LeadershiP
RABBI NIR YAAKOV MASS - HEAD OF THE YESHIVA
Rabbi Nir Yaakov Mass grew up in Moshav Beit Gamliel. He studied at Netiv Meir High in Jerusalem, before graduating from Rabbi Weizman's Ma'alot Hesder Yeshiva. Upon graduation, he was drafted to the Paratroopers Brigade, and later became a commander. Rabbi Mass is among the founders of the Zichron Ya’akov Beit Midrash and the Kerem B’yavneh Kollel Gemara. He taught at Kiryat Herzog and Kinor David yeshivas, and later served as Rabbi Bigon’s deputy at the Meir Institute in Jerusalem. Rabbi Mass has been head of our yeshiva since 2009.
Rabbi Ravid HilleL
Rosh mesivta
Rabbi Hillel studied at the Meir Institute in Jerusalem. He joined the Yeshiva upon graduation, when it first opened its doors. Rabbi Hillel now leads renewed Torah studies. He focuses his research and lectures on the biblical traditions of the rabbis of Yemen, Spain, and the East. He created our Scholars of Spain seminar, which investigates the culture history of the Torah scholars of Spain (the Sephardim).
Rabbi Yehonathan Yadov
Rosh mesivta
Rabbi Yadov was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in Ateret and in Carmel. He studied at Miron Yeshiva and served in the IDF as a commander in the Givati Brigade. He works as a psychotherapist and teaches Gemara for Halacha, Revelations of the Soul, Da'at Tevunot, and Mesilat Yesharim at the Yeshiva. His methodologies review the origins and foundations of the Torah.
Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen
Teacher
Rabbi Cohen is the father of Nariya Cohen, after whom the yeshiva was named. He was born and raised in Netivot and studied at Kiryat Shmona’s Hesder yeshiva and Kedumim’s yeshiva. Throughout the years, Rabbi Cohen has headed several rabbinic seminaries and focuses on researching and teaching the Talmud. He lives in the Old City of Jerusalem, and has taught Gemara at Lev Tel Aviv since 2015.
Rabbi Mordechai Meir
Rosh mesivta
A graduate of Ramat Gan Yeshiva, Rabbi Meir managed rabbinic institutions and lectured at Rosh Yehudi Center in Tel Aviv. He currently teaches at Jewish study centers that are considered secular Midrash Schools. Rabbi Meir specializes in Jewish philosophy and esoteric teachings. A notable social activist, he aims to create respectful discourse among different factions of Israeli society.
Open Letter from Rabbi Mass
“In the intense city center of Tel Aviv, I recognize an honest, true Jewish desire to fix the world and reach an authentic inner connection of one to oneself. In the words of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the Israeli man is obliged to believe that a divine soul resides within him, that his entire bones are one letter from the Torah.
We believe that the yeshiva is a ground for a meeting place between the various types of souls in the people of Israel. The Tel Avivian’s longing for spiritual strengths and Jewish culture stem from a call to the truth. When you enter the Beit Midrash, you step over the threshold and create the transition in the spiritual state from an exile state to redemption. And right here, in the heart of Tel Aviv, there’s an opportunity to increase your connection to the Torah, to give the people of Israel the ability to take part in Jewish traditions.
This is a worthy national platform for learning Judaism with love, one that allows each individual the place to grow according to his needs. Our hope is to create great Torah leaders who are oriented toward the mission of the generation.
Yeshiva Lev Tel Aviv has taken upon itself to be the open and inclusive place that will provide the ground for the connection between all the souls of Israel – each to oneself and to the others, and together to the Torah.
Many students participate in a full boarding school, and the Yeshiva rents them apartments in Tel Aviv. The activities of the yeshiva – the maintenance of the rabbis, students, meals, in a full course of study – as well as the various community activities that the yeshiva carries out throughout the city, require a lot of funding. As an institution in its early stages, there are difficult financial challenges. Nonetheless, we continue to grow and develop!
Our vision stems from a strong belief that the path of unification of the people of Israel is the path to the true and inner study of the Torah, while emphasizing the meaning and importance of military service in the IDF. We appeal to you, as a partner in the journey, to carry your eyes with us toward the yeshiva's vision and to support the activities of Lev Tel Aviv–Song to Neriya.”