a close friend of Mordechai Eliyahu and delivered many eulogies for him. Rabbi Ben-Haim runs the Beth Din Mekor Haim, there he addresses the needs of the Queens Jewish community in matters of marriage, divorce, conversion, civil law, and kosher supervision. Rabbi Ben-Haim runs a Kolel affiliated with the Beth Din as well. One of Rabbi Ben-Haim's students is Avraham Gaon, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Etzion in Fresh Meadows, Queens.

Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman is a Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at , as well as an instructor in the Sy Syms School of Business, and serves as the Executive Editor of the RIETS initiative of Press. He is an alumnus of Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and received his ordination (Yoreh Yoreh and Yadin Yadin) from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he was a fellow of the Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon.

Rabbi Feldman is the author of numerous seforim including: “The Right and The Good: Halakhah and Human Relations” (Jason Aronson, 1999; expanded edition, Yashar Books, 2005), and “Divine Footsteps: Chesed and the Jewish Soul” ( Press, 2008) as well as three volumes of Talmudic essays entitled Binah BaSefarim, which have been published with the approbations of R. Avraham Schapira, R. Ovadiah Yosef, R. Natan Gestetner, R. Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg, R. Asher Weiss. and others.

Rabbi Feldman is the co-editor of nine volumes of Talmudic essays and Jewish Thought and serves on the editorial board of Tradition, and has also written for publications such as Jewish Action and the Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics He is a frequent lecturer in locations across America and abroad.

Rabbi Feldman is the spiritual leader of Ohr Saadya of Teaneck, NJ, where he resides with his wife, Leah, and their children.

Joel and Maria Finkle Visiting Israeli Rosh Yeshiva

Rabbi Goldwicht, a prominent Israeli scholar, educator, and a Rosh Yeshiva of 's Mazer School of Talmudic Studies, is the head of the new Stone Beit Medrash Program.

Rabbi Goldwicht joined as a Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and the Mazer Yeshiva Program. He received semicha from the renowned rabbinic authorities Rabbi Zalman Nehemia Goldberg in 1980, and HaRav HaGaon Betzallel Zolti Zt"l chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and Rabbi Ovidyah Yosef, HaRav Rashi of Israel. Rabbi Goldwicht has been a Ram at Yeshiva Kerem B'Yavneh, and has given shiurim extensively at Stern College, all over the metropolitan area, and in Israel.

Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz Chair in Talmud

Rabbi David Horwitz is a rosh yeshiva and the Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz Professor of Talmud at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of . He also is an instructor of Jewish history and Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva College and lectures in varius communities. In 1997, Rabbi Horwitz received Yeshiva’s 13th Annual Moshe and Madelaine Baumel Judaic Faculty Incentive Award, which honors outstanding Jewish studies educators at the University and RIETS. Rabbi Horwitz is an alumnus of High School for Boys (where he won the National Bible Contest, Chidon Hatanach), Yeshiva College, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and received his semikha (rabbinic ordination) from RIETS, where he was a fellow of the Gruss Kollel Elyon.

I. Meier and Henrietta Segals Chair in Talmud

Rabbi Yaakov Neuburger is a rosh yeshiva at the Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies of . Rabbi Neuberger is also the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Abraham in Bergenfield, N.J. Rabbi Neuburger is an authority on issues related to marital relationships and the purity of the Jewish home. He offers his services to help young men train for married life and prepare to build a proper Jewish home built on Jewish law and spirit. From 1986 to 1990, Rabbi Neuburger was spiritual leader of the Jewish community at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Jack D. Weiler Hospital. Rabbi Neuburger received semikha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of in 1979 as well as Yadin Yadin Semikha. He is a graduate of Yeshiva College, and earned an MA in psychology from Columbia University.

Bronka Weintraub Chair in Talmud

Rabbi Herschel Reichman is a rosh yeshiva and the Bronka Weintraub Professor of Talmud at the Mazer Yeshiva Program/Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of . Rabbi Reichman considers himself primarily a student of the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. However, Rabbi Reichman officially received his semikha (rabbinical ordination) from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, with whom he studied Jewish law in a private tutorial. Rabbi Reichman is known for his passionate support of Religious Zionism. Rabbi Reichman has authored five volumes of Reshimos Shiurim, which are lucid notes and explanations of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s lectures on various sections of the Talmud. Additionally, Rabbi Reichman is a teacher of Hasidism, and is particularly fond of the philosophy of the Shem Mishmuel. Rabbi Reichman gives a weekly shiur at Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, N.Y. Rabbi Reichman received a BA from Yeshiva and a PhD in operations research from New York University.

Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud

Rabbi Hershel Schachter, a noted Talmudic scholar, has had a distinguished career with the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, of , for more than 40 years. He joined the faculty in 1967 at the age of 26, the youngest rosh yeshiva at RIETS. Since 1971, Rabbi Schachter has been rosh kollel in the Marcos and Adina Katz Kollel (Institute for Advanced Research in Rabbinics) and also holds the Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud. In addition to his teaching duties, Rabbi Schachter lectures, writes and serves as a world renowned decisor of Jewish law and the Posek for the Orthodox Union.. A prolific author, he has written more than 100 articles, in Hebrew and English for such scholarly publications as HaPardes, Hadarom, Beth Yitzchak and Or Hamizrach. His books include Eretz HaTzvi, B’ikvei HaTzon, Nefesh HaRav, MiPninei HaRav and Ginat Egoz. At age 22, Rabbi Schachter was appointed assistant to the renowned Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Rabbi Schachter earned his BA from Yeshiva College, an MA in Hebrew literature from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies in 1967, and was ordained at RIETS that same year.

Rabbi Henry H. Guterman Chair in Talmud

Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman serves as a Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS, holds the Rabbi Henry H. Guterman chair in Talmud, and is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Midwood in Brooklyn, NY. He received his rabbinic education in the yeshivot of Mir, Lakewood and Beis Yosef. He is the author of multiple seforim on Shas and a commentary on the Haggadah. He also served as an editor of the Schottenstein/Artscroll Talmud.
 

Rabbi Sobolofsky studied at Yeshivat Kerem BeYavneh and ; graduating in 1987, he was named valedictorian of the Mazer Yeshiva Program. He then attended the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), finishing in 1990 and proceeded to the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration in 1996.

He was appointed Rosh Yeshiva in the spring of 2002 and began teaching Talmud at and its affiliated RIETS in the fall of that year. His shiur has gained much popularity in its short existence, and is currently one of the most popular shiurim in the Yeshiva. Some credit this popularity to his ability to blend the teaching styles of his two teachers, Rabbi Mordechai Willig and Rabbi Hershel Schachter. Rabbi Willig is known for his focus towards practical understanding and Rabbi Schachter is known for his ability to present topics in the Talmud in a broader context. Rabbi Sobolofsky blends these two styles to form a unique package that many students find most rewarding.

In addition to his role as Rosh Yeshiva in RIETS, Rabbi Sobolofsky also serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Ohr HaTorah in Bergenfield, New Jersey. His synagogue has attracted many Orthodox Jews to the community. Rabbi Sobolofsky also lectures at the Bergen County Beis Medrash Program (BCBM) housed at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Prior to his appointment as Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Sobolofsky was a fellow of the Gruss Kollel Elyon and then went on to teach in 's Stone Beis Medrash Program for seven years.
Rabbi Sobolofsky is the author of a sefer, Reishis Koach, on Maseches Bechoros and and a sefer in English on Hilchos Nidda, as well as a series on Hilchos Aveilus, on the construction of a mikvah and on halachic aspects of the Seder, which are available on CDs and MP3s.His most recent sefer is titled The Laws and Concepts of Niddah

Perez and Frieda Friedberg Chair in Talmud

Rabbi Daniel Stein is a Rosh Yeshiva and Director of the Norman and Johanne Sternthal 4th Year Halakhah Lemaaseh Program at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of where he holds the Perez and Frieda Friedberg Chair in Talmud. Rabbi Stein is also the Rav of The Ridniker Shteibel, Cong Ahavath Chesed in the West Side of Manhattan, and was the founding Rav of Kehillas Beis Sholom in Clifton NJ where he served for four years. In addition, Rabbi Stein is an expert in the laws of eruvin and has been consulted regarding the creation, extension, and maintenance of numerous eruvin in the United States and Australia.

Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Chair in Talmud

Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, PhD is ’s Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Professor of Talmud in the Mazer Yeshiva Program, a rosh yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and an adjunct professor of Bible at Yeshiva College. Rabbi Wieder is a prolific scholar, with more than 900 lectures on Judaism captured on audio and video and available online. Rabbi Wieder was one of the first Americans to win the International Bible Contest. He graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva College in 1991, and received an MS in American Jewish history from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He was ordained at RIETS and holds a PhD in Judaic studies from New York University.

Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth Chair in Talmud and Contemporary Halacha, and Rosh Kollel of the Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon

Rabbi Mordechai Willig is ’s Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth Professor of Talmud and Contemporary Halachah. He has been a rosh yeshiva at the Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies since 1973 and a rosh kollel at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Rabbi Willig has served as spiritual leader of the Young Israel of Riverdale in the Bronx, N.Y., since 1974. He is the author of multiple volumes of Am Mordechai on various masechtos, which came out in two volumes, and has authored many articles in Torah scholarship journals. Rabbi Willig is the deputy av beis din of the Beth Din of America. He has been an outspoken advocate of the halachic prenuptual agreement as a preventative measure against the creation of agunot. Rabbi Willig received a BA in mathematics from Yeshiva College in 1968 and an MS in Jewish history in 1971 from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He received semikha (rabbinic ordination) that same year at RIETS.