סְמִיכָה The Flagship Semicha Program
Full Orthodox ordination — forged in Jerusalem, recognized across the world.
A 24-month, career-track path that unites rigorous online Halacha study with a mandatory Jerusalem Beis Medrash residency, full Rabbanut exam preparation, and one-on-one mentorship — built for English speakers preparing to lead a community.
הַסְמָכָהWhat This Ordination Is
A semicha that carries real authority — anywhere you serve.
Our flagship track is built for those who intend to lead: to sit on a pulpit, to guide a kehilla, to render practical psak under pressure. It is not a certificate of attendance. It is the formal, supervised mastery of Halacha that recognized rabbinic bodies require for full membership.
Every student moves through the same demanding arc — sustained text study, a high-intensity Jerusalem residency, structured preparation for the Israeli Chief Rabbinate (Rabbanut) exams, and ongoing Shimush beside a veteran community rabbi — and emerges ready to be hired, not just ordained.
The 24-Month Path
From the first daf to a working rabbi.
Online Core Foundations
Begin the six core Halacha tracks on our digital campus, paired in chavrusa and guided by faculty. Flexible enough to study from anywhere, rigorous enough to build the textual fluency the rest of the program demands.
The Jerusalem Residency
The mandatory in-person residency is the heart of the program: face-to-face text analysis, shiurim from senior poskim, and the character development that only the floor of a living Beis Medrash can forge.
Rabbanut Exam Preparation
Structured, exam-specific preparation for the Israeli Chief Rabbinate certifications — the credential that opens doors internationally. You sit the exams with a clear map of every topic and the practice to pass them.
Mentorship Beside a Veteran Rabbi
You are paired one-on-one with an active community rabbi. Through regular sessions you gain real-world Shimush: pastoral crises, halachic adjudication, and the day-to-day craft of running a kehilla.
Membership & Placement
Graduates are fast-tracked toward membership in a major U.S. Orthodox rabbinic organization and enter our global placement network — open pulpits, campus roles, and chinuch positions across North America, Europe, and Israel.
The Core Curriculum
Six tracks of practical Halacha.
Each track moves from the source sugya to contemporary practice, so you leave able to learn it, pasken it, and teach it.
The laws of the permitted and the forbidden — the backbone of kashrus, from the kosher kitchen to the questions a rav fields every week.
Meat, milk, and their mixtures: the principles and the practical rulings that govern a kosher home and a communal kitchen.
Nullification, doubt, and complex mixtures — training the judgment to resolve the cases that are never quite in the book.
Taharas Hamishpacha and the sensitive guidance of family life — among the most consequential responsibilities a community rabbi carries.
The 39 melachos and their application to a modern world — technology, medicine, and the real questions of contemporary Shabbos observance.
Death, mourning, and the comfort of the bereaved — guiding families through loss with halachic precision and human care.
בְּחִינוֹת הָרַבָּנוּת
A credential the world recognizes.
The Israeli Chief Rabbinate exams are demanding, and they are the gateway to international recognition. We don't leave them to chance: the flagship track builds dedicated, topic-by-topic preparation directly into your studies, so you walk into each exam ready.
Where This Leads
Ordination is the beginning. A position is the goal.
Because the curriculum is built hand-in-hand with a major U.S. Orthodox rabbinic organization, our graduates don't graduate into uncertainty — they graduate into a pipeline.
Admissions
Is the flagship track right for you?
This track is built for you if…
- You intend to serve a community — on a pulpit, in chinuch, or in communal leadership.
- You're a post-yeshiva or post-college student ready for a serious, career-track commitment.
- You're an active educator seeking formal, recognized ordination.
- You want a semicha that leads to real placement, not only a document.
What we look for
- A strong Gemara background and the ability to learn primary texts independently.
- Readiness to complete the mandatory Jerusalem residency in person.
- Two references from rabbinic or educational mentors.
- An admissions interview with our faculty.
Tuition
Invest in your communal future.
The Semicha Track
24-month program · for career-track rabbis and elite educators.
- All six core Halacha tracks
- Full Rabbanut exam preparation
- Mandatory Jerusalem residency
- One-on-one veteran mentorship
- Fast-tracked org membership
- Global pulpit placement network
Questions
Before you apply.
What semicha will I receive?
Do I have to relocate to Jerusalem?
How long does the program take?
What are the prerequisites?
What placement support do graduates get?
Step onto the path to the pulpit.
Cohorts are intentionally small. Begin your application, or speak with our admissions team about whether the flagship track is the right fit.