Rabbinical School

The Rabbinical School of Hebrew Seminary is intended for emerging Jewish leaders who seek to become ordained as rabbis and to serve Jews, Jewish communities, multifaith communities, and seekers.

Program Information

Introduction

The Rabbinical School of Hebrew Seminary is intended for emerging Jewish leaders who seek to become ordained as rabbis and to serve Jews, Jewish communities, multifaith communities, and seekers.

Length of Studies

The trajectory of studies at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew Seminary amounts to 60 credits, capped by a Senior Project. Depending on prior studies and experiences of students, some portion of these credits may be fulfilled in recognizing equivalent or related coursework and/or experiences, as determined by the Rosh Yeshivah and Dean of Students. The full course of the Rabbinical School program is designed to take a full-time student approximately 5 years, but students may enroll in Electives and Independent Studies during Summer Semesters to accelerate their course of study.

Required Courses

Of the 52 classes (in addition to an 8 credit Internship or Thesis/Senior Project) typically required for graduation from Hebrew Seminary’s Rabbinical School, the following Required Courses–or, in special circumstances, the equivalent thereof as determined by the Dean of Students and Rosh Yeshivah–must be completed:

Biblical Studies (5 credits required)
Biblical Commentary
Parashat HaShavu’a I
Parashat HaShavu’a II
Survey of Prophets
Survey of Writings

Diversity & Accessibility: (1 credit required)
Beginning American Sign Language

Jewish History: (4 credits required)
Ancient Jewish History
Medieval Jewish History
Modern Jewish History
Israel, Palestine, and Zionism

Jewish Languages: (6 credits required)
Beginning Biblical Hebrew I
Beginning Biblical Hebrew II
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II
Modern Hebrew
Aramaic

Jewish Liturgy: (4 credits required)
Liturgy of Shabbat and Weekdays
Liturgy of the High Holidays
Liturgy of the Three Festivals
Signing Liturgy

Jewish Thought: (2 credits required)
Introduction to Jewish Philosophy
Modern Books in Jewish Thought

Pastoral Care: (2 credits required)
Bikkur Cholim
Human Development

Practical Skills: (8 credits required)
4 semesters of Kehillah & Tefillah
Homiletics and Communications
Lifecycle Officiation
Pedagogy for Youth
Torah Trop or Signed Torah

Rabbinic Literature: (10 credits required)
8 courses of Talmud Bavli
Survey of Midrashic Literature
Survey of Halakhic Literature

Mysticism & Spirituality: (2 credits required)
Survey of Jewish Mystical Texts
Jewish Healing Meditations

The full Rabbinical School program consists of 44 credits of Required Courses, 8 credits of Elective Courses and an 8 credit Internship or Rabbinic Thesis or Senior Project approved by the Rosh Yeshivah and Dean of Students that may be counted towards the program’s 60 credits. All Required Courses as well as most Electives and Independent Study courses are offered online. Select Electives and Independent Study courses may be offered in person.

Admissions Requirements

Students are likely to enter with unique abilities, skills, and bases of knowledge acquired prior to enrolling as a Rabbinical student. Nonetheless, we usually, but not always, expect that students who are beginning Hebrew Seminary’s Rabbinical School have:

Identified as a committed member of a Jewish community for two or more years prior to enrolling as a Rabbinical student at Hebrew Seminary
A BA or equivalent degree
A strong ethical character
An ongoing cultural and/or spiritual relationship with Judaism.

Hebrew Seminary’s Rabbinical School admits qualified students without regard to race, color, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, hearing status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Hebrew Seminary admits and ordains students who are single, students with Jewish partners, and students with partners who are not Jewish. Hebrew Seminary does not require applicants to have taken the GRE.

If you wish to apply:

Submit one letter of academic reference, one letter from a Jewish leader, and one letter of character reference.
Submit college transcripts for all undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Following review of the above, interview with Hebrew Seminary’s Rosh Yeshivah as well as the Dean of Students.

Notification of the decision on the application will be made after completing these requirements.

We will be in contact with updates during the process.

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There is no fee for applying to Hebrew Seminary.
Submit transcripts to admissions@hebrewseminary.org
Submit letters of recommendation through the application form.

Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing Policy

Hebrew Seminary rabbinic students may apply for up to 40 credits fulfilled through advanced standing or transfer credits.

Transfer Credits
Hebrew Seminary rabbinic students may apply for coursework previously completed at a graduate-level Jewish studies program or another rabbinic seminary towards fulfillment of credits required at Hebrew Seminary. Hebrew Seminary typically counts 1 course (completed at or outside of Hebrew Seminary) towards 1 credit of Hebrew Seminary’s Rabbinical School. To apply for previous coursework to count towards transfer credits, a student is billed a $100 Transfer Credit Fee per credit sought.

When requesting transfer credits from specific courses, students must provide the Dean of Students with transcripts demonstrating having completed said courses with a minimum grade of B or the equivalent thereof. In applying for previous coursework to exempt students from certain required courses at Hebrew Seminary, students may be asked to demonstrate equivalency by providing a full description of that course (preferably from the syllabus) and papers or examinations when available. The Dean of Students, in consultation with the Rosh Yeshivah, will determine how credits earned at another institution may be applied to meet Hebrew Seminary coursework requirements.

Regardless of how many transfer credits may have been previously granted, the Dean of Students may grant a rabbinical student 8 transfer credits upon the student demonstrating satisfactory completion of 1 unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. Students are not billed per credit earned through completing CPE but are billed a $100 CPE Transfer Credit Fee per unit of CPE.

Up to 26 credits of coursework completed in Hebrew Seminary’s Pararabbinic Program may be applied towards a student’s completion of Hebrew Seminary’s Rabbinical School.

Advanced Standing Policy
Rabbinical students may apply for exemption from as well as fulfillment of credits for required Hebrew Seminary courses, based on demonstrated proficiency in the subject matter. To apply for exemptions from credits based on advanced standing, a rabbinical student is billed a $300 Advanced Standing Fee per course exemption sought. Exemptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis by the Dean of Students, who may consult Hebrew Seminary faculty specializing in the subject matter. The Dean of Students confirms all exemptions with the Rosh Yeshivah.

Should a student place out of one or more required Hebrew courses during their Admissions Interview, such a student may decide either to (a) pay the $300 Advanced Standing fee per level passed or (b) enroll in elective course(s) to earn credits in lieu of the Hebrew course(s) waived from the student’s graduation requirements.

Pararabbinic students are not eligible to apply for advanced standing towards fulfillment of credits in the Pararabbinic Program, but pararabbinic students may apply to be exempted from a required course, which then may be replaced with an elective of the student’s choosing. Pararabbinic students are billed a $300 Advanced Standing Fee per course exemption sought.

Inasmuch as Hebrew proficiency is tested upon entry for all rabbinic and pararabbinic students, no Advanced Standing Fees are billed for exemptions from Hebrew language course requirements.

Senior Thesis

In their final year of rabbinic studies at Hebrew Seminary, students will complete either an Internship Program or Senior Thesis or Senior Project under the advising of a faculty member, as approved by the Dean of Students and Rosh Yeshivah. During their ordination ceremony, students are expected to present some aspect of their Senior Thesis and to communicate a portion in American Sign Language or Signed English.

Rabbinic Internships

Hebrew Seminary’s Rabbinic Internship Program is intended:

to provide rabbinical students an on-site Rabbinic training program to observe, to learn, and to practice rabbinic duties–including but not limited to: youth pedagogy, adult education, delivery of sermons, crafting and/or leading liturgy, officiation of life-cycle events, and pastoral counseling; and
to complement the work of local rabbis and to support the institutions they serve by providing high-quality rabbinic interns with a strong work ethic and commitment to Jewish service.

Prior to the graduation of each rabbinical student, Hebrew Seminary offers to match each rabbinical student with 1 internship after completing at least 26 credits of Rabbinical School. Students are eligible to begin their internship after completing at least 30 credits of Rabbinical School.

Agreements:

Hebrew Seminary awards fully participating rabbinical students—i.e., students who commit, over the course of approximately 10 months (between, e.g., September through June), to 400 hours of service to their internship’s hosting site—8 elective credits towards the credits students must complete at Hebrew Seminary prior to graduation. Rabbinical students participating in a 400-hour rabbinic internship arranged through Hebrew Seminary must pay a $3,000 Rabbinic Internship Fee to Hebrew Seminary. Although Hebrew Seminary does not offer direct monetary compensation in addition to the 8 elective credits, hosting sites may voluntarily enter agreements for monetary payment of their rabbinic interns. Requests for rabbinic internships designed to entail less than 400 hours and the number of credits awarded accordingly are subject to approval by the Dean of Students in consultation with the Rosh Yeshivah. As a means of tracking and assessment, students will meet with the Dean of Students at least three times—at least once in the first month of the internship, at least once near the middle of the internship, and at least once in the final month of the internship.

So as to protect both the rabbinical students and the hosting sites, prior to the start of any internship, both parties will negotiate and then sign a written agreement that reflects the parties’ mutual understanding of the responsibility each holds to one another. Hosting sites may modify Hebrew Seminary’s suggested internship agreement template to reflect any modified terms and conditions, but hosting sites must agree to permit an appropriately matching rabbinical student at least 400 hours of service for the site. Hosting sites must comply with all relevant Hebrew Seminary policies.

Mentoring Responsibilities:

Each rabbinic intern is assigned at their internship’s hosting site at least one rabbinic mentor—including at least one rabbi, rabba(h), or Maharat. These mentors provide the interns with overall administrative, programmatic, and planning supervision. Mentors are encouraged to meet approximately weekly for supervision meetings that allow the intern and mentor(s) time for such purposes as:

reviewing and clarifying any responsibilities in the week ahead;
exploring or practicing skills related to communal responsibilities;
goal-setting, goal-tracking, and/or performance review;
theological, spiritual, emotional, and/or psychological reflection; and
other professional and/or vocational concerns.

Termination of Rabbinic Internship Program:

In the event where either the rabbinic intern or the hosting site of the rabbinic internship determines that the relationship is not beneficial to either party, the rabbinic intern or the hosting site may, in consultation with Hebrew Seminary’s Dean of Students, terminate the internship agreement.

Application

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

Title

Pronoun(s)(Required)

Email(Required)

Mobile Phone(Required)

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

For which program are you applying?(Required)

Briefly describe any scholastic distinctions or honors you have won in college or postgraduate education:(Required)

Jewish affiliation(Required)

e.g., Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Other, etc.

Length of time studied Hebrew(Required)

Briefly discuss your relationship to Jewish rituals, customs, and holidays.(Required)

Foreign language proficiency (please list and describe):(Required)

Jewish leadership(Required)

Please describe any positions of Jewish leadership and/or education you have held.

Personal statement(Required)

Please discuss why you are interested in studying at Hebrew Seminary, A Rabbinical School for the Deaf & Hearing.

How did you learn about Hebrew Seminary?(Required)

Briefly discuss your relationship to Jewish communal life.(Required)

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Learn With Us

All classes are currently held virtually and are open to Rabbinic and Pararabbinic students, as well as auditing students from around the world.