Yeshivat Nachalat Binyamin
On Friday, the fourth of Nissan, 5784, the youth Binyamin Achimeir, may his memory be blessed, departed from the "Gal-Yosef" farm for pasture in the early morning – and did not return. Within Binyamin's heart burned a fierce love for the Land of Israel and for Torah, and in his life, he bridged the worlds of Torah study with the settlement of the land, the service of God with manual labor.
Yeshivat 'Nachalat Binyamin', established in his memory and in his light approximately half a year ago, was built with a profound vision at its foundation – to create a living connection between the world of Torah and the dynamic agricultural farms of Yehuda and Somron.
Currently, the Yeshiva is located in its temporary location – the Malachei Hashalom farm, and we are now constructing the campus that will serve us in the coming years, at the Gal Yosef farm, the site of Binyamin's murder. The campus is being built to accommodate the growing number of students and includes a spacious study hall, a dining room and kitchen, classrooms, and dormitories. The Yeshiva's strategic location creates a living settlement bridge between the Shiloh settlement bloc and the settlement in the southern Jordan Valley. Through its presence, the Yeshiva creates a vital continuity, preventing hostile takeover of Area C lands.
However, beyond the settlement considerations, there is also a unique message and a deep dream. The Yeshiva aspires to build a new Torah-centered layer to the existing fabric of life on the area's farms and to cultivate a new movement of life, connecting Torah and land.
On one hand, we aspire to provide the farms of eastern Binyamin and the Jordan Valley with a significant Torah-faith dimension, both through the Yeshiva's presence and through practical expression in the diverse Torah-based services it provides to the farmers, their families, and the entire community. On the other hand, we partake in and draw from the pioneering Zionist movement of our generation – the agricultural farm movement, filled with self-sacrifice and immense vitality. In this unique connection, the deep bond between earth and heaven, between working the land and serving God, is reflected.
"Truth shall spring out of the earth..."
Yeshivat Nachalat Binyamin carries within it a vision of great Torah imbued with life. We aspire to raise students who thirst for revealed Torah – Talmud and Halacha – alongside a deep thirst for living and breathing faith, born from trust in man and all the forces of life. The Yeshiva cultivates a 'chavura', a group of students who progress together through camaraderie and deep connection, God-serving students connected to all realms of life, Torah scholars who draw from the sacred and irrigate the world.
At the head of the Yeshiva stands Rabbi David Turner, a Torah scholar with a unique character, whose Torah many thirst for. Rabbi David brings to the learning public a fresh spirit that opens gates to original spiritual realms, stimulates thought, and deepens the connection between man and his Creator, between the people of Israel and their land.
Deepening Roots
The unique message of Yeshivat Nachalat Binyamin – connecting Torah to the agricultural farms, the great and deep Torah of the Land of Israel, simply and directly linked to working the land – is a refreshing and unique message for both directions: both to the world of Torah and to the pioneering spirit of the agricultural farms. When Torah meets the land, not only on the spiritual level but also on the practical level, a complete and rich fabric of life is woven.
Already, the fruits of this message can be seen. Many arrive weekly from across the country to draw Torah at the Yeshiva, and before our eyes, a moving phenomenon occurs – scholars and families from all over the country move to the area, integrate into existing communities, and even choose to settle on the farms themselves. Beyond the demographic strengthening, a deep message lies here: a family living on an agricultural farm and simultaneously connected to and drawing Torah regularly and daily embodies and cultivates a new and original Israeli identity.
Vision for the Future
Our vision and prayer are that in a few years, with God's help, Yeshivat Nachalat Binyamin will grow to be a "city and mother in Israel" – a central and large Yeshiva of hundreds of young men and scholars, teeming with life, laden with Torah, and filled with fear of heaven. The Yeshiva will continue to develop and deepen the unique connection between Torah and the agricultural farms, between the study hall and the work of the holy land, and will serve as a significant Torah anchor for the farms and settlements of the entire region.
We aspire to continue this momentum, to expand our study hall, to weave more and more threads in the connection with the farms and settlements in the area, and to cultivate a generation of Torah learners connected to the Land of Israel with all the fibers of their souls. Yeshivat Nachalat Binyamin will continue to be a shining Torah beacon for the agricultural farms in the area, and the message it carries – of a living connection between Torah and land – will continue to spread, with God's help, further and further.