Midreshet Moriah
Midreshet Moriah’s tradition of outstanding, creative, inspiring teachers was established by its founding faculty, including Dr. Bryna Levy, Rabbi Dr. Reuven Aberman, Rabbi Dr. Aharon Rakefet, and others. Today, we are proud that these traditions continue through our current faculty. Our teachers revere as their own mentors Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Dr. Nechama Leibowitz, and others.
Rabbi Dr. Reuven Aberman, a Chicago native, is a senior member of Midreshet's faculty. Rabbi Aberman's unique Halakhah teaching style has provided nearly twenty years of Midreshet students with practical guidance and the skills to independently research their halakhic questions. He is a mentor to both younger teachers and to our students. Rabbi Aberman received Semikhah (Yadin Yadin) at Hebrew Theological College (Chicago) and earned a BA and MA at Roosevelt University and a PhD at Yeshiva University. |  |
Mrs. Leora Bednarsh is our Shana Bet Rakezet. Mrs. Bednarsh loves to teach Gemara and Halakhah, and the enthusiasm and warmth she brings to Torah are infectious. In her shiurim, Mrs. Bednarsh not only teaches our students Torah and love of Torah, she also gives them the research skills to learn more and the presentation skills to give their own shiurim. She earned a BA in Psychology & Linguistics at Princeton University, completed the Scholars' Circle program at Drisha Institute, and is certified as a Yo'etzet Halakhah of the Keren Ariel Program at Nishmat. Mrs. Bednarsh taught at Yeshiva of Flatbush High School and serves as a Yo'etzet Halakhah on Nishmat's Halakhah Hotline. She lives in Alon Shvut with her husband and six children. |  |
Rabbi Uri Cohen teaches Halakhah and Jewish Thought at Midreshet. Rav Uri's vast knowledge, infectious curiosity and love of learning, broad grasp of contemporary Jewish and popular culture, and warm smile and sense of humor all endear him to our students and make his shiurim not-to-be-missed. Rav Uri learned at Yeshivat Shaalvim and Yeshivat Hamivtar and received Semikhah from RIETS and the Joseph Straus Seminary at Yeshivat Hamivtar. He earned a BA in Jewish Studies, an MA in Medieval Jewish History, and an MS in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University. Rav Uri has served as a teacher and Rabbi at Princeton University. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh with his wife, Dr. Yocheved Cohen. |  |
Mrs. Rena Coren is a Rakezet and Tanakh teacher at Midreshet. Rena, as our students call her, approaches all of her students with love and intuitive understanding. Her humor, spirituality, optimism, and deep belief that each student is gifted with great potential all make her the ideal address for students looking for guidance, inspiration, help with a problem, or just someone to listen. Rena earned a BA at Michlalah and has completed studies toward an MA as well. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband and five children. |  |
Mrs. Yocheved Debow teaches Halakhah and Tanakh at Midreshet. Yocheved, as our students call her, is best known for her shiurim on Women & Jewish Law, where many sensitive and directly relevant topics are explored in a way that encourages discussion and questions. She holds a BA and MA in Education and Child Psychology and is working toward a doctorate in Education. Yocheved lives in Alon Shvut with her husband and six children. |
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Tziporah Frankel is a Rakezet and teacher at Midreshet Moriah. Her warm personality, positive attitude and exceptional listening skills make her an address for all students. Originally from Austin, Texas, Tziporah graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in Hebrew Language and Literature. Along the way, she also studied Yiddish, German, Russian and American and Israeli Sign Language, a clear indication that communicating with and relating to others is a high priority for her. Tziporah lives in close walking distance from Midreshet Moriah in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem, with her husband and their three daughters. |  |
Rabbi Adi Krohn teaches Jewish Thought and parshanut at Midreshet Moriah. Rav Adi’s easygoing personality, great sense of humor, clarity and creativity, and ability to make learning relevant and engaging all combine to make his shiurim both enjoyable and meaningful. Rav Adi learned at Yeshivat Sha'alvim, earned a BS at Yeshiva College, an MA at Azrieli Graduate School, and Semicha at RIETS. He taught at Cleveland’s Fuchs Mizrachi School, where he chaired the Talmud department, and also served as Assistant Rabbi at the Beachwood Kehilla. In addition to his role at Midreshet, Rav Adi serves as a full-time Rebbe at Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah and runs the Beit Midrash Program at Camp Stone each Summer. He lives in Efrat with his wife and three children. |  |
Mrs. Bracha Krohn is a Rakezet and teaches Tanakh, Midrash, and Rabbinic Thought at Midreshet Moriah. Bracha, as her students call her, has an enthusiasm for learning which permeates the classroom. Her dynamic teaching style encourages participation and fosters a strong desire to learn, and her openness and genuineness create an environment for thoughtful, honest questioning. She has a special way of identifying with students and showing them her authentic care and concern. Bracha learned at Michlala, was Jewish Studies valedictorian and earned a BA at Stern College in Jewish Studies and English Literature, and is completing her MA in Bible at Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School. She taught for the past seven years at the Fuchs Mizrachi School and the Women's Beit Midrash in Cleveland and serves on the educational staff of Camp Stone. She lives in Efrat with her husband and three children. |  |
Rabbi Yitzchak Lerner teaches Halakhah and Jewish Thought at Midreshet. Rav Lerner is known for his high-energy teaching style, his fiery passion for Torah and mitzvot, his personal warmth as a mentor, and his outstanding shiurim in Hilkhot Shabbat and Mussar. Whether in shiur or in personal conversations, Rav Lerner's transformative impact on his students remains with them for years to come. Rav Lerner learned at Yeshivat Midrash Shmuel and received Semikhah from Rav Zalman Nechemyah Goldberg. He earned a BA in Political Science at Concordia University. Rav Lerner lives in Betar with his wife and four children. |  |
Mrs. Sally Mayer teaches Halakhah and Jewish Thought at Midreshet. Sally is that special kind of teacher who simply makes her students love learning. She brings together vast knowledge and great warmth, an intuitive grasp of how students learn, a rare talent for making the complex seem simple, and a dazzling sense of humor to create an experience to which our students always look forward. She earned a BA in Jewish Studies and an MA in Medieval Jewish History at Yeshiva University, completed the Scholars' Circle at Drisha Institute, and served as Chair of the Talmud Department and Israel Advisor at Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School. Sally lives in Neve Daniel with her husband, Eitan, and their five children. |  |
Rabbi Jonathan Mishkin teaches Tanakh and Jewish Thought at Midreshet Moriah. Rabbi Mishkin began his career at Midreshet and quickly became known for the extraordinary preparation he invests in each shiur, his uncanny ability to make everything he teaches fascinating, his fearlessness in the face of the most daunting questions in Jewish life, and his deadpan sense of humor. Rabbi Mishkin is also the author of an on-line encyclopedia of everybody in Tanakh (www.tanakhprofiles.org) and has recently finished writing a book on informal Jewish education (www.thinkthisway.org). To reach his goal of being the most prolific author in his family, Rabbi Mishkin is committed to writing 1000 words a day. “Writing, to me,” he says, “is like imagining words on an empty piece of paper.” Rabbi Mishkin is a cellist, a calligrapher and an amateur phrenologist. He lives in Alon Shvut with his wife and their five children. |  |
Neima Novetsky teaches Tanakh at Midreshet Moriah. Neima creates a unique environment in her shiurim – setting a high standard of learning, she also embraces her students with personal caring, shares her own enthusiasm for learning, and in every shiur,gives over some of her own love for Torah. Neima’s unique approach not only excites and inspires with insights into the topic being learned, but also leaves her students with a sense of method, “learning how to learn,” so that they can go on to learn further on their own. Neima holds a BA in Religion and a Certificate in Language and Culture from Princeton University and an MA in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. Before making aliyah,she founded and directed the Advanced Tanakh Beit Midrash Program at Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue. She lives in Yerushalayim with her husband and five children. |  |
Rabbi Daniel Reiser teaches Halakhah and Jewish Thought at Midreshet. Rav Daniel is a uniquely creative teacher, gifted with the ability to deeply connect students to Torah and to share his excitement in sharing and discovering with them. His warm, approachable manner encourages students to express themselves and makes Rav Daniel a favorite. In addition to his role at Midreshet, Rav Daniel teaches at Yeshivat Hamivtar and was on staff at NCSY summer programs in Israel for many years, in addition to serving as a tour guide. Rav Daniel learned at Yeshivat Birkat Moshe and Yeshivat Hamivtar and received Semikhah there and from Rav Zalman Nechemyah Goldberg. He earned a BA and MA in Jewish Thought at Hebrew University. He enjoys playing several musical instruments, and lives in Ma'aleh Chever with his wife and three children. |  |
Dr. Avigail Rock teaches Tanakh and Halakhah. Dr. Rock's shiurim create a true dialogue between teacher and student, challenging students to develop and use their creativity and skills at the highest level to find the deeper meaning in Tanakh, Midrash, and Mefarshim. Her enthusiasm and the confidence she expresses in her students' potential inspires them to aim high and to truly grow as students of Tanakh and as Jews. She earned a BA in Tanakh and Education at Michlalah, an MA and PhD in Tanakh at Bar Ilan University, and is certified as a Bet Din Advocate. She lives in Bet Shemesh with her husband and five children. |  |
Rabbi Dr. Zvi Ron teaches Jewish Thought and Halakhah at Midreshet. While the first thing our students usually notice about Rav Ron is how amazingly laid-back and fun his shiurim are, the next thing they notice is the astounding breadth of his knowledge and his rare gift to make everything he says sound fascinating! His shiur on the thought of Ramchal, "Derekh Hashem," is among the most beloved shiurim at Midreshet. Rav Ron has published a number of articles and recently published a book, Katan ve-Gadol. Rav Ron learned in Yeshivat Shaalvim's Hesder Program and Kollel, received Semikhah from the Israeli Rabbanut, and earned a BA in Psychology at SUNY and a PhD in Jewish Theology at Spertus University. He served as Rabbi in Richmond, Virginia, from 1994 to 2004. He lives in Neve Daniel with his wife and four children. |  |
Rena Spolter teaches Tanakh and Jewish Philosophy at Midreshet Moriah. A much sought-after teacher and lecturer, Rena connects the beauty of the text to the real-life situations of her students. Creatively conveying thinking skills along with textual skills, Rena teaches her students to find their own strengths in Torah study as she transmits to them her love of Torah learning as well. Before making aliyah, Rena taught Tanakh and Jewish Thought to women and girls in the Detroit community and elsewhere for over a decade. She lives with her family in Yad Binyamin. |  |
Rav Hanoch Teller is a world-renowned storyteller and teacher, known to many through his inspirational speaking in communities around the world and his many books on a wide range of Jewish values. Rav Teller is able to bring gedolim to life for his students by recounting not only their Torah, but also their personal greatness in their midot and private everyday behavior. In addition to helping his students emulate the examples set by gedolim, Rav Teller's stories about particular mitzvot and values sensitize his listeners to their importance and enable his audience to begin acquiring those traits for themselves. Rav Teller learned at Yeshiva University and at Mirrer Yeshiva, and earned BA and BHL degrees. |  |
Dr. Yael Ziegler teaches Tanakh and Jewish Thought. Dr. Ziegler's shiurim present a rare combination of inspirational, exciting exploration along with a textually rooted analytical method which encourages critical thinking. Her shiurim on Chamesh Megillot, Bekiut Be-Nakh, and the Thought of Rav Soloveitchik are perennial favorites at Midreshet. Her sense of humor and sensitivity, personal warmth and caring for her students, tremendous breadth of knowledge, and unusual creativity make her a most sought-after personality for our students. Dr. Ziegler studied at Yeshiva University and Matan and earned her doctorate in Tanakh at Bar Ilan University. Dr. Ziegler lives in Alon Shvut with her husband and their five children. |  |
Mrs. Yisca Zimran teaches Tanakh at Midreshet Moriah. Yisca, as our students call her, has the special ability to walk her students through a section of Tanakh, guiding them to gather all of the interesting questions and then leading them to discover a creative new way of looking at the entire section which makes everything fall beautifully into place in an inspirational and intellectually exciting way. Yisca learned at Migdal Oz, earned a BA in Archaeology at Hebrew University, and earned an MA in Tanakh at Matan/University of Haifa. Yisca lives in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Mordechai with her husband and daughter. |  |
Mrs. Rina Zinkin is a Rakezet and teaches Tefilah at Midreshet Moriah. Rina, as our students call her, is gifted with the kind of gentle personality and warmth which make it easy for students to talk to her and seek her advice. Her deep spirituality, empathy, patience, humility, and rare midot tovot make her an ideal teacher for the personal, emotional topic of Tefilah and make her a personality our students strive to emulate. Rina learned at Midreshet Lindenbaum and Michlalah, earned a BA in Judaic Studies and Speech Communication Disorders at Yeshiva University, and an MA at Brooklyn College in Speech Language Pathology. Rina lives in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Eshkol with her husband and their three children. |  |
