FAQ
ABOUT OHR HATORAH
Ohr HaTorah Yeshiva is a premier Orthodox Jewish high school designed to meet the diverse demographic needs of 9th-12th grade boys in the local South Florida Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities.
Inspired by the educational philosophy of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Torah im Derech Eretz, and created to provide a culture of success, our school nurtures, educates, and empowers our students to embrace Torah values, respect others, contribute to the community, and become lifelong learners through a balanced curriculum of Limudei Kodesh and college-preparatory General Studies.
Our goal is to nurture character development and Midos Tovos, a firm commitment to Torah, as well as a strong sense of social responsibility, especially to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.
Ohr HaTorah Yeshiva is a premier Orthodox Jewish high school designed to meet the diverse demographic needs of 9th-12th grade boys in the local South Florida Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities.
Ohr HaTorah’s goal is to prepare each student for a future of success in today’s challenging and complex world. This means we aim to help students strive for and attain their highest potential – educationally, morally and religiously.
Since our school is designed to meet the diverse needs of both the Ashkenzic and Sephardic communities, our goal is to offer both minyanim and hire both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rebbeim.
The school day begins promptly at 8:00 am with minyan, followed by a full morning schedule of Limudei Kodesh. There will be a 40-minute lunch period at 1:00 pm, followed by four periods of College Preparatory General Studies classes. School ends at 5:00 pm on Monday-Thursday and dismissal is at 12:30 pm on Friday.
A healthy and filling breakfast is served every morning after minyan. The lunch program is optional and students have the choice of bringing their lunch to school or ordering from the menu. There is also an optional dinner available when Mishmar is scheduled.
Decades of research highlight the benefits of homework, particularly in high school. As a premier academic institution, we believe in the value of homework in building academic skills and reviewing concepts learned in both the Limudei Kodesh and General Studies classes.
ABOUT OUR CURRICULUM
The process of taking the PSAT, SAT, and ACT as well as applying to college and post high school Yeshivot is guided by our trained staff who are familiar with our students/families and understand the application process.
The guidance process is individualized to facilitate each student’s admission to a yeshiva, college or university that best suits his academic profile, religious hashkafa, financial criteria, interests and career goals.
As a new school we are in the process of applying for accreditation. Our goal is to adopt and maintain the academic standards prescribed by the accreditation associations and meet all the State of Florida graduations requirements.
The study of Ivrit is required for all students during the course of their high school studies. This class fulfills a foreign language requirement, helps our students in their Limudei Kodesh classes, and prepares them for their post graduations studies in Eretz Yisroel.
There will be classes scheduled for three out of four Sundays each month. School on Sundays will begin with minyan at 8:45 am, followed by breakfast, a full gemara shiur, and other Limudei Kodesh classes until dismissal at 12:30 pm.
Currently, our plan is to feature Rabbi Yosef Galimidi, Rabbi of the Beit Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Aventura, as part of our co-curricular sichot which will be given by Rabbinic guest lecturers on Erev Shabbat and before each Yom Tov.
Our extracurricular activity program is expanding as we get to know our students and their interests. Currently, we are offering leadership opportunities through the Student Government Organization (SGO) and Student Council, club periods to explore personal talents in music and newspaper reporting and production, seasonal intramural sports, and community service opportunities through our Segulah Honor Society.
We believe in offering a balanced education and participation in sports and other physical activities promotes improved health and fitness. We offer physical education (Phys ed) weekly and have a basketball court and soccer field on our grounds. Participating in seasonal intramural sports is offered as part of our ever-expanding extracurricular activity program.
Mishmar, also known as Night Seder, provides our students with the opportunity to participate in Beit Midrash learning after school on Thursday evenings. Attendance at the Mishmar program is required while ordering dinner is optional. On Mishmar evenings, the school day ends at 6:30 pm instead of the 5:00 pm traditional dismissal. Our students are also strongly encouraged to voluntarily participate in their local shul’s night learning programs.
ABOUT OUR ADMISSIONS PROCESS
In addition to the application process that is outlined in the tab on the top of the website, acceptance to Ohr HaTorah is based on three basic standards:
#1 Academic Achievement – As Ohr HaTorah Yeshiva, our goal is to accept students who have a track record of academic achievement and the determination to succeed.
#2 Moral Character – Respectful and responsible behavior and proper middos are essential components of our admissions decisions and are an integral part of our curriculum. A previous record of poor conduct and disrespectful behavior will preclude a student from being admitted to our school.
#3 Religious Commitment –Embracing Torah values and sharing our commitment to Yiddishkeit, Jewish values and religious observance are essential for admission.
Our goal is to limit our class size to 25 boys per grade. The class size will allow us to offer the personalized attention necessary for academic and character development yet provide extensive social opportunities for personal growth and friendships. Only prospective students who meet our high standards of acceptance we are setting will be accepted each year.
We believe all students who meet our admissions criteria should have access to enroll. Currently, we are offering a limited number of financial scholarships and we are considering offering academic scholarships in the future.
Florida law prohibits students from attending class if current health forms are not on file. An original Immunization Form (Blue HRS form #DH680) and an original Student Health Form (Yellow HRS form #3040) from a Florida pediatrician dated after September 1, 2022, are due June 1, 2023. Out-of-state and foreign forms are not acceptable.
ABOUT LIMUDEI KODESH
Shiurim in Gemara, Halacha, Chumash and Navi are offered on both a Regular and Honors level.
The study of Ivrit is required for all students during the course of their high school studies.
This comprehensive class is offered daily by our Rebbeim with guest lecturers on special occasions.
Sichot given by Rabbinic guest lecturers on Erev Shabbat and before each Yom Tov, weekly Mishmar sessions on Thursday nights, and monthly trips are just some of our initial co-curricular offerings.
ABOUT OUR STUDENTS
No two people are exactly alike and therefore we anticipate various eventual outcomes. What we strive for, and will guide our students towards, is to have all of our talmidim spend at least one year of full time Torah study in Eretz Yisroel post-graduation in one of the many fine Yeshivot we will be recommending.
We also anticipate that almost all our young men will be applying to, and be accepted into, a College or University for further educational growth. Despite the fact that the boys will be prepared to get into many top-tiered programs, and we will take pride in when our graduates are accepted into the best Colleges and Universities across the country, we will take even greater pride in those that will choose an environment where they can continue their learning and growth as Torah Jews while getting the best secular education possible.
While we are being selective regarding our students and families, we are not going to make overly intrusive restrictions or intrude on the privacy of people’s homes to supervise their activities.
As a rule, however, only boys from Kosher and Shomer Shabbat homes will be accepted, in addition to being fully committed to the high academic and midot standards of Ohr HaTorah.
ABOUT OUR ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES
Our general preference is that our students refrain from engaging in social media. Currently, we are leaving the decision about the use of social media up to the student’s parent or guardian. However, the school will intervene if there is evidence of inappropriate posting or bullying.
Ohr HaTorah allows students to bring a phone to school which has a Yeshiva-approved filter* and we do recommend these phones for home use as well. However, these phones may not be used during school hours unless it is with the explicit permission of a faculty member or for an emergency.
*We will gladly coordinate the purchase of a yeshiva-approved filter with TAG or similar programs.
We do offer daily subsidized transportation services, for an additional fee. Please email us at office@floridayeshiva.com for prices and schedules.
ABOUT COLLEGE-PREPARATORY GENERAL STUDIES
Our core curriculum subjects include math, science, English Language Arts, and history. All of these courses are offered in both the Regular and the Honors track. AP classes will be offered beginning in the Fall of 2023.
Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Psychology, English Language Arts, World History, and American History are currently being offered. Jewish History and Holocaust Studies will be offered in Fall of 2023.
The process of taking the PSAT, SAT, and ACT as well as applying to college/Israel Yeshiva will be guided by trained staff who are familiar with our students/families and understand the application process.
Ohr HaTorah Yeshiva professionally run four-year Ohr HaTorah Yeshiva program for boys, Ohr HaTorah features a complete complement of regular and honors tracks in both Limudei Kodesh and secular classes. Apply Now