Yuval Sherlo
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Yuval Sherlo is a modern orthodox rabbi
and posek
. He is Rosh Yeshiva
of Yeshivat Hesder Petah Tikva
in Petah Tikva
, Israel
. Sherlo was one of the founders of Tzohar
, an organization of modern orthodox rabbis in Israel. He is a prominent and charismatic rabbi, noted for his willingness to deal with highly sensitive social and religious issues. His relatively liberal positions have made him a controversial figure in the eyes of the more conservative currents of orthodox Judaism in Israel.
Sherlo was born in Herzeliya to United States
-born parents. He was educated in Yeshivat Har Etzion
. As part of his Hesder
studies, he served as an armor officer in the IDF
. In the reserves he was a company commander (mefaked pluga) in the armoured corps.
His rabbinical career started in Kibbutz
Tirat Tzvi, where he served as a rabbi and teacher. Later he served as a rabbi in Yeshivat HaGolan in Hispin
, in the southern Golan Heights. After the Rabin assassination
, he helped found Tzohar
, whose aim was to lessen the tensions between religious and non religious communities. Those tensions had been exacerbated by the fact that the assassination had been committed by a young Yeshiva student.
In 1998 he founded Yeshivat Hesder in Petach Tikva, where he served as Rosh Yeshiva since its foundation. He justified his decision to start a new Yeshiva in the central area of Israel—not in a settlement or in a peripheral town—by saying that it is the place where the most important debates about the identity of the country take place.
Since 2001 Sherlo has answered more than 30,000 questions about Halakha and other issues related to Judaism
via the Moreshet website. His answers are usually short and lack comprehensive Halakhic justification, a point that has drawn some criticism. He published two books based on his internet responsa. He has also published books that deal with Bible commentary as well as the writings of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook.
Sherlo is a member of the ethics committee of the Israeli Ministry of Health. He is also a member of the committee which allocates the budget for new drugs.
Sherlo opposes soldiers disobeying commands to evacuate settlements, as some soldiers did in the Gaza disengagement. He has voiced liberal positions on some issues, including allowing the use of artificial insemination
by unmarried women in certain circumstances and in support of boys and girls having shared activities in Bnei Akiva.
He has voiced empathy for the difficulties faced by religious gay
s and called for the orthodox community to treat them with compassion. However, he still maintains that gay relationships are prohibited by Halakha.
He lives in the Israeli settlement
in the West Bank
of Efrat
, along with his wife, who is a lecturer in the department of Jewish Philosophy
In Bar Ilan University.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
. He is Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Yeshivat Hesder Petah Tikva
Yeshivat Hesder Petah Tikva
Yeshivat Hesder Petah Tikva is a Hesder Yeshiva located in Petah Tikva, Israel. Established in 1998, it currently has approximately 200 students, 25% whom are actively serving in the IDF.-History:...
in Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Sherlo was one of the founders of Tzohar
Tzohar
Tzohar is a communal settlement and regional center in southern Israel. Located in Hevel Eshkol, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 487....
, an organization of modern orthodox rabbis in Israel. He is a prominent and charismatic rabbi, noted for his willingness to deal with highly sensitive social and religious issues. His relatively liberal positions have made him a controversial figure in the eyes of the more conservative currents of orthodox Judaism in Israel.
Sherlo was born in Herzeliya to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born parents. He was educated in Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion, ', commonly known as "Gush," is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, a community in Gush Etzion in the West Bank, near Jerusalem, Israel. With a student body of 484, it is one of the largest hesder yeshivas in Israel...
. As part of his Hesder
Hesder
Hesder is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework...
studies, he served as an armor officer in the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. In the reserves he was a company commander (mefaked pluga) in the armoured corps.
His rabbinical career started in Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Tirat Tzvi, where he served as a rabbi and teacher. Later he served as a rabbi in Yeshivat HaGolan in Hispin
Hispin
Haspin is an Israeli settlement and a moshav located in the southern Golan Heights. It was built in 1978. It falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Golan Regional Council. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the...
, in the southern Golan Heights. After the Rabin assassination
Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin took place on November 4, 1995 at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv...
, he helped found Tzohar
Tzohar
Tzohar is a communal settlement and regional center in southern Israel. Located in Hevel Eshkol, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 487....
, whose aim was to lessen the tensions between religious and non religious communities. Those tensions had been exacerbated by the fact that the assassination had been committed by a young Yeshiva student.
In 1998 he founded Yeshivat Hesder in Petach Tikva, where he served as Rosh Yeshiva since its foundation. He justified his decision to start a new Yeshiva in the central area of Israel—not in a settlement or in a peripheral town—by saying that it is the place where the most important debates about the identity of the country take place.
Since 2001 Sherlo has answered more than 30,000 questions about Halakha and other issues related to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
via the Moreshet website. His answers are usually short and lack comprehensive Halakhic justification, a point that has drawn some criticism. He published two books based on his internet responsa. He has also published books that deal with Bible commentary as well as the writings of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook.
Sherlo is a member of the ethics committee of the Israeli Ministry of Health. He is also a member of the committee which allocates the budget for new drugs.
Sherlo opposes soldiers disobeying commands to evacuate settlements, as some soldiers did in the Gaza disengagement. He has voiced liberal positions on some issues, including allowing the use of artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
by unmarried women in certain circumstances and in support of boys and girls having shared activities in Bnei Akiva.
He has voiced empathy for the difficulties faced by religious gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s and called for the orthodox community to treat them with compassion. However, he still maintains that gay relationships are prohibited by Halakha.
He lives in the Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
of Efrat
Efrat
Efrat , or officially Efrata , is an Israeli settlement established in 1983 and a local council in the Judean Mountains of the West Bank. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this...
, along with his wife, who is a lecturer in the department of Jewish Philosophy
Jewish philosophy
Jewish philosophy , includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or, in relation to the religion of Judaism. Jewish philosophy, until modern Enlightenment and Emancipation, was pre-occupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing...
In Bar Ilan University.