Yaaqov Medan (spelled Yaakov or Ya'acov) (Hebrew: יעקב מדן) (born 1950) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi, co-Rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, a respected leader in the Religious-Zionist community, and a lecturer in Tanakh, Gemara, and Jewish philosophy.[1][2]
Rabbi Yaaqov Medan | |
|---|---|
 Official picture of Rabbi Yaakov Medan | |
| Personal | |
| Born | יעקב מדן July 6, 1950 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Denomination | Orthodox Judaism |
| Position | Rosh Yeshiva |
| Yeshiva | Yeshivat Har Etzion |
| Residence | Alon Shevut |
| Dynasty | Soloveitchik dynasty |
Biography
editYaaqov Medan was a member of the first class at Yeshivat Har Etzion, and has lived in Gush Etzion since 1968.
He served in the Airborne Nahal Infantry unit during his Hesder army service. During the Yom Kippur War, he fought in the Golan Heights as a liaison officer in the Yiftach Brigade.[3]
Medan holds a B.Ed degree from Michlalah Jerusalem College, and an MA degree from Touro College.[4] In May 2023 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Bar Ilan University.[5]
Rabbinic career
editTogether with Rabbi Baruch Gigi, Rabbi Medan joined Rabbi Yehuda Amital and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein as a Rosh Yeshiva on January 4, 2006.
His Biblical analysis does not shy away from nuanced analysis of the patriarchs and other Biblical figures in innovative commentaries on Tanakh, which combine lucid textual analysis with intimate knowledge of geographical and historical realia, and of a vast body of Jewish tradition. He has published book-length studies on Daniel, Ruth, and the Batsheva story. A much wider variety of lectures which he has given at Yeshivat Har Etzion have not yet been published in written form.
He was a partner in drafting the Gavison-Medan Covenant,[6][7] a proposed constitution for the State of Israel which is intended to benefit Israel's religious and secular communities simultaneously (despite their disagreement on a number of issues).
References
edit- ^ Torah, Chovevei Torah Yeshivat Chovevei (July 2006). Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Tanakh Companion: The Book of Samuel. Ben Yehuda Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9769862-4-9. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ Sharon, Jeremy (25 July 2021). "Kahana's Kashrut Reforms Get Rabbinical Backing". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "Faith Under Fire". Segula Magazine.
- ^ "VBM Teachers - Harav Yaakov Medan". Virtual Beit Midrash. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony, 2023".
- ^ Brugger, Winfried; Karayanni, Michael (2007). Religion in the public sphere: a comparative analysis of German, Israeli, American, and international law. Springer. pp. 398–. ISBN 978-3-540-73355-3. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ Gavison Medan FAQ