Studying in yeshiva
Studying in yeshivaNati Shohat/Flash 90

Just prior to the Simchat Torah holiday, Arutz Sheva and Echad L'echad are running a special campaign to strengthen learning and support those who choose to learn Torah for several years in order to raise the next generation of leaders and Torah scholars.

"We have build an amazing world of Torah and Zionism, and we need to add an additional level. For this reason, we are focusing on our vision for our flagship project: supporting the outstanding married yeshiva students in every yeshiva." Torah Betzion Yeshiva Dean and Echad L'echad Director Rabbi Yitschak Neriya said.

Rabbi Neriya also spoke about one of his organization's older projects, which provides financial support for married yeshiva students prior to Jewish holidays. However, Rabbi Neriya emphasized that the focus is on the outstanding scholars.

"This is how we see future generations, and our responsibility to educate them," he explained.

Why do they need financial support?

"At the end of the day, when a young man finds himself in a situation in which he has to choose whether to continue learning Torah so that in the future he can serve as a rabbi and leader, or whether to find a job, a big part of the question is financial," Rabbi Neriya explained. "Will he be able to make a living as a rabbi? Will he be able tlo continue learning calmly while his family begins to stress and pressures him to 'make something of himself?' In most yeshivas, the stipend is not enough to allow students to learn Torah properly. Torah comes with hard work, and through people who are devoted to it. As a community, it is our privilege to support these people - but it is also an obligation. We find the best students in each yeshiva, and support and strengthen them."

Rabbi Neriya is the grandson of Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neriya, and sees his work at Echad L'echad as a natural and direct continuation of his grandfather's work.

"When my grandfather founded high school yeshivas, people laughed at him," Rabbi Neriya said. "They asked him, 'What are you doing? You think you'll save the world with 13-year-olds?' And we all know that thank G-d, the community turned out beautifully. They're religious, they're Zionist, and the community is proud of itself. Today, we need to build an additional level. We need to build the next generation of Torah scholars, who will devote themselves to their Torah learning, and be able to lead their generation in a few decades."

Over the years, there have been several discussions comparing the Religious Zionist yeshiva system to that of the haredim. According to Rabbi Neriya, the Religious Zionist community has the ability to produce outstanding Torah scholars, who chose to commit themselves to learning Torah.

"In our community, unlike in other communities, not everyone is obligated to learn Torah. No one is obligated to remain in yeshivas, either before or after marriage," Rabbi Neriya explained. "So those who choose to continue studying Torah are more serious, and they have options: They can learn medicine, they can learn law, they can learn hi-tech, they can do whatever they want - but they choose to remain in yeshiva and study Torah. It's a natural selection process, and we must therefore strengthen the hundreds of students who chose to devote themselves to Torah."

Click here to support outstanding yeshiva students.