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OTS Newsletter - Winter 2002
Aseh Lecha Rav U'kneh Lecha Chaver: Secure For Yourself A Teacher & Acquire A FriendRABBI AVISHAI DAVID, Rosh Yeshiva of OTS's Yeshivat Torat Shraga, is not the type of Rosh Yeshiva who gives one shiur a day and is out of sight at all other times. "I have a personal relationship with each one of my students," says Rabbi David. "This level of accessibility and warmth directly contributes to a student's learning achievements and makes our yeshiva unique.
A graduate of Yeshiva University and a musmach of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), Rabbi David brings dynamic insights and energy to his classes on Halacha, Talmud, Parshat Hashavua, Bible and ethics. "Rabbi David's style and scholarship really appeal to the YTS post-high school students," explains the yeshiva's administrator, Rabbi Michael Olshin. "Our students hail from a wide range of backgrounds and levels," continues Rabbi Olshin, "but they all share an intense motivation to grow, and to really become proficient in their learning." Tapping in to this enthusiasm, Olshin teaches a popular class called Da Ma Shetashiv [Know What to Answer], in which he strengthens students' understanding of the fundamentals of Judaism, enabling them to answer important questions of faith with knowledge and fluency. The yeshiva also boasts a "scholars program" for young men who have studied in other top yeshivot for a year or more. One such student is Meir Goodman, from Hillcrest, NY, who studied in Jerusalem for two years, before transferring to YTS. "I was looking for somewhere more personal, and in that sense Rabbi David is a huge attraction," he recalls. "In general, I'm finding YTS the perfect combination of warmth, inspiration and scholarship."
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"This philosophy has guided the American-born Rabbi David throughout his career. In 1995, he moved to Israel from Toronto, where he was well-known as the charismatic Rosh Yeshiva of the Or Chaim Bnei Akiva Yeshiva. Before joining Yeshivat Torat Shraga (YTS), he headed Midreshet Mevasseret Yerushalayim (MMY), a Jerusalem seminary for women; during his tenure, enrollment grew from 39 students to 110. And in his home community of Beit Shemesh, he is sought out by an entire spectrum of residents from secular to all streams of religious to answer questions and provide counseling.