The Mayanot Blog

At Mayanot we believe strongly in the power of sharing Torah, spreading it and learning together. Therefore in addition to our Soundcloud and Spotify channels with thousands of hours of Torah online, we are happy to share our recent Zoom recordings with you to enjoy during these #Coronatimes.
As more teachers add links, we will continue to include them here:
Please note these classes have been taken from both the men's and women's learning programs. 

Rabbi Kaplan's Chassidus class:
1. Link  Password: [email protected]!N^+=
2. Link  Password: 8T&M+=*D
3. Link  Password: 8t&i*T&6
4. Link Password: 7k!a92^&
5. Link Password: 3M.V*&L1
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Rabbi Kaplan's Gemara Class:
1. Link  Password: 2H$72^?2
2. Link  Password: 6U!43r&@
3. Link Password: 9e&00MY0
4. Link

Written by: Jake Greenstein, 2020 Men's Program Alum
Freedom is often split into two categories: freedomto, and freedomfrom. The former is a state where I am free to do whatever I want, whenever I want. Freedom is an assertion about my rights. A libertarian utopia. A life without restraint, without limitations. The latter is a state in which I transcend my own engrained limitations to reach something outside of my immediate grasp; a piece of me that lies beyond my experience of me.
Passover asks us to relive the exodus from Egypt and, in doing so, recall the transition from slavery to freedom. By retelling the story of our ancestors leaving Mitzrayim, we are encouraged to identify our personal Mitzrayim (meaning “boundary”) and use Passover as a springboard to greater freedom.
When we reflect on what makes us free in Western Democracy, the United States Bill of Rights comes to mind. It enables us to seek "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" on our own accord; spell…

(Mayanot Women's Program online global Fabrengen) 
We are truly living in unprecedented times. The Israeli Ministry of Health has placed the entire country on a near total lockdown. Schools, restaurants, malls, and places of entertainment, have all been closed. And as of this writing, the ministry is encouraging all Israelis to stay at home 24/7, besides for trips to the supermarket, pharmacy, or any other purposes which constitute an emergency. This is all the result of a tiny microbe, the COVID – 19 or Coronavirus, which has wreaked havoc on the world community.
While we might be experiencing a sense of despair, of isolation or loneliness, at the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies, we have the cure! No, let’s not misunderstand - despite the fact that scientists are hard at work trying to find a vaccine for the virus, while we might not have the Corona cure just yet, we do have the cure for the situation at hand - the continued learning of Torah and a deep faith in G-d. 
Thanks to…

For the many people who have inquired, as per the Israeli Health Ministries regulations, Mayanot has made several changes: smaller shifts in the dining room, changes in the dorm area, dividing classes into smaller groups, etc, in order to keep all of the students staying in the Yeshivah as safe as possible! 

We are working on an online school for our students and alumni who have gone home early for Pesach break and will hopefully have more information soon.

Let us increase our Torah learning, and continue to spread light, elevating the physical world as much as we can!
#mayanotstayingstrong #mayanotspreadinglight

View our executive director, Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov's, message update on Covid-19, by clicking here.

In 1988, Bibi Netanyahu visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe who was at that time mourning the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. With an intention to console the Rebbe, Bibi shared that it’s at these intense impasses, when a person is for example in אבל (mourning), that we develop an appreciation for moments of joy and pleasure in our life.
And to some extent, this is very true. Contrast is rooted deep within us— it becomes the lens through which we view our lives. We ask ourselves daily: do I feel joy in my work, in my relationships, in myself? And often times, we answer these questions with a simple dose of perspective. Of feeling unwell which gives us appreciation for how much we value our bodies when they are healthy, of experiencing distance for a period of time before connecting with a dear friend.
But not all joy is contingent on it’s negative counterpart. The Rebbe responded that there’s a higher level of simcha hinted to by Prophet Isaiah, “ומחה ה' דמעה מעל כל פנים”. Th…

Our team is working hard to maximize efficiency as the project moves forward.
As of mid-February, the walls for all four upper floors have been completed.
We have begun to build the walls on the entrance floor level.

View the video to see the latest updates:


Introducing our amazing team:








Entrance level progress:




Basement level progress:





Safety Room Construction:

Our team is building safety rooms on each floor of the building. 

Here are photos of the fourth floor construction, below. Safe Rooms, also known as a "miklat" and popularly known as a mamad, is a reinforced security room required in all new buildings by Israeli law. It has reinforced concrete walls and ceilings, 20–30 cm thick floors, and airtight steel doors and windows. 

Stages of construction: First the outside wood construction is assembled, second the metal beams are assembled and reinforced. Third, concrete is poured inside and fourth, the concrete walls are covered with drywall and made to look like a regular roo…