YESHIVA UNIVERSITY 2002-2004 Men's Catalog

YESHIVA PROGRAM/MAZER SCHOOL OF TALMUDIC STUDIES

   Admission  Student Activities School Regulations

Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies (MYP) offers a four-year undergraduate course of study for men in which Talmudic texts and commentaries are probed intensively in the original Aramaic and Hebrew in a classical yeshiva setting. Although the program does not lead to a degree, specified credit is transferable to all BA and BS programs at Yeshiva College and/or Sy Syms School, regardless of the student's major. Students in MYP have varied professional and academic interests but are united in their desire to develop in Talmudic scholarship and knowledge of Halakhah.

MYP was named through a major gift in 1979 by the Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation. It has been in existence as a separate entity since 1970, but is a continuation of the institution's oldest component, the core from which the University developed.

The study of Talmud and commentaries, the heart of the curriculum, is designed not only to give the student a firm foundation in traditional learning skills and in the handling of original texts, but also to give him direction, in both learning and character, and to develop an appreciation of the Judaic heritage. In addition to Talmud, there are elective classes in related texts and lectures in Musar which emphasize the continuity of Jewish tradition from Sinai to the present. The faculty includes many graduates of the foremost yeshivot, both here and abroad, who are internationally recognized scholars.

The Rabbi Hyman Muss Torah Learning Center and Beit Midrash complex was built in 1997 to accommodate a growing number of students. It joins the original Harry Fischel Synagogue Study Hall (Beit Midrash), renovated in 1979 and refurbished in 1998, through a major gift by the late Joseph S. and Caroline Gruss. They remain the intellectual focus of MYP, as the Beit Midrash has always been the academic heart of the great centers of Jewish learning through the ages. An integral part of the program is the highly successful voluntary night seder (study period) in the Beit Midrash, overseen by the faculty. Students also have the opportunity to attend Bekiut shiurim (classes in additional Talmudic texts). MYP sponsors an annual Bekiut Incentive Award Program, with presidential prizes for students who master large segments of additional texts beyond the regular curriculum.

A strong complement of s'ganei mashgichim/shoalim u'maishivim (assistant counselors/teaching mentors) who man the various Batei Midrash for regular morning and night s'darim has recently been added to help students in their learning and to assist newcomers in their transition to MYP from either high school or Israel.

Admission
Admission regulations pertaining to Yeshiva Program/Mazer School alone are given here; those uniformly applicable to all undergraduate schools are given in the section Admissions.

To qualify for admission, a student must

1. be in attendance at Yeshiva College or Sy Syms School, unless the student already holds a bachelor's degree;

2. have knowledge of Hebrew (modern, medieval, and Biblical); and

3. pass an entrance examination in the reading and comprehension of selected Talmudic passages and commentaries as well as general background in Talmud.

Applicants are placed in classes based on previous training and ability; advanced standing is given to those who have pursued Talmudic studies in college-level programs at yeshivot in the United States or Israel.

Student Activities
The Student Organization of Yeshiva (SOY), representing the MYP student body, meets regularly with the administration on matters of mutual concern.

SOY coordinates and sponsors such activities as Shabbatonim, holiday celebrations, charity drives, periodic sales of seforim (texts), and lectures, including a series for students and alumni during winter vacation.

SOY publishes four journals: Enayim L'Torah on the weekly Torah portion; Bayn Kotlei HaYeshiva, appearing in concert with Jewish holidays; Gesher, dedicated to Jewish scholarship with articles generally in English; and Beit Yitzchak, which features articles of Talmudic and halakhic analyses.

Special publications have received national and international recognition, such as a Haggadah with commentary, Festivals and Fasts: A Practical Guide, and A Guide to Kashrut. See also general student publications.

School Regulations
Regulations pertaining to MYP alone are given here; those uniformly applicable to all undergraduate schools are given in the section Academic Information and Policies.

Attendance
Students may not register for any courses at Yeshiva College or Sy Syms School during time designated for MYP studies.

Students may be subject to disciplinary and academic penalties if they are excessively absent for either hakhanah (preparation) or shiur (lecture).

Students who are absent from a session and wish to have the absence excused must file their excuse with the Office of the Dean within two days of their return to school. A special form, obtainable in that office, is to be used. Ordinarily, the Office accepts only a note from a physician as an excuse for an absence because of illness.

Class Assignments
Class assignments are made by the dean or administrator of MYP based on level and progress of learning, as well as on student requests. Changes may be made only with the permission of the dean or administrator. Students not attending, or who are attending classes other than those officially assigned to them, may be dropped from MYP. Students receiving notices that they have not been assigned must arrange to see the dean or administrator immediately.