Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

The school is named after Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, and its Hebrew name is Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon. The Hebrew name appears on the seals of all YU affiliates. This institution plays an important role in training leaders for Jewish communities.

History

The first Jewish schools in New York were El Hayyim and Rabbi Elnathan's, on the Lower East Side. In 1896, some rabbis from New York and Philadelphia decided to create a rabbinical seminary based on traditional European yeshivas. This was needed to train American rabbis who would follow Orthodox Judaism. At the time, there were only two other rabbinical seminaries in the United States: Hebrew Union College, which followed Reform Judaism, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, which later became part of Conservative Judaism.

The school was founded by Bernard L. Levinthal and other leading Orthodox rabbis and was called the Rabbinical College of America. In 1915, it merged with an elementary school called Eitz Chaim Yeshiva and was renamed Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), after Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, a Russian rabbi. Bernard Revel became the head of the school. Over the years, the school grew, adding a high school, and in 1926, it moved to a new campus in Washington Heights. Today, RIETS is part of Yeshiva University and focuses on training rabbis through semikhah (rabbinical ordination).

Program

The RIETS semikhah program is a four-year course focused on learning advanced Talmudic topics and understanding Jewish laws. Students also take classes in speaking to groups, helping people, and Jewish ideas to prepare them for jobs as rabbis. Some students receive extra money and take more classes.

Many students also join the Katz Kollel led by the rosh kollel, Hershel Schachter. Others study at the same time in different college programs such as law, teaching, Jewish studies, psychology, and science. After finishing, students can join special study groups called the Kollel Elyon for three to four more years, where they study at a high level and take extra classes while getting money to help them. The leaders of these groups are Michael Rosensweig and Mordechai Willig.

Faculty

The Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary has had many important teachers over the years. Some well-known leaders from the Brisker dynasty, like Moshe Soloveichik and Joseph B. Soloveitchik, were heads of the school. Others, such as Ahron Soloveichik and Aharon Lichtenstein, gave lectures there for many years.

More recent leaders include Hershel Schachter, Eliyahu Ben Haim, Mordechai Willig, and others who have helped guide the students.

Chag Hasemikhah

Students who finish all the needed steps to become rabbis can receive their ordination at any time. But every few years, RIETS holds a special celebration called Chag Hasemikhah. This event honors the students who have recently become rabbis. The celebration usually happens around the memory day of Isaac Elchanan Spektor on Adar 21.

Notable alumni

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary has many important graduates who have done great work. Some well-known alumni include Israel Bettan, a rabbi and professor, Jacob Bosniak, a rabbi in Brooklyn, and Mordechai Gifter, a leader at a yeshiva in Cleveland. Others include Joseph Lookstein, a rabbi in Manhattan and leader at a university in Israel, and Avigdor Miller, a respected rabbi and writer. The school has produced many leaders who help guide their communities.