Message From Our President
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends,
I am pleased to present to you this Guide to our plans for the upcoming fall semester and reopening of our campuses. In form and in content, this coming semester will be like no other. We will live differently, work differently and learn differently. But in its very difference rests its enormous power.
The mission of Yeshiva University is to enrich the moral, intellectual and spiritual development of each of our students, empowering them with the knowledge and abilities to become people of impact and leaders of tomorrow. Next year’s studies will be especially instrumental in shaping the course of our students’ lives. Character is formed and developed in times of deep adversity. This is the kind of teachable moment that Yeshiva University was made for. As such, we have developed an educational plan for next year that features a high-quality student experience and prioritizes personal growth during this Coronavirus era. Our students will be able to work through the difficulties, issues and opportunities posed by our COVID-19 era with our stellar rabbis and faculty, as well as their close friends and peers at Yeshiva.
To develop our plans for the fall, we have convened a Scenario Planning Task Force made up of representatives across the major areas of our campus. Their planning has been guided by the latest medical information, government directives, direct input from our rabbis, faculty and students, and best practices from industry and university leaders across the country. I am deeply thankful to our task force members and all who supported them for their tireless work in addressing the myriad details involved in bringing students back to campus and restarting our educational enterprise.
In concert with the recommendations from our task force, I am announcing today that our fall semester will reflect a hybrid model. It will allow many students to return in a careful way by incorporating online and virtual learning with on-campus classroom instruction. It also enables students who prefer to not be on campus to have a rich student experience by continuing their studies online and benefitting from a full range of online student services and extracurricular programs.
In bringing our students back to campus, safety is our first priority. Many aspects of campus life will change for this coming semester. Gatherings will be limited, larger courses will move completely online. Throughout campus everyone will need to adhere to our medical guidelines, including social distancing, wearing facemasks, and our testing and contact tracing policies. Due to our focus on minimizing risk, our undergraduate students will begin the first few weeks of the fall semester online and move onto the campus after the Jewish holidays. This schedule will limit the amount of back and forth travel for our students by concentrating the on-campus component of the fall semester to one consecutive segment.
Throughout our planning, we have used the analogy of a dimmer switch. Reopening our campuses will not be a simple binary, like an on/off light switch, but more like a dimmer in which we have the flexibility to scale backwards and forwards to properly respond as the health situation evolves. It is very possible that some plans could change, depending upon the progression of the virus and/or applicable state and local government guidance.
Before our semester begins, we will provide more updates reflecting our most current guidance. Please check our website, yu.edu/fall2020 for regular updates. We understand that even after reading through this guide, you might have many additional questions, so we will be posting an extensive FAQ section online as well. Additionally, we will also be holding community calls for faculty, students, staff and parents over the next couple of months.
Planning for the future during this moment has certainly been humbling. This Coronavirus has reminded us time and time again of the lessons from our Jewish tradition that we are not in full control of our circumstances. But our tradition also teaches us that we are in control of our response to our circumstances. Next semester will present significant challenges and changes. There will be some compromises and minor inconveniences--not every issue has a perfect solution. But faith and fortitude, mutual cooperation and resilience are essential life lessons that are accentuated during this period. And if we all commit to respond with graciousness, kindness, and love, we can transform new campus realities into profound life lessons for our future.
Deeply rooted in our Jewish values and forward focused in preparing for the careers and competencies of the future, we journey together with you, our Yeshiva University community, through these uncharted waters. Next year will be a formative year in the lives of our students, and together we will rise to the moment so that our students will emerge stronger and better prepared to be leaders of the world of tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Ari Berman
On Thursday, March 28, 2019, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman gave a Memorial Shiur to honor the yahrtzeits of two Torah visionaries: the 123rd yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yitchak Elchanan Spektor, for whom the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary is named, and the 43rd yahrtzeit of Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin, former president of Yeshiva University.
The yearly yahrtzeit shiur continues a tradition begun by Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, president emeritus of Yeshiva University, and one that Rabbi Berman enthusiastically continues, to celebrate the lives of two men who made Yeshiva University what it is today and who have had deep and lasting impacts on the Jewish world.
After acknowledging his fellow rebbeim [rabbis] in the audience along with faculty, staff, students and family members, such as Rabbi Belkin’s granddaughter Tammy and her husband Steve Wagner, Rabbi Berman spoke about the tractate Baba Kama, exploring the laws of reshut ha-rabbim [public domain] that deal with civil matters such as damages and torts and which this year forms the focus of the Yeshiva University’s batei midrash [study halls].
In Be-Inyan Petur Shel Shen ve-Regel be-Reshut ha-Rabbim, Rabbi Berman discussed the presupposed legal exemption from two categories of damages inflicted in the public domain, noting that exemption is not so simple and tracing that debate through the classical sources while sharing his own spin on the discussion.
Asserting that Talmudic tort law is eminently relevant in the modern day, Rabbi Berman articulated a vision and mechanism to look towards our religious mentors—past and present—to inform our lives and how to create a society that promotes human flourishing.
Looking towards rabbinic discussion throughout centuries of discourse, Berman posited that we could look to the Talmudic legislation around liability in the public domain—both its leniencies and stringencies—and made clear that we have a religious responsibility to both enter broader society and consider the needs of all who join us there.
Rabbi Berman stressed that “human beings are complicated and communities even more so. In order to flourish together, in order to create a virtuous reshut ha-rabbim, we need to recognize how our choices impact others, both in terms of the decisions we make and the decisions we wish others to make.”
Speaking directly to the students in the audience, Rabbi Berman connected the laws of reshut ha-rabbim to the students’ experience at Yeshiva University and emphasized how one of the primary goals of YU is to prepare students for a life of positive impact on their communities. “YU is a bridge and an accelerator to the rest of your life. Our goal is to elevate your Jewish life to have a great impact on the world and be an eved Hashem [servant of G-d],” said Rabbi Berman. “You have this opportunity to be surrounded by Torah, with caring, learned mentors and to train yourselves for a life in the reshut ha-rabbim. It is not a challenge. It is a gift.”
The full shiur can be 
