A Yeshiva to Uncover the Soul

A baal teshuva yeshiva in Tsfat…it just makes sense. In a city of mystics and seekers, perched up in the mountains of the galil, where the very air is holy, a person can really uncover his soul. And nestled into one of the quaint cobblestone streets of the old city under the stone arches of another century, you can find a group of bochurim doing just that.

But the origin of Yeshiva Temimei Darech began long before its official opening on tes vav elul in 2008. The Rebbe’s call to return Tsfat to its illustrious level of Torah learning was clear from the beginning when he sent the first 10 Shluchim in Eretz ha Kodesh right to Tsfat in 1973, nearly 40 years ago on rosh chodesh Av.

Although a number of efforts were made to create a baal teshuva yeshiva in Tsfat since the original schluchim arrived, the time was not yet ripe. Only when Rabbi Shalom Pasternak, current Director of the yeshiva, began an informal learning program for men out of the famed Tzemach Tzedek shul in the old city, did the demand for a more formal program solidify. Rabbi Pasternak then set out to find the right Rosh Yeshiva for the budding institution and found Rabbi Ariel Gorenstein, a special mix of Torah scholar and mashpiah perfectly suited for the sensitive souls of the baalei teshuva students.

Since their humble beginnings 4 years ago, YTD has really matured. “I am happy to see the Yeshiva taking hold and getting on the map. It is now recognized worldwide by schluchim, Chabad on Campus and Birthright,” explains Rabbi Mordechai Siev, Director of Activities at Ascent in Tsfat. “The Yeshiva is really growing and moving in a good direction. It is fulfilling the Rebbe’s brocha that Tsfat is the most powerful place to reach a Jewish soul and to nurture and facilitate its growth in a short time. It is a very powerful thing.”

“We started with about 6 students,” explains Rabbi Pasternak, “and now we are consistently teaching 12-15 at a time. Our dorm holds thirty students and we are nearly full with the addition of students in our summer program.”

YTD works primarily with university level students, both from the standpoint of age and the ability to conform to a structured program. The Yeshiva has attracted students from English speaking countries around the globe. Though their main student body comes from the US, they have had students from England, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. In addition, students from the broader international Jewish community, but who are fluent in English, have also had success in the program.

The Yeshiva prides itself on the diversity and sincerity of its students. “We tend to attract students more on the spiritual end of the spectrum,” explains Rabbi Pasternak. “Our program is best suited for genuine seekers – those who have determined that they want something deeper from life, but have not yet explored the path of Torah.”

According to Rabbi Elkan of Oberlin, “YTD is like the liberal arts arm of the Yeshiva world. Some people want to be in a big university setting, in a big city, with all of the hustle bustle that that has to offer, but for others, it is much more of an attraction to be with a diverse group of people in a small, serene setting with lots of space to find yourself. You can really do that at YTD.”

Chanan Schecter thinks so. Schecter, 24, came to Tsfat on Birthright on his way to India to study herbal medicine and never left. A master trumpet player, he joined the Yeshiva band in time for the Tsfat Klezmer Festival last summer and is now a full time bochur in YTD. “The Yeshiva allowed me to see what Judaism really is. No one is hiding anything here. In such a diverse and open environment you get to experience many points of view. Interacting with the Rabbis, other students and members of the Tsfat community we discuss and share personal thoughts and get to develop them. I also appreciate the amount of one on one time I get with the Rabbis. They get to know us very well and we are able to explore and ask questions – whatever is on our minds.” Schecter also loves Tsfat. “Tsfat really appeals to me as a creative sensitive person. It is a very mystical and spiritual place.”

As the saying goes, it takes forty years to come to the full understanding of your Rabbi. After exactly 40 years of Shlichus to the Holy City, Tsfat is proud to celebrate its latest success story, Yeshiva Temimei Darech.

For more info visit www.thewayinside.org.