Mazal Tov to Rabbi Yoel Dror who recently received semicha from WebYeshiva.org. Rabbi Dror has been a teacher of history and languages in an American school in Europe, where he has lived and worked for the past three decades. He notes: “The Jewish community of England was expelled in 1290 and in my city there was the infamous blood libel incident of William of Norwich, so there’s a feeling of pride that there is once more a Jewish presence here.
Rabbi Dror has spent time in Israel as a volunteer with the Sar-El program (helping out on IDF bases) and as a student at the University of Haifa. He and his wife plan to make Aliyah in the not too distant future.
Why did you chose the Halacha Mastery Program? Did you enjoy it?
I chose the Halacha Mastery Program because of the excellent instruction offered by skilled teachers who know Torah and who share their enthusiasm along with their considerable knowledge. The program is flexible and allows for both synchronous and asynchronous learning and participation.
A student can participate as fully as his or her schedule allows, and those who struggle with other responsibilities and time zones can watch the recorded shiurim. The teachers are always quick to respond and engage. The materials draw upon so many sources over so many centuries that the study is both deep and broad, rooted in the past, unfolding and expanding, and totally relevant and applicable to life today so that one can develop and refine a halachic lifestyle that is grounded in authentic Judaism.
Did I enjoy it? Very much so! It was a challenge and a pleasure.
What stood out for you during the learning?
What stands out for me is that there’s so much to unpack and expand and apply to all conceivable areas of life. Rabbi Geller in particular traces the unfolding of halacha from Torah, Mishna, and Gemara through the Gaonim and the Rishonim, organized by the Rif, the Rosh, and the Rambam, through the Tur’s arrangement and summaries of the sugiyot and how he paskened, -to Rabbi Yosef Karo’s Beit Yosef in which he connects the Gemara to halacha to source and svara.
And then we get to the Shulchan Aruch, with the Rema added for Ashkenazic practice, and walk through the Magen Avraham and the Mishnah Berurah and so many other poskim along the way.
It’s this immense complexity, this development and interconnectedness across time, that stands out for me, and it clarifies so much what Rabbi Tarfon said: It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it; If you have studied much Torah, you shall be given much reward. Talmud Torah never stops and it’s always rewarding.
And Rabbi Fink provides such excellent, well-paced instruction in a style that’s easy to follow even as he guides you through challenging material. Thanks to the recordings, all these excellent instructors were my “companions” on the long drive to and from work during the week as I reviewed the shiurim.
Since receiving semicha from WebYeshiva, what are your goals in learning moving forward?
I plan to continue learning with WebYeshiva, and particularly with Rabbi Brovender’s superb course on Mesillat Yesharim, which connects so well with my study of the emphasis on kedusha in the Torah.
WebYeshiva’s fine shiurim on the Bavli are also wonderful companions to the Daf Yomi program in which I’m engaged. My next project is to undertake daily Rambam study.
For more information about the Halacha Mastery Program click here.