- Tomchei Temimim
Tomchei Temimim is the central
Yeshiva (Talmud ical academy) of theChabad -Lubavitch Hasidic movement. Founded in 1896 in the town of Lubavitch by RabbiSholom Dovber Schneersohn , it is now a worldwide network of institutions of advancedTorah study .History
Towards the late 1800s, the position of traditional
Orthodox Judaism was declining. Various new movements eroded the traditional fabric of Jewish life, notably theHaskalah andZionism . Many students were being lured away from a traditional yeshiva education to gymnasiums and universities. Even within the yeshiva framework, times had changed; no longer was the atmosphere one of exclusive devotion to Judaism, according to whichTorah study has traditionally been not simply an acquisition of another science, but an end in itself. The winds of Enlightenment were blowing; students were reading books considered heretical by the yeshivot, and were for the first time exposed to ideas at odds with Orthodox Judaism. It was not uncommon for students to flagrantly violate basic Jewish laws, and ultimately join these secular movements.Against this backdrop, Rabbi Sholom DovBer believed it necessary to found a new type of yeshiva, one which would regularly study
Hasidic philosophy ("Chassidus") according to the Chabad tradition, and thereby inoculate its students against the heretical views spreading through the Orthodox Jewish world. Moreover, he expressed his confidence that the students of this yeshiva (whom he termed "temimim"; sing. "tamim") would be suitably prepared to overcome the problems plaguing the yeshiva community and Jewry in general.Chaotic times
In 1917, the
Bolshevik Revolution took place inRussia ; within a short time, virtually any kind of formal Jewish education was outlawed by the new Communist rulers. The yeshiva took to operating underground, with teachers facing harsh penalties if caught: sentences of ten or more years of hard labor inSiberia , or a merciful death at the hands of a firing squad. Tens of young rabbis paid the ultimate price for continuing the survival of Judaism in theSoviet Union , at any cost.When Rabbi
Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn (the "Rebbe Rayatz") exited the Soviet Union in 1927, the yeshiva reestablished itself inWarsaw and later inOtwock ,Poland . When in the course ofWorld War II the "Rebbe" was safely evacuated to New York. The yeshiva first escaped toShanghai , along with some other yeshivot like Mir, and then was reestablished in America, where it remains to this day.Today
The central Yeshiva is housed today in Lubavitch World Headquarters, at
770 Eastern Parkway , with approximately four hundred students. Branches of the yeshiva, formally independent but recognized to be part of one global network, are to be found in major cities in theUnited States ,Canada ,Europe ,South America ,South Africa ,Australia , and the formerSoviet Union , and a distinct network of yeshivot inIsrael . Many of the branches also perform the functions necessary to grant ordination to their students. A large number of graduates of Tomchei Temimim continue working within Chabad, inChabad House s or in education as "shluchim".About the Yeshiva
Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson asserted that the impact of studying in Tomchei Temimim is everlasting: [ [http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/11/08.htm Public address of 13th Tishrei, 5742] ]Typical Schedule
The following is a typical daily schedule for Chabad Yeshiva students:
*7:30 a.m. - "Chasidus" - Hasidic philosophy (in some locales such as Israel and Australia first classes start at 7:00 a.m.)
*9:00 a.m. - preparation for prayers, includingMikveh immersion (for those who didn't do so before 7:30 a.m.)
*9:15 a.m. - "Shacharis " - Morning prayers
*10:15 a.m. - Breakfast
*11:00 a.m. - "Iyun" - Morning in depth "Talmud" study
*1:00 p.m. -Shiur (lecture) - more advanced students receive lectures less often
*2:00 p.m. - "Mincha " - afternoon prayers
*2:15 p.m. - Lunch and break period
*3:30 p.m. - Afternoon "Talmud ", including review of morning study and less in-depth Talmudic study known as "girsa"
*6:00 p.m. - "Halacha " study
*7:00 p.m. - Dinner and break period
*8:00 p.m. - Night "Seder": Hasidic philosophy - "Chasidus"
*9:30 p.m. - "Ma'ariv " - Evening prayers
*9:50 p.m. - "Seder Inyanei Ge'ulah U'Moshiach" - unofficial study of Torah topics related to the Messianic redemption (as per Rabbi M. M. Schneerson's instructions)
*10:00 p.m. - "Seder Sichos" - unofficial study of Rabbi M. M. Schneerson's public addressesGlobal Locations
In North America:
* Central Branch:Crown Heights (Brooklyn , New York)
* Montreal, Quebec, Canada. SeeRabbinical College of Canada
* Morristown, NJ. SeeRabbinical College of America
* Miami, Florida
* Baltimore, Maryland
* Los Angeles, California. SeeYeshivas Ohr Elchonen Chabad
* Detroit, Michigan
* Monsey, NYIn Israel:
* Lod, Israel
* Safed, Israel
* Kfar Chabad, Israel
* Kiryat Gat, Israel
* Jerusalem, Israel.In other locations:
* Melbourne, Australia
* Sydney, Australia
* Brunoy, France (suburb of Paris)
* London, England
* Manchester, England
* Rostov, Russia
* Johannesburg, South AfricaFootnotes
ee also
*Yeshiva Gedolah in Sydney.
*Rabbinical College of America
*Oholei Torah
*Hadar Hatorah
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