Special Torah-Academic Conference at Herzog College
Herzog Academic College and Yeshivat Har Etzion held a unique Torah-academic conference to mark one hundred years since the passing of Rabbi Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk zt”l (1846–1926) – one of the great Torah scholars of Lithuania. Author of the iconic works Ohr Sameach and Meshech Chochmah, his original and diverse halachic scholarship continues to enrich yeshiva learning to this day.
The conference was open to the general public and drew many participants. It was opened by the President of Herzog College, Prof. Avishalom Westreich, and the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Rabbi Moshe Lichtenstein. The sessions offered an in-depth examination of his approach to various halachic and ideological topics, including Torah im Derech Eretz, human freedom, Jewish nationalism, and the relevance of the Jerusalem Talmud to halachic rulings. It concluded with a panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Rabbi Yehuda Brandeis, addressing the challenges of our time in light of his teachings in the Meshech Chochmah.
