Halochoh is the cornerstone of life as a religious Jew. It is
an integral part of all our actions. It can also be the key
to awakening a young man's love of learning. This latter
point is the fuel behind the smicha program currently
being put together at Yeshivas Derech HaMelech.
Yeshivas Derech HaMelech, which opened its doors this past
Elul, is the brainchild of R' Boruch Gartner. His goal was to
create a yeshiva which combined intensive learning with a
focus on avodas Hashem. His dream was to offer the
English-speaking bochur and avreich the warmth
of chassidus, the uplift of heartfelt tefilloh,
and the fulfillment of personal growth, all in a yeshiva
setting.
R' Gartner garnered the backing of a number of tzadikim
before setting out to build Derech HaMelech. R' Tzvi Meir
Zilberberg gave the project his support and brochoh.
He sent R' Gartner across the ocean to involve R' Moshe
Weinberger and to observe his Aish Kodesh community. It was
R' Weinberger who suggested asking HaRav Osher Weiss to
accept the post of rosh yeshiva. To R' Gartner's delight,
HaRav Weiss accepted.
Rav Weiss is often asked what sets Derech HaMelech apart from
other institutions. "What is unique about this yeshiva is its
holistic approach to the spiritual needs of its
talmidim," he explains. "It is our mission to give our
students the highest level of learning and produce
talmidei chachomim [as well as to give them] the
warmth of chassidus and the warmth of mussar.
What we need is not only Torah knowledge, but the depth
and warmth of avodas Hashem, and the beauty of
middos tovos."
The rosh kollel and maggid shiur of the highest
shiur, is R' Shmuel Rosenbaum. R' Rosenbaum studied in
Torah Vodaas, and received smicha from R' Elya
Chazzan, R' Avrohom Pam, and R' Gedaliah Shorr. Twenty-two
years ago he moved to Israel, and since then has served as
rosh kollel in both Karlin Stolin and Nezer HaTorah.
Among the hundreds of his former students many are rabbonim,
poskim and dayanim.
R' Rosenbaum created the smicha program which is to
begin in Elul. His shiur this year contained a great
deal of halochoh, and he saw the positive effect it
had upon the boys. Seeing the full picture, from the
gemora down to modern-day poskim, lent
excitement and relevance to the boys' learning.
Next year, he plans to build on this year's success and offer
an intensive smicha program. The program will span
three years: one year devoted to hilchos Shabbos, one
to hilchos kashrus, and a third to family purity, yom
tov and miscellaneous halochos. The mornings will be
spent learning in-depth the gemoras covering the
halachic topics which will be studied in the afternoon. The
goal is not to memorize psakim, but to understand them
from the source, and to give the students the tools to tackle
any area of halochoh. Practicality will be emphasized:
if hilchos esrog is the current topic, for example,
esrogim will be brought in for examination, giving the
students hands-on experience.
"I feel that a program like this has two major advantages,"
says R' Rosenbaum. "First, analyzing how the halochoh
is derived from the original sources helps hone students'
analytical abilities. Second, by bringing learning into the
realm of day-to-day living, the students see the relevancy of
their leaning and this helps them retain what they learn."
Few people are more suited to run such a program than R'
Rosenbaum. Not only is he fully immersed in the sea of
halochoh, he is also extremely devoted to his
students, spending endless time imparting his knowledge. "R'
Rosenbaum completes Shas with every one of his sons
before their marriage," related R' Gartner. "And he has quite
a few boys. Aside from the wonder of the actual
accomplishment, it underscores the fact that he is ready to
spend hours and hours with people in order to give them
Torah."
The bochurim are effusive about their feelings for R'
Rosenbaum. "I've never enjoyed learning halochoh so
much," says Yaakov, one of the yeshiva's first students. "We
go through the background so we have the entire picture. R'
Rosenbaum is also highly skilled at building people. I've had
a tremendous growth in my learning since I came here, mainly
because of his encouragement and influence."
R' Rosenbaum's influence reaches far beyond the classroom.
"R' Rosenbaum is my rebbe in every aspect of life," declares
Yaakov. "He is a person of total chessed. I've never
had anyone in my life help me in so many ways. He helped me
through dating, advised me on where to buy jewelry for my
kallah, and even washed my tallis!
"With R' Rosenbaum, R' Gartner, and the other rebbeim here I
feel that I want to become entirely like them — not
just their learning, but who they are as people."
For their part, the rebbeim devote themselves wholeheartedly
to the boys. "R' Gartner cares about each boy as a son," says
R' Rosenbaum. "He can call me at midnight because he's
worrying about one of them. His whole neshomoh is
devoted to the success of the yeshiva. R' Gartner is a
dreamer, who works until his dreams materialize."
Yeshivas Derech HaMelech has succeeded in answering the need
of dozens of searching young men. Their smicha program
will help extend their efforts.
To contact Derech HaMelech: 057-311-6036. Fax: 02-538-9026.
Baal Shem Tov 7, Jerusalem, Israel. Email:
info@derechhamelech.org
