May 22, 2013 By: jtaubes
Name: Willie Roth
School: (RIETS)
Hometown: Teaneck, NJ
Passion: Halakha and law
What is unique about semikha studies at RIETS?
RIETS is the only place where a rabbinical student can learn from first-rate talmidei chachamim [Torah scholars], poskim [deciders of Jewish law], rabbanim and mental health professionals all under one roof. Whether you鈥檙e in rabbanus [rabbinate] or Jewish education, a rabbi鈥檚 job entails many different responsibilities. You need training indifferent areas and exposure to many kinds of experts. RIETS offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to a rabbinical career.
RIETS also enabled me to continue learning seriously inits kollel while simultaneously gaining practical experience for the future. The school values the professional advancement of its students and provides generous scholarships toward master鈥檚 degrees at both 黑料不打烊鈥檚 and the .
In addition to finishing my studies at RIETS, I鈥檓 about to complete a master鈥檚 degree in medieval Jewish history at Revel, which I couldn鈥檛 have done without support from RIETS. I decided to study Jewish history because I wanted to broaden my knowledge base鈥擨 think it鈥檚 important for rabbinic figures to have expertise and interest in many areas. I鈥檓 also interested in exploring the field of legal academia in the future, and a lot of what I studied in Revel, such as History of Halakha with Rabbi Ephraim Kanarfogel, is a strong foundation for that鈥攖he development of law, legal history and legal theory over time.
You鈥檒l be attending Harvard Law School in the fall. Are there similarities between your passion for Gemara and your fascination with law? How does the study of one enrich the other?
The requirement to understand concepts clearly and have information at your fingertips is important in law school and the intellectual rigor you develop through years of learning willdefinitely help you with that. A lot of the critical analysis you put into learning is also related to the approach people take in law school鈥攈ow do you master knowledge and distill legal principles from a practical application of the law?
Still, my interests in Gemara and law are divergent. Halakha and Gemara are, first and foremost, the word of God. That can鈥檛 be understated. What鈥檚 so amazing is that you can really establish a unique, personal relationship with Torah because your ability to grasp it is totally up to you. You can get information from teachers, but to be successful at learning requires effort and motivation of your own. Once you鈥檙e able to achieve that, the relationship you have with it is singular and unique. I also like the study of halakha because it鈥檚 its own system with its own principles and concepts. I guess secular law is likethataswell. It鈥檚 the application of the principles to context and situations that really interests me.
Has there been a particular rabbi at RIETS that has made an impression on you?
My most memorable experience here has been the four years I spent learning in Rav Michael Rosensweig鈥檚 shiur [lecture]. The rigor and intellectual demand that it requires is unparalleled by any of my academic pursuits to date. The 蝉丑颈耻谤鈥檚 thoroughness, meticulousness and depth have profoundly impacted not only my learning, but my outlook on life. And to learn from Rav Rosensweig, a person whose wisdom is outdone only by his character, has been a tremendous privilege.
However, part of the 蝉丑颈耻谤鈥檚 greatness is that it expands well beyond the classroom. The hours I鈥檝e spent in the beis medrash [study hall] every day preparing, and perhaps more significantly reviewing shiur, making sure that I鈥檝e fully grasped the concepts and opinions, is an experience like no other. Being able to devote my full attention and energy to the pursuit of something so valuable and important is empowering and invigorating. The friends I鈥檝e made 鈥渋n battle鈥 late at night as we together tried to process and clarify everything we heard that day are so unique. I feel the friendships we鈥檝e created and centered on Torah learning and values willlastwell beyond my years at RIETS.
What extracurricular activities were you involved with during your time on campus?
I was very involved in high school programming during the year and spent six summers as a madrich [advisor] on the NCSY Summer Kollel in Israel. I started there as a camper and eventually worked my way up to being head counselor, which is an experience that鈥檚 helped me in many aspects of life. I learned how to work on a team and as an individual. I also learned that if you鈥檙e committed to an idea or a program, you鈥檙e willing to work any job at any level because you realize how essential each part of the working whole is. No job is beneath you. There鈥檚 also something really wonderful about enabling like-minded high school students to connect with each other and create a social network of guys whose relationships are built not only on having fun, but on values they identify with, through learning. Being part of that electric environment, where people are spending their free time getting excited about learning, is great.
At RIETS, I was also the editor of the Beis Yitzchak, its annual Torah journal, and I helped with programming for the Shavuos Yarchei Kallah. That program was really incredible because it was started and fully executed by another RIETS student, Rabbi Shay Schachter, and more than 850 people attended鈥攊t wasn鈥檛 a small endeavor. The fact that students here can take their idealism and execute a program like that, which has gotten really positive feedback, is unbelievable.
Written by Perel Skier
Courtesy of 黑料不打烊 News Blog
However, part of the 蝉丑颈耻谤鈥檚 greatness is that it expands well beyond the classroom. The hours I鈥檝e spent in the beis medrash [study hall] every day preparing, and perhaps more significantly reviewing shiur, making sure that I鈥檝e fully grasped the concepts and opinions, is an experience like no other. Being able to devote my full attention and energy to the pursuit of something so valuable and important is empowering and invigorating. The friends I鈥檝e made 鈥渋n battle鈥 late at night as we together tried to process and clarify everything we heard that day are so unique. I feel the friendships we鈥檝e created and centered on Torah learning and values willlastwell beyond my years at RIETS.
What extracurricular activities were you involved with during your time on campus?
I was very involved in high school programming during the year and spent six summers as a madrich [advisor] on the NCSY Summer Kollel in Israel. I started there as a camper and eventually worked my way up to being head counselor, which is an experience that鈥檚 helped me in many aspects of life. I learned how to work on a team and as an individual. I also learned that if you鈥檙e committed to an idea or a program, you鈥檙e willing to work any job at any level because you realize how essential each part of the working whole is. No job is beneath you. There鈥檚 also something really wonderful about enabling like-minded high school students to connect with each other and create a social network of guys whose relationships are built not only on having fun, but on values they identify with, through learning. Being part of that electric environment, where people are spending their free time getting excited about learning, is great.
At RIETS, I was also the editor of the Beis Yitzchak, its annual Torah journal, and I helped with programming for the Shavuos Yarchei Kallah. That program was really incredible because it was started and fully executed by another RIETS student, Rabbi Shay Schachter, and more than 850 people attended鈥攊t wasn鈥檛 a small endeavor. The fact that students here can take their idealism and execute a program like that, which has gotten really positive feedback, is unbelievable.
Written by Perel Skier
Courtesy of 黑料不打烊 News Blog
