What exactly do they study in yeshivas in Israel?

The word “yeshiva” evokes a very specific image for many: a large hall, long tables, open volumes of the Talmud, and dozens of young men who argue loudly, sway over books, and constantly ask each other questions.

But what exactly are they studying?

• Do yeshiva students really read the Torah all day?
• Why are the books of the Prophets almost not taught in some ultra-Orthodox educational institutions?
• How does a Lithuanian yeshiva differ from a Hasidic, Sephardic, or religious-Zionist one?
• And can it be said that people who dedicate their lives to “studying the Torah” are actually studying the Talmud predominantly?

There is no definitive answer, as there is no unified program for all yeshivas in Israel. Under one name, completely different educational systems are hidden.

What is called the Torah in the religious environment

First of all, it is necessary to understand the terms.

In everyday language, the Torah usually refers to the Pentateuch of Moses — the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

But in traditional religious language, the word “Torah” is used much more broadly.

It can mean the Written Torah, the entire TANAKH, the Oral Torah, the Talmud, Midrash, Halacha, the commentaries of medieval rabbis, Kabbalah, and all subsequent rabbinic literature.

Therefore, when a representative of the Haredi world says that a young man “sits and studies the Torah,” it does not necessarily mean that he is reading stories about Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt, or King David.

Most often, it refers to the study of the Gemara — the main part of the Talmud — along with the commentaries of Rashi, Tosafot, and later rabbinic authorities.

Within the framework of the traditional worldview, the study of the Talmud is not opposed to the study of the Torah. The Talmud is considered the most important part of the Oral Torah, without which it is impossible to correctly understand the Written.

How the path of a Haredi yeshiva student is arranged

The educational path of a Haredi boy usually does not begin with a yeshiva, but with a cheder or Talmud Torah — a religious elementary school.

There, the child learns to read in Hebrew, becomes acquainted with the Pentateuch, Rashi’s commentaries, the Mishnah, the basics of Halacha, and gradually begins to study the Gemara.

The older the student becomes, the more the Talmud occupies his schedule.

After the bar mitzvah, around 13–14 years old, the boy enters a yeshiva ketana — a “small yeshiva.” It roughly corresponds to the upper grades of school, but its program may almost entirely consist of religious subjects.

Around 17–18 years old, the student moves to a yeshiva gedola — a “large yeshiva.” There, the study becomes more independent, and the young man can remain in the yeshiva until marriage.

After the wedding, some continue to study in a kollel — an educational institution for married men.

The Israel Democracy Institute characterizes yeshiva ketana and yeshiva gedola as virtually all-encompassing educational spaces. Classes continue from morning until late evening, and the main subject is the Gemara. In some yeshiva ketana, the school day ends no earlier than 9:00 PM.

What a typical day in a yeshiva looks like

The school day is divided into several large periods, called “seder” — the order of classes.

Usually, there is a morning seder, an afternoon seder, and an evening seder.

Most of the time, students study in pairs — chavrutas.

A chavruta is not just joint reading. Two students analyze the text, translate Aramaic expressions, try to reconstruct the line of reasoning, argue, ask questions, and check each other’s arguments.

Therefore, it is usually noisy in the yeshiva hall. Students are not required to silently listen to the teacher. On the contrary, loud debate is considered part of the process.

After independent work, a rabbi or teacher conducts a shiur — a lesson during which he offers his own analysis of a Talmudic topic.

A student may not have the usual school notes, homework, and regular exams. Especially in large Lithuanian yeshivas, education is built around personal discipline, reputation, relationships with teachers, and the ability to independently analyze the text. Studies of the Haredi system note that in many such institutions, there is no unified program with clear measurable goals, mandatory assignments, and standard exams.

What is the Gemara and why does its study take so much time

The Talmud consists of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

The Mishnah is a systematic collection of legal rulings and discussions, formed approximately at the beginning of the 3rd century.

The Gemara is a multilayered discussion of the Mishnah, recorded mainly in Aramaic. It contains legal disputes, explanations of biblical verses, parables, stories about sages, medical views, discussions about prayer, family law, property, sacrifices, damages, holidays, and dozens of other topics.

At the same time, the Talmud is not like a modern textbook.

It rarely offers a simple question and a ready answer. One topic can suddenly transition into another, and the final decision is sometimes found in later halachic codes.

To understand one page, a student must establish:

• who exactly is speaking;
• to which era the statement belongs;
• whether it is a law or an assumption;
• on which biblical verse it is based;
• whether it contradicts another place in the Talmud;
• how it was understood by medieval commentators;
• what practical decision was made by later authorities.

Therefore, even a small fragment can be studied for several days.

What is on a page of the Talmud

In the center of a traditional page is printed the text of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

Next to it is the commentary of Rashi — Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, who lived in France in the 11th century. Without Rashi, it is extremely difficult for a beginner student to understand a significant part of the Talmud.

On the other side of the page are the Tosafot — the commentaries of medieval rabbis from France and Germany.

If Rashi often helps to understand the immediate meaning of the text, then the Tosafot compare different tractates and ask complex questions: why does it say one thing here and another elsewhere? Can two contradictory statements be reconciled? Does one Talmudic dispute not refute another?

Then students turn to the Rishonim — medieval authorities, among whom are Rambam, Ramban, Rashba, Ritva, and Rosh.

After them, they study the Acharonim — rabbis of a later period.

Thus, a student works not with one book, but with a huge library of texts written over many centuries.

Iyun and bekiut: two ways to study the Talmud

There are two main modes of study in yeshivas.

Iyun — in-depth analytical study.

Students can spend weeks analyzing a few pages, comparing commentaries, formulating contradictions, and trying to understand the principles hidden behind a specific dispute.

The main goal of iyun is not to cover as much text as possible, but to learn to think within the Talmudic system.

Bekiut — faster and broader study.

In this mode, a student tries to cover a significant amount of the Talmud without dwelling in detail on each contradiction.

In some yeshivas, the main indicator of level is the ability for deep iyun. In others, more attention is paid to the volume of material covered, repetition, and memorization.

Do Haredi yeshivas study the TANAKH

The answer depends on which yeshiva is being discussed.

In classical male Lithuanian Haredi yeshivas, systematic study of the books of the Prophets and Writings indeed usually occupies a very small place or is absent.

It is assumed that the main knowledge of the Torah and the TANAKH should have been acquired in childhood.

In practice, this often leads to a paradoxical situation: a young man may analyze a property dispute recorded in Aramaic in the tractate Bava Kamma in detail, but poorly remember the sequence of events in the books of Judges, Kings, or Chronicles.

However, the statement that Haredim do not read the Written Torah at all is incorrect.

The weekly Torah portion is read publicly on Saturdays, holidays, Mondays, and Thursdays. Biblical passages are constantly present in prayers. The Pentateuch with Rashi, Psalms, holiday texts, and commentaries related to the TANAKH are studied.

But liturgical reading or quoting individual verses is not the same as the sequential study of the entire TANAKH as a single historical, literary, and religious corpus.

Why the Talmud became more important than the books of the Prophets

This situation arose for more than one reason.

First of all, the Talmud became the foundation of rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple.

It is through rabbinic literature that the rules of the Sabbath, prayer, kashrut, marriage, divorce, holidays, blessings, and everyday behavior are determined.

The TANAKH tells about the history of the people of Israel, kings, prophets, wars, the Temple, agriculture, and life in the ancient Jewish state.

But modern religious practice is based not only on the literal text of the Bible but on how this text was interpreted by the Mishnah, the Talmud, and subsequent generations of rabbis.

In addition, in the Eastern European Jewish world, knowledge of the Talmud became the main indicator of a man’s intellectual and social status.

An expert was not someone who could retell all the books of the Prophets, but someone who could independently analyze a complex sugya — a Talmudic discussion.

The yeshiva gradually became not a school of general Jewish education but a specialized academy of Talmudic analysis.

Did the Volozhin yeshiva create the modern system

The Volozhin yeshiva is often called the “mother of Lithuanian yeshivas.”

It was founded by Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin at the beginning of the 19th century and became a model of a centralized educational institution where hundreds of young men could constantly study the Talmud regardless of the local community.

Yeshivas existed before, so Volozhin cannot be called the first yeshiva in Jewish history.

However, it indeed became the prototype of the modern Lithuanian model: a long school day, concentration on the Talmud, the high status of independent analysis, and the formation of a special world of yeshiva students.

In 1892, the authorities of the Russian Empire ordered the closure of the yeshiva. Formally, the reason was the failure to comply with the requirements for state control and the teaching of secular subjects.

The popular version that the leadership categorically refused to teach the Russian language and consciously preferred closure simplifies the more complex conflict between the yeshiva and the imperial power. Subsequently, the Volozhin yeshiva reopened but never regained its former status.

Was the yeshiva a response to the Haskalah

The modern Lithuanian system was formed during the spread of the Haskalah — the Jewish Enlightenment.

Supporters of the Haskalah paid great attention to the language of the TANAKH, grammar, European sciences, history, and the immediate meaning of the biblical text.

For part of the traditional society, this created a threat. Independent study of the Bible without rabbinic commentaries could be associated with secularization, academic biblical studies, a Christian approach to Scripture, or a rejection of the authority of the Oral Torah.

However, to say that yeshivas appeared solely out of fear of science or biblical criticism is incorrect.

Yeshivas existed long before the Haskalah. The modern Lithuanian model became a response to a broader crisis of traditional society: the weakening of communities, modernization, changes in the economy, the spread of secular education, and the emergence of new Jewish movements.

What is said in “Pirkei Avot”

In the tractate “Pirkei Avot,” a well-known sequence is indeed given:

“At five years old — to Scripture, at ten — to the Mishnah, at fifteen — to the Talmud.”

But this phrase does not mean that after fifteen years a person should stop studying Scripture.

Moreover, in the tractate Kiddushin, it is said that a person should divide their study time into three parts: a third dedicated to Scripture, a third to the Mishnah, and a third to the Talmud.

Later commentators tried to reconcile this principle with real practice.

One explanation was that the Babylonian Talmud already includes all three elements: biblical verses, the Mishnah, and Talmudic analysis. Therefore, its study can be considered simultaneous study of Scripture, the Mishnah, and the Talmud.

It was this understanding that helped justify the concentration of the curriculum around the Gemara.

Are all Haredi yeshivas the same?

No.

Even within the Haredi world, there are significant differences.

Lithuanian yeshivas

The main focus is on the Gemara with Rashi, Tosafot, Rishonim, and Acharonim.

Separate classes on Mussar — ethical and spiritual self-improvement — are often held.

Study of the TANAKH is usually limited, and secular subjects in classical yeshiva ketana may be almost absent.

Hasidic yeshivas

In Hasidic educational institutions, the Talmud and Halacha are also studied, but more time is devoted to the teachings of a specific Hasidic dynasty, the instructions of its Rebbe, Hasidic stories, customs, and spiritual preparation.

In different communities, the ratio of these disciplines can vary significantly.

Chabad yeshivas

In the Chabad system, a significant part of the school day is devoted to Chassidut — Chabad Hasidic philosophy, including the ‘Tanya’ and Maamarim.

The historical schedule of ‘Tomchei Temimim’ could provide for seven hours of Talmud and Jewish law and another four hours of Hasidism per day.

Additionally, in Chabad, there is a daily cycle of Chitas: Chumash with Rashi’s commentary, Tehillim, and ‘Tanya’. Therefore, describing the Chabad system as exclusively Talmudic would be particularly inaccurate.

Sephardic yeshivas

In the Sephardic world, the Gemara remains the most important subject, but often more attention is paid to practical Halacha and the decisions of Sephardic authorities.

The Jerusalem yeshiva ‘Porat Yosef’, for example, defines the Gemara and Halacha as central parts of its program.

The Sephardic tradition may differ from the Lithuanian in its method of analysis, pronunciation, system of authorities, attitude towards Kabbalah, and greater attention to practical rulings.

What is studied in religious Zionist yeshivas

Religious Zionist yeshivas differ significantly from classical Haredi ones.

The Talmud also occupies a central place in them, but alongside it, the TANAKH, Halacha, Jewish philosophy, history of Jewish thought, works of medieval authors, and writings of rabbis associated with religious Zionism are systematically studied.

In the yeshiva ‘Har Etzion’, the basis of the program is called the traditional study of the Talmud, supplemented by in-depth study of the TANAKH, Halacha, and Jewish philosophy. The yeshiva’s leadership emphasizes that these disciplines are not a secondary addition but a necessary part of a complete Jewish education.

In ‘Merkaz HaRav’, alongside the Gemara, Jewish thought, ‘Kuzari’, works of Maharal, and writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook are studied. In institutions associated with this direction, TANAKH, Halacha, and the basics of faith may be regularly taught.

Yeshivas where the entire TANAKH is studied

In some religious Zionist institutions, the study of the TANAKH occupies a particularly important place.

In programs associated with the yeshiva ‘Maale Gilboa’, students may go through two chapters of the TANAKH daily and participate in an in-depth class once a week.

This regime allows for a relatively short time to sequentially read the entire TANAKH, rather than being limited to weekly Torah portions and texts read on holidays.

Teachers at ‘Maale Gilboa’ use literary analysis, study the structure of the narrative, and discuss the relationship between traditional faith and modern biblical studies.

This direction shows that a deep religious attitude towards the TANAKH does not necessarily imply a rejection of historical, literary, or linguistic questions.

What is a hesder yeshiva

A separate group consists of hesder yeshivot.

In them, religious education is combined with service in the Israel Defense Forces.

A student spends part of the program in the yeshiva, part in the army, and then returns to studies.

In such institutions, the Talmud, Halacha, TANAKH, and Jewish philosophy are usually studied. At the same time, questions of the state, army, society, citizen responsibility, and the religious significance of Israel’s existence are discussed.

For a Haredi yeshiva, the ideal space is often the autonomous world of the Beit Midrash, as separated as possible from the outside society.

For a religious Zionist yeshiva, the connection between text, state, army, and social life can be part of the religious education itself.

How are biblical heroes viewed in yeshivas

The TANAKH portrays its heroes not only as impeccable symbols.

Abraham fears and doubts. Jacob deceives his father. Moses gets angry. David commits actions that raise serious moral questions. Kings wage wars, prophets argue with God, brothers betray each other, and family stories are filled with jealousy and conflict.

In the traditional system, these episodes are usually studied through the commentaries of the sages.

The rabbinic tradition warns against judging biblical characters by the standards of an ordinary modern person.

Therefore, a hero’s action may be explained as a subtle mistake of a righteous person, a test, or an event whose significance is revealed only through Midrash and the Oral Torah.

In part of the religious Zionist world, there is an approach sometimes called ‘TANAKH at eye level’. Its supporters consider it permissible to talk about real human conflicts, weaknesses, and mistakes of biblical heroes.

Opponents fear that such reading erases the distance between the modern reader and the greatest characters of Jewish tradition.

Thus, the debate is not only about the number of TANAKH lessons but also about how exactly it is allowed to be read.

Are there prayers, rabbis, and Jews in the TANAKH

Sometimes one can hear the assertion that the world of the TANAKH is completely unlike modern religious Judaism: it supposedly lacks prayers, synagogues, rabbis, and even the word ‘Jew’.

Partially, this observation is true, but it cannot be understood literally.

There are many prayers in the TANAKH: the prayer of Hannah, the prayer of King Solomon, the prophets’ appeals to God, and the entire book of Psalms.

The word ‘Yehudi’ — Jew or Jewish — appears in the later books of the TANAKH, particularly in the book of Esther.

At the same time, the familiar modern system of synagogues, daily fixed prayers, rabbis, yeshivas, and detailed halachic regulation indeed developed mainly later.

The TANAKH describes a world of the Temple, prophecy, royal power, tribes, wars, and agriculture.

Talmudic and rabbinic literature reflects another era — the life of the Jewish people after the loss of political independence and the destruction of the Temple.

Do girls study the Talmud

A classical yeshiva is primarily a male educational institution.

Haredi girls usually study in schools and seminars where the program may include TANAKH, Halacha, Jewish history, ethics, preparation for family life, and secular subjects.

In many Haredi women’s institutions, systematic study of the Gemara is absent.

In the religious Zionist and modern Orthodox world, the situation is different. There are women’s midrashot and programs where women study the Talmud, Halacha, and rabbinic literature in depth.

Therefore, the question ‘what is studied in yeshivas’ is almost always simultaneously a question about the gender division of religious education.

Can one graduate from a yeshiva and have poor knowledge of the TANAKH

Yes, it is possible.

Especially if it is a classical Haredi yeshiva where a student has specialized for many years in a limited number of Talmudic tractates.

He may possess outstanding skills in textual analysis and simultaneously have incomplete knowledge of some biblical books.

But this does not mean that the student is uneducated.

It is about a different type of education and a different system of priorities.

From the perspective of modern secular education, the program may seem extremely narrow.

From the perspective of the yeshiva world, the ability to analyze the most complex texts in Hebrew and Aramaic for many years, compare dozens of commentators, and independently construct legal arguments is considered the highest form of scholarship.

So what is really studied in the yeshivas of Israel

The most accurate answer is:

In classical male Haredi yeshivas, especially of the Lithuanian direction, most of the day is spent studying the Babylonian Talmud with the commentaries of Rashi, Tosafot, medieval and later rabbis.

In Hasidic yeshivas, the Talmud is supplemented by the teachings of a specific Hasidic tradition, spiritual discussions, and the works of its leaders.

In Chabad, significant emphasis is placed on Chassidut, ‘Tanya’, Chumash, and daily study cycles.

In Sephardic yeshivas, alongside the Gemara, practical Halacha and the decisions of Sephardic authorities are especially important.

In religious Zionist yeshivas, much more attention is paid to the TANAKH, Jewish philosophy, the works of Rabbi Kook, and questions of the state, society, and military service.

Therefore, the phrase ‘yeshivas only study the Talmud’ contains both a part of the truth and a serious distortion.

It accurately conveys the center of the program of many Haredi male yeshivas but does not at all describe the entire diversity of religious education in Israel.

The main paradox indeed exists: the TANAKH retains the highest sacred status, but in some of the most prestigious yeshivas, direct study of the books of the Prophets and Writings is given much less time than complex Talmudic discussions.

However, this is not the result of a simple ‘cancellation’ of the Jewish Bible.

We are faced with the result of centuries of development of rabbinic Judaism, in which the Written Torah is perceived through the Oral, and the highest intellectual art becomes not the retelling of biblical history, but the ability to independently enter into the debate of the sages, which has continued for almost two thousand years.