Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary

Vital in its approach and vibrant in its tradition, the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) is the Western Hemisphere's leading center for Torah learning and training for the rabbinate.

For over a century, RIETS has provided an unsurpassed educational experience in the classic mold of the great yeshivot. Embodying the historic concept of Torah Lishmah—learning for its own sake—and a responsiveness to community needs, RIETS is a deep fount of Jewish knowledge and a preeminent source of rabbinic leadership for the next generation and beyond.

Upholding a Sacred Duty in Modern Times

In an increasingly complex world, RIETS accepts the challenge to prepare its students to face the multifarious issues of today's society—anchored always in the sacred legacy of our Torah and people.

RIETS has trained some 2,700 of the world's most distinguished Orthodox rabbis, scholars and teachers. With their rich grounding in the full spectrum of our hallowed tradition, graduates assume a broad range of leadership roles in the community while ensuring the perpetuation of Jewish scholarship.

Firmly set in the emphasis on Talmud, codes and Halacha, RIETS has developed programs to meet the communal and personal needs of our time and place—for example, in business ethics, bioethics and technology—with the unique ambience of intellectual and spiritual exploration that has always characterized the great academies of Jewish learning in the past.

Why RIETS?

• RIETS is a vital link in the chain that has transmitted rabbinic knowledge and tradition from one generation of Jewish leaders to the next
• RIETS attracts students from diverse backgrounds encouraging challenging discussions about issues facing today's Jewish community and leading to personal exploration and growth
• At no other yeshiva have so many gedolim shared their wisdom. In particular, at RIETS the Torah and religious philosophy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik is perpetuated by his most earnest disciples.
• The core semikha curriculum of Gemara and Halacha is taught by a faculty comprising the leading roshei yeshiva and poskim in North America
• Rabbinic training courses—taught by a broad spectrum of outstanding talmidei chakhamim, community leaders and world-renowned professionals in the fields of pastoral psychology, rabbinic counseling, public speaking, homiletics, writing and strategic planning—are a vital part of the RIETS curriculum
• Yeshiva University's vibrant batei midrashot resonate with the sounds of learning from morning until late at night
• RIETS students can spend a year of advanced learning in Jerusalem at YU's Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute 
• Semikha students enroll in RIETS kollelim or advanced-degree programs at YU's Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Wurzweiler School of Social Work or Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration
• RIETS offers an unmatched program in professional training, career counseling and placement in synagogues, schools, outreach centers, community kollelim and organizations in communities throughout the United States and around the world
• Full scholarships are available to all full-time RIETS students, as well as generous stipends to kollel fellows

The Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the Seminary. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. A copy of the Seminary’s nondiscrimination policy can be found in the RIETS Student Catalog and Handbook.