Rosh Yeshivah’s Letter

Shalom chaverim—Welcome friends,

The world needs rabbis, masters of the Jewish tradition. Jews need leaders who can shepherd the Jewish people through difficult and joyous times and help us aspire towards—and work towards—days of peace, moments of justice, hours of understanding. 

We have always sought guidance from the wisdom of our tradition.

For two millennia, rabbis have passed down a story of how God, before forming our world, could not rest. The chaos of the universe was too much to bear. Just as a good architect scrutinizes their blueprints before constructing a building, God consulted the Torah and created the cosmos.

Our spiritual forebears imagined God reading the Torah, for the most immediate access they had to God was God’s word. God’s diary contained God’s ideas for a better reality. The rabbis who implored us to act in Godly ways imagined a God who studied the same sacred text that they did, belonging to the same sacred Book club. This is a God who is our partner in dialogue, in discovery, in creation, in holiness, and in peace.

In a world plagued by greed, impulsive and instant gratification, narcissism, and nihilism, Judaism feels countercultural. Rabbis preach generosity, patience, altruism, and that the world revolves not on nothingness, but on a very holy Oneness. Our dynamic relationship with our one-and-only God affirms that we have a purpose in this world, that our lives matter.

Hebrew Seminary trains rabbis and pararabbis to share with the world the holiness and the moral compass that emerge from Jewish texts and Jewish life. Our curriculum deepens students’ mastery of the Hebrew Bible and its commentators; rabbinic law and lore; Jewish mysticism and spiritual healing; the history and literature of the Jewish people; and the oys and joys of Jewish culture. Our ordainees leave Hebrew Seminary ready to teach Jewish tradition both to Jews deeply ensconced in Jewish living and to others just becoming acquainted with Judaism.

These are uncertain times, and North American Jews need rabbis who can translate the messages of our Hebrew and Aramaic texts into modern idioms—to make the values of our heritage relevant to contemporary English-speaking and ASL-signing audiences. Every rabbi ordained at Hebrew Seminary is trained to uncover novel relevant insights from Jewish tradition for a world in need. After all, hidden in the Torah are the blueprints for our path forward.

Here at Hebrew Seminary, you, I, and our whole community of learners and teachers chart that path forward together.

Thank you for your consideration of Hebrew Seminary; I look forward to meeting you personally.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Jonah Rank

Rosh Yeshivah