I had the great privilege this year to spend the holiday of Shavuos in Israel. Remarkably, in my ten years at AISH, this was actually my first time being in Jerusalem for Shavuos and it was absolutely exciting.
The atmosphere at the Dan Family AISH World Center was electric. I had the zechus (merit) to deliver two classes that, Baruch Hashem, were well received. What truly took my breath away was the scene unfolding all around me: throughout the night, we had well over a thousand people streaming through our campus, attending classes led by various inspiring Rabbis.
At the very same time, our yeshiva was full of hundreds of students deeply immersed in learning, and the seminary as well was alive with energy, hosting hundreds of young women engaged in Torah study. The spiritual power on the AISH campus was palpable.
In fact, at one point, and I say this with mixed emotions, we actually had to close the entrance gate to the Dan Family AISH World Center. We simply didn’t have room for more people. I feel terrible about having to turn anyone away but it also speaks volumes. Next year, we’ll need to rethink our logistics to ensure that everyone who wants to learn can enter our doors because what’s happening now is extraordinary. The thirst for Jewish wisdom has never been stronger.
We’re witnessing it not only on Shavuos night, but throughout the year. We’re seeing it in the tremendous growth in applications and registration for our seminary and yeshiva. That’s why we are so excited to announce that starting this September, with the opening of the Suzana and Ivan Kaufman Institute for Women’s Education, we will be moving to a new location that will allow us to more than double our student capacity. The demand is there and we are expanding to meet it.
Even our yeshiva, despite recently building a brand new additional Beis Medrash and dormitory for our Spanish-speaking program, is still bursting at the seams.
Shavuos is often referred to as the holiday of the giving of the Torah, Zman Matan Toraseinu, but the Torah itself tells us something curious. In Devarim, Moses recounts the moment of revelation at Mount Sinai and says: “And all of you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain. And the mountain burned with fire up to the heart of the heavens” (Devarim 4:11).
Why this imagery of fire? Why not simply say that the mountain trembled or that thunder roared? Our Sages teach that Torah is compared to fire because, like fire, it warms, illuminates, and transforms. Fire is not passive; it changes everything it touches. The giving of the Torah was not a historical event; it was the beginning of an eternal flame, a spiritual fire that still burns within every Jew.
And here’s the most beautiful part: the Midrash says that each Jew, even the unborn souls of future generations, stood at Sinai. That means you were there. I was there. We all carry that spark of Sinai within us. Every time we open a sefer, every time we learn or teach Torah, we are reigniting that flame.
This is why the image of thousands of Jews learning Torah together on Shavuos night is so powerful. It’s not just a tradition, it’s a reenactment of that sacred moment. It’s our generation standing once again at the foot of the mountain, saying, “Na’aseh V’nishma” we will do and we will understand.
I felt the fire this Shavuos. I saw it in the eyes of students, in the passion of alumni, in the sunrise tefillah overlooking the Temple Mount. The fire of Torah is alive and well and growing stronger by the day. That is AISH HaTorah!
What’s happening isn’t only in-person. We have in-person, yes, and it’s growing faster than ever. Thankfully, we are also making a bigger impact online than ever before.
When we began this journey ten years ago, we set an ambitious goal: to reach three million Jews with the light of Torah, to get Jewish wisdom in front of them in a real, meaningful way.
We surpassed that number in just five years!!!
Today, we’re seeing a million video views every single day across our platforms: Aish.com, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook you name it. We are saturating the world with Jewish heritage, with inspiration, with ethics and meaning, and it’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful! But we’re not stopping there.
As I close out my first decade of service at AISH, we are preparing to launch a bold new initiative, something I’m calling ‘Yeshiva Without Walls.’
Yes, we’ve built a strong digital presence. Yes, we’ve created powerful, short bursts of Torah for the digital age; but now it’s time to go deeper.
That’s why it was so important for us to merge with Partners in Torah, that iconic, beloved initiative founded by Rabbi Eli Gewirtz, who built a revolution around the chavrusa model. Two Jews, connecting one-on-one, over the phone or over Zoom, learning together, growing together. Strengthening their bond to Torah and to each other.
Yeshiva Without Walls is going to expand on that model. It’s about taking the deep, soulful learning that so many of our alumni experienced here in Jerusalem, and bringing it to Jews wherever they are in the world. We’re going to take it on the road. Into communities. Into living rooms. Into the hearts of Jews everywhere.
We’re going to do it with the same passion that I felt all night long at the AISH World Center whether it was those of you who came to my classes, or those who stopped me in the hallways to share their stories, or all of us together, as we stood arm in arm at sunrise, davening as one people, overlooking the Temple Mount.
The thirst for Torah, the desire to reconnect, the craving for identity and meaning, it has never been more intense.
Ironically, as the world outside becomes more chaotic, as antisemitism rises and confusion reigns, we are more clear-eyed and confident in our mission than ever before.
We believe in the Jewish message. We believe in our values. We believe that the Torah’s wisdom brings morality, purpose, and light to the world.
AISH is going to keep bringing that light, with love, with wisdom, and with responsibility.
These are our values:
Jewish Wisdom – because every Jew deserves access to the riches of our heritage.
Love – because only through unity and compassion can we truly heal and elevate our people.
Responsibility – because if you know even a little Torah, it is now your job to teach those who don’t.
This is how we build the Jewish future.
This is how we stay strong.
This has been our secret for thousands of years: embrace our heritage, connect to the Almighty, and never stop learning and teaching.
When we do that…
We become a light unto the nations.
We bring healing to the world.
God willing, we will merit to witness the building of the Third Temple, speedily in our days.
