today – Ner Israel Rabbinical College

Ner Yisroel Today

An integral part of the Ner Yisroel experience is the interaction between its three divisions: the Mechina, Bais Medrash and Kollel. Older bochurim have regular sedorim with the Mechina talmidim; the Kollel yungeleit guide, inspire and answer questions posed by the bochurim. In a corner of the bais medrash or a room in the dormitory, one can find a group of talmidim that may include bochurim from around the country and communities around the world. The maggidei shiur in Yeshiva, as well, are a study in diversity. Each one presents his own individual approach and focus. This contributes to the strength of the Ner Yisroel experience in learning and inspiration for greatness. This unique breadth and inclusiveness fosters a very special atmosphere that inspires talmidim to set high goals and ambitions for themselves, and gives them the tools to confidently succeed as Bnei Torah in an increasingly challenging world.

Yeshiva

Spirited ריתחא דאורייתא reigns in Ner Yisroel’s bais medrash, where talmidim in their critical, formative years spend three sedorim a day and beyond learning be’iyun, bekius, and chazarah.

Many of the bochurim in the beis medrash have been in Ner Yisroel since entering the Mechina; they are making great strides in their development. At the same time, there are many others who graduated from other Mesivtos and spent a year or more in a broad assortment of smaller, post-high-school Yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel before joining Ner Yisroel as second-, third-, or fourth-year bais medrash bochurim; the Yeshiva has a highly positive impact on their learning and future lives as bnei Torah.

Mechina

Ner Yisroel’s entry-level division provides its 250 talmidim with a well balanced educational program. In addition to the high level lomdus of the be’iyunshiurim, two bekius programs instill hasmoda in the talmid while broadening his familiarity with different parts of Shas. Each grade completes one “bekius masechta” per year as part of the curriculum; in addition, there are special incentives that inspire many bochurim to voluntarily be mesayem the be’iyun masechta during off-hours.

Class sizes are kept below 25 to maximize individual attention. The highly dedicated rebbeim view themselves as much more than maggidei shiur; the close kesher they forge with their talmidim serves as a venue for mentoring with proper hadracha and chizuk. A rigorous, comprehensive limudei cholprogram features all the requisite courses, as well as exciting ‘electives’ in relevant subjects such as public speaking, Jewish history, and the like.

Kollel

Established in 1959, the Kollel was later renamed l’zecher nishmas Rav Ruderman zatzal, who viewed this division as the crown jewel of Ner Yisroel. Most of the 250+ yungeleit learn within the framework of a chabura that is focused on a specific miktzoa and led by a senior member of the Kollel, with guidance from the Rosh Kollel, Harav Ezra Neuberger. There are chaburos of yungeleit who are learning the Yeshiva mesechta, as well as many others involved in a diversity of other areas in Shas; some are doing it in a more lomdishe manner while others have a more halacha-oriented approach. Ner Yisroel confers Semicha upon qualified talmidim

Leadership

Harav Aharon Feldman

Rosh Hayeshiva

Harav Aharon Feldman Shlita is a talmid of the Yeshiva who had the zechus to learn b’chavrusa with Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Rav Ruderman zt”l as a bachur. The Rosh HaYeshiva and his family lived in Eretz Yisroel for 40 years, where he served as longtime Rosh Yeshiva in Ohr Somayach and founded Yeshiva Be’er HaTorah in the 1990s. Following the petirah of Moreinu HaRav Kulefsky in 2001, the Rosh HaYeshiva returned to serve as Rosh HaYeshiva. The Rosh HaYeshiva also serves as a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.

Harav Beryl Weisbord

Menahel Ruchani

HaRav Beryl Weisbord is the son-in-law of Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Harav Weinberg zt”l. He was appointed as Menahel Ruchani for the yeshiva in 1987, following the petirah of Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Rav Ruderman zt”l. Among his important roles in the leadership of the Yeshiva is the responsibility for acceptance of new Talmidim to the Yeshiva, monitoring the progress of each Talmid, giving Shmuessin and Vaadim as well as mentoring Talmidim who seek his advice and counsel.

Harav Simcha Cook

Menahel Mechinas Ner Yisroel

Harav Simcha Cook came to Ner Yisroel from London, England, as a bochur in 1964. In 1972, he was appointed as the 9th grade maggid shiur, teaching for over 35 years. He served for many years as Assistant Menahel to Harav Yosef Tendler zt”l. After Harav Tendler’s petirah in 2012, HaRav Cook assumed his current post as Menahel of the Mechina.

Harav Ezra Neuberger

Rosh Kollel Avodas Levi

HaRav Ezra Neuberger was appointed as Rosh Kollel of the yeshiva’s Kollel Avodas Levi by Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Rav Weinberg ZT”L in Elul 1994. In 2002, HaRav Ezra became a maggid shiur in the Yeshiva and currently serves both roles as Rosh Kollel and Maggid Shiur.

Harav Boruch Neuberger

Menahel

HaRav Boruch Neuberger is the son of HaRav Sheftel Neuberger, late Menahel of the Yeshiva. HaRav Boruch also served at his father’s side as Assistant Menahel of the yeshiva; after the latter’s petirah, he succeeded him as Menahel in 2021.

Programs

Winter & Summer Camps

NCSY’s Camp Sports is a kiruv camp for high-school aged boys located on Ner Yisroel’s campus for four weeks each summer. These boys come from all over the United States and Canada; many attend public school all year; others are enrolled in Hebrew day schools but come from homes with little or no Torah observance. Camp Sports strengthens their Yiddishkeit by providing them with a customized learning program in a fun setting of competitive sports and exciting trips.

Camp Or Haner was founded in 1986 by Moshe Fuller z”l, a Ner Yisroel talmid and native of Mexico. Many kehillos in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela, have no Jewish educational system due to their small size or low level of observance. Or Haner provides teenagers from Latin America with an environment of warmth, friendliness, fun, and connection to Yiddishkeit that is best suited to create a meaningful and happy connection with their families, their communities and their Jewish heritage. The three week sessions take place twice a year on Ner Yisroel’s campus: for South Americans on their summer break during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, while Mexican and Central American teens attend the summer session.

Visits

Toward the end of the school year, many eighth-graders and high school seniors on their graduation trips to Washington make Ner Yisroel a significant part of their itinerary. They will stop in for a meal or spend an entire day on campus, where they will meet the Rosh Hayeshiva and members of the hanhalla. The most interesting of these visiting groups is a kiruv organization for Israeli college students, which travels to the US as part of its Jewish learning and leadership training; they will spend a day at Ner Yisroel, where they are greatly enriched by their meetings with the Rosh Hayeshiva, rebbeim and the talmidim.

Throughout the year, various groups of alumni and Kollelim schedule Yarchei Kallah learning sessions or visits of chizuk at Ner Yisroel. These include the Kollelim in Norfolk, Virginia, and Dallas and Houston in Texas. There are biannual Yarchei Kallah sessions for working people in the Baltimore region before the Yamim Noraim and before Shavuos, in addition to the individual Yarchei Kallah arranged independently by kehillos and shuls in the area.

Beren Campus

Acclaimed as one of the largest Yeshiva campuses in the world, Ner Yisroel is situated on 90+ scenic acres just Northwest of the Baltimore city limits. Two large, newly renovated battei medrash – one for the mechina and one for the bais medrash and kollel, classrooms, dormitories, kitchen and dining facilities, ample outdoor recreational space and many amenities provide the talmidim with an ideal atmosphere that is most conducive for their growth in Torah and Avodah with minimal distraction.