In the year 5756, Talmud Torah Shaar Hashamayim was started in the settlement of Beit-El. At the time, one of the biggest sacrifices made by families living in the settlements was in the quality of education of their children. Their only option was the religious public school system which was very limited in its Torah study. Rabbi Pesach Davis - then a resident of the settlement - who was searching for a solution in the education of his own son, who was entering first grade, decided to take a leap. He decided to open a school that would offer a better and more thorough education, thereby helping himself and many others with the same problem. After much research into different teaching methods, the search ended upon finding the "Zilberman Cheder" in the Old City of Jerusalem. There - for the first time - he saw an entire school full of energy and enthusiasm in their learning, in addition to their amazing amount of knowledge. So began the process of adopting this unique system of education in the settlement of Beit-El. Our first class of 11 students started their adventure in Torah in the upstairs of the Davis's home, while searching for temporary schooling space. Soon, there were two more classes studying in the Davis home. In the middle of our third year we finally moved to our humble campus made up of pre-fabricated structures. Today we have approximately 250 students, a staff of over 30 teachers in an enlarged campus consisting of 14 pre-fab structures. This year (5756/2005-06), as we celebrate the beginning of our tenth year, we are opening our doors to our new Yeshiva High School. Shaar Hashamayim has become an example of success in Torah education.

What Makes Us So Unique?

Our system is based upon teaching methods over 2,000 years old which were passed down to us by our sages. From 1st grade our students start learning Chumash with the traditional melody (Tamim/Trop). The material is reviewed over 40 times - permanently engraving the verses and their explanation in the hearts of our students. By the end of 3rd grade they have mastered all five book of Torah, at which point they continue on to master all 24 books of Tanach, Torah, Prophets, and the Writings. At the age of ten they begin the study of Mishna with the same method of review and memorization. By the completion of 8th grade they will have mastered all 24 books of Tanach and 5-6 orders of Mishna. From 9th grade on, studying in our Yeshiva High School will be focused on Talmud, along with constant review of everything learned until now. Students at our Yeshiva High School will be exposed to hundreds of pages of Talmud with intense review, aiming for a deeper understanding of Halacha. The bridge between the Talmudic text and the Halacha derived from it creates a unique combination between the study of Torah and the fulfillment of Mitzvot in the lives of our students.

For the full curriculum, please click here.

Why are our students so happy?

Our school has no vacations, neither in the summer nor for the Holidays, so why are the students so happy? The combination of only studying material which is suited for their age and the constant review of that material allows our students to really acquire the material they learn and feel a true sense of accomplishment. Their riding on the wave of success makes them want to learn more and more. A day in school was a successful and fulfilling day far more attractive then the soon set in boredom of vacation. Our unique combination of repetition and comprehension enable a wider spectrum of students to succeed, including many that would fail in the standard educational system. Our classes are based on a maximum of 20% frontal teaching, this uniquely large amount of student participation contributes to our students happiness in learning.

Rabbis from all over the world are amazed

Our success has drawn attention from educators and community leaders from all over Israel and the rest of the world. They are amazed not only by our students knowledge, but by their unique enthusiasm while learning. We have been of influence in helping to open many similar schools around Israel and abroad. We have educators coming to us every summer to be trained in our methods of teaching, in order to bring them back to their own communities. We are truly changing the face of Jewish Education and creating a Torah Revolution.