Marbeh Torah
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Marbeh Torah is a Haredi yeshiva for English-speaking baalei teshuva, located in Bnei Brak. It belongs to the Lithuanian stream of Orthodox Judaism. The main beis midrash is located on the second floor of the building which also houses the Kollel Chazon Ish on its upper floors, close to the Ponevezh yeshiva.
The roshei yeshiva are Rav Shmuel Weissman and Rav Naftoli Elzas. Rav Weissman learned at Slobodka yeshiva and is an American from New York. Rav Elzas was born shortly after the Holocaust in the Dutch town of Borculo as the son of the local rabbi. He excelled at the famous Gateshead and Ponevezh Yeshivas.
The yeshiva has 6 rabbis, about 25 students each in its junior (unmarried) and senior (married) divisions. It is a combination of a regular yeshiva of the Lakewood yeshiva type and a yeshiva for baalei teshuva. The yeshiva accepts even students who have almost no knowledge of Judaism. Nevertheless, in contrast to other yeshivas such as Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem and Aish HaTorah, the level of religious observance is significantly higher at Marbeh Torah. Most of the students at Marbeh Torah wear white shirts and black hats, in yeshivish style. The students are mainly American, but English, Canadian, German, Dutch, French, Israeli, South African, Australian and Russian students also attend.
Learning is mostly done with original texts in Hebrew or Aramaic, though the lessons are given in English. Students are introduced to Judaism using English and bilingual texts and gradually grow in their learning. Due to the small scale of the yeshiva, there are no formal programs and students can easily switch to shiurim (lessons) which fit their level. This is unlike, for example, Ohr Somayach, which is strictly divided into separate departments for beginners, intermediate and advanced students.
