Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

A historic Kabbalistic yeshiva in the heart of Jerusalem, dedicated to Torah study, spiritual growth, and community support.

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Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

6 Shilo Street (corner of Agrippas Street)

Jerusalem, Israel

For mail:

P.O. Box 1884

Jerusalem 9102701, Israel

02-622-2560 / 02-622-3001

Fax: 153-775001874

m6222560@gmail.com

Sun–Thu, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM

© 2026 Yeshivat Nahar Shalom. All rights reserved.

Donations from the United States are received by Friends of Nahar Shalom Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 27-2007035), which supports Yeshivat Nahar Shalom in Jerusalem. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

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  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Everything Follows the Head

    Sanctify to Me every firstborn"—every first thing, sanctify it. Lead it in goodness. For example, when a person gets up in the morning, right away he should think good thoughts. How he will pray today, how he will perform commandments, charity, good deeds. He should think good thoughts, not think bad things. Then the entire day will go well. The first thought—that is what determines.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 14th of Elul and the Hilula of Rabbi Yosef Chaim the Ben Ish Chai - with a focus on Shabbat

    It is told that the Ridvaz (Rabbi Yaakov David Wilovsky), the famed Rabbi of Slutsk, fell critically ill in his advanced years. As his soul ascended to the Heavenly Court, the judges decreed that his time had come to depart the world. When asked if he had any defense to present, the Ridvaz noted his extensive, groundbreaking written commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi). The Court responded that other scholars could complete the commentary. He then cited his extensive charitable work with widows and orphans, but the Court noted that other gabbaim could fulfill those duties. Feeling helpless, the Ridvaz remembered a private custom: he and his wife consistently cleaned and polished their home starting Thursday night, so that by Friday morning, the entire house was pristine, the food was set on the hot plates, and the household had already welcomed the sanctity of Shabbat early. Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Court declared: "If these are your deeds, 20 years are added to your life!"

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 13th of Elul and the Hilula of Rabbi Yosef Chaim the Ben Ish Chai

    When his father, Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim, passed away at the young age of forty-eight, Rabbi Yosef Chaim was only twenty-six years old. Upon delivering his father's eulogy, the community immediately recognized his spiritual authority and begged him to lead them. He accepted the responsibility of guiding the community of Baghdad, though he steadfastly refused an official title or salary.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: To Overcome and Receive Reward

    A person must not be driven by desire. He needs to master his character traits. One of the things that prevents a person from achieving greatness and drawing closer to our Father in Heaven is this barrier—that a person is bound to the vanities of this world, that he has desires.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 12th of Elul

    As written in the weekly Torah portion: "Because you did not serve Hashem your L-rd with joy and gladness of heart." Blessings come when a person serves Hashem with joy. In Sha'arei Teshuva (Gate 4), Rabbeinu Yonah writes that the service of Hashem must be performed with joy. He explains that all the curses written in the Torah portion come as a direct result of lacking this joy.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 11th of Elul

    An Ashkenazi Torah scholar named Rabbi Chaim Todres intervened, saying: "Honored Rabbi, in the Holy Temple, when First Fruits were brought, they were set down—and even if they rotted, the owner received atonement! The Temple never said 'Take them back.' He is bringing you Bikkurim; even if it sits in the corner and rots, it brings him atonement!" Baba Meir agreed, saying, "You are right. Bring them in!"

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Eliyahu The Prophet Reveals to Us on Which Day The Messiah Arrives

    Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked Elijah the Prophet: "When will the Redeemer come?" He said to him: "Today." The day passed, and he did not come. He said to him: "Today — if you will listen to His voice" [Psalms 95:7].

  • Rectification for the Deceased Ceremony on the Eve of Rosh Hashanah and on the Eve of Yom Kippur

    Hashem willing, the sages and kabbalists of the "Nahar Shalom" Kabbalist Yeshiva, headed by our honorable teacher and rabbi, the righteous Kabbalist Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli (may he live long and good days, Amen), will hold a special Rectification of the Deceased ceremony on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and on the eve of Yom Kippur | Submit the names of your loved ones now for the rectification ceremonies.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 10th of Elul

    The King expressed a desire to attend, but noted that royal protocol required full dress and security, which would cause too much commotion. Instead, the King presented him with a gift check for 40,000 Euros. Seeing the Jew’s hand tremble, the King remarked that while 40,000 Euros is a large sum, a King of Morocco must give a gift worthy of his monarchy so as not to bring dishonor to the crown. The lesson applies directly to Elul: when the King of Kings approaches us in the field, we must not ask for small things. We should request grand spiritual gifts—wisdom, understanding, and complete mastery of the Torah and Talmud—because Hashem gives abundantly.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Do Not Be Afraid from the Curses

    They had Moshe, our teacher, a great light, but still, when was the ultimate joy realized? When coming into the land. The entire purpose of this whole journey was to enter the Land of Israel.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 8th of Elul

    Rabbi Kanievsky asked him how he had received the scar. The young man related that he had saved a small girl in the Old City of Jerusalem. An Arab wielding an axe was chasing her after she had yelled something at him. Acting on the imperative of "Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor," the young man hazarded his life and stepped in to fight the attacker. During the struggle, the attacker wounded him severely across the face. Despite medical efforts, the scar remained permanent. Because of this mark, no woman would marry him.

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 7th of Elul

    The Zohar explains the deep spiritual mechanics behind this act. An angel is appointed over all birds. When a Jew sends away the mother bird and her chicks cry out, that appointed advocate approaches the Almighty and argues: "Holy One, blessed be He, isn't it written that 'His mercies are over all His works'? Why did You decree upon this bird to be banished from its nest?" When Israel performs this commandment, the Holy One, blessed be He, gathers all the heavenly hosts where each angel advocates for the creatures under his charge. Hashem then addresses them: "You each advocate for the birds over which you are appointed, asking why I did not have mercy on them. But what about My children?

  • Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: From Where Does Victory Arrive?

    The prayer of Moshe Rabbeinu is the root of the entire victory in the war. As the Torah indicates, where he sat upon the stone and performed repentance and offered... prayer, that is the victory of the war.

  • The Promise of Maharchu (Rabbi Chaim Vital) for a Good Year · 5787 (2026)

    "One who performs this Pidyon (redemption) in this manner — will surely complete his year."

  • Chizuk for the 6th of Elul by our Rosh Yeshiva, the righteous Kabbalist, Rabbi Benayahu Yissachar Shmueli

    Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv: In his final years, a cup of scalding tea was accidentally spilled onto Rabbi Elyashiv's clothing by his grandson. Rabbi Elyashiv remained silent and made no sign of discomfort, preventing his grandson from experiencing embarrassment. On another occasion, when his shoes were accidentally placed on the wrong feet by an assistant, he waited until the assistant left the room before allowing his grandson to swap them correctly. Furthermore, he insisted on keeping books sent by contemporary authors in his primary study rather than storage, so that visiting authors would not feel hurt seeing their works set aside.

  • Chizuk for the 5th of Elul by Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Shlit"a

    The Jerusalem Talmud states: "One who sleeps on Rosh Hashanah—his fortune (mazal) sleeps." A person should rise early before dawn so as not to sleep during the day. While one who finds it extremely difficult may rest briefly after the Shofar blowing in the afternoon, the custom of many great rabbis was not to sleep at all.

  • Everything that is happening to the world is coming to signal to us

    The Holy One, Blessed be He, brings floods upon the world, brings fire, and sometimes strikes the world with fire — all of these are signals meant for us! For the people of Israel!

  • Rabbi Shmueli, Shlit"a – A Hilula for three great righteous leaders: Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh), and Rabbi Avraham Monsa on the 20th of Elul ,5784

    Donors once promised a large sum if students in his yeshiva studied without skullcaps (kippot). The Rav agreed and signed the contract, accepting a heavy penalty clause if any student wore a kippah. He then used the funds to establish the "Ohr HaChaim" girls' institution. When the donors arrived demanding to see students learning without kippot, he showed them thousands of young women studying—none of whom wore kippot!

  • Chizuk for the 4th of Elul by the Righteous Kabbalist, our Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Benayahu Yissachar Shmueli

    The son then offered the neighbor $10,000 just to buy rights to a single nail in her wall to hang his bag, with permission to enter whenever he needed. Seeing easy money, she agreed. Gradually, the son's visits increased. One day, he hung a basket containing raw poultry and fish on the nail and left it there. Within days, the meat rotted and created an unbearable stench. Because he legally owned the spot, the woman could not touch the bag. Eventually, the smell drove the woman and her family completely out of their own home. This is how the Yetzer HaRa operates: it asks for a tiny foothold—delaying morning prayer by just a few minutes—and slowly expands until it destroys a person's entire routine.

  • The Secret to Change One's Life in a Short Amount of Time Each Day

    Even a little—a person thinks and says: "What... what difference will it make if I study for another five or ten minutes a day?" No! 15 minutes—they change a person.

What's New

Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Everything Follows the Head

By Yeshivat Nahar Shalom Staff•August 30, 2026
Rabbi Benayahu ShmueliRosh HashanahThe first thought—that is what determines.Rosh Hashanah (literally: the "head of the year")

Sanctify to Me every firstborn"—every first thing, sanctify it. Lead it in goodness. For example, when a person gets up in the morning, right away he should think good thoughts. How he will pray today, how he will perform commandments, charity, good deeds. He should think good thoughts, not think bad things. Then the entire day will go well. The first thought—that is what determines.

everything follows the head

[People] are afraid of the month of Tishrei. You know what, the month of Tishrei—these are days of judgment, it's not simple, everything follows the head. It's Rosh Hashanah (literally: the "head of the year"), everything follows the head. How did you start? For example, they say "have a good week." How did you start the week? Well? Everything continues well. Did you start the day well? "Sanctify to Me every firstborn"—every first thing, sanctify it. Lead it in goodness. For example, when a person gets up in the morning, right away he should think good thoughts. How he will pray today, how he will perform commandments, charity, good deeds. He should think good thoughts, not think bad things. Then the entire day will go well. The first thought—that is what determines.