Yeshiva Etzion is a yeshiva located in Queens, NY. The yeshiva was established in 2003 by Rabbi Avraham Gaon. Like many yeshivot, Yeshiva Etzion is a center of Talmud, Halacha and other Jewish studies and is open to students of all backgrounds.
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The argument of how to pursue a secular education and yet learn Torah at the same time is an old and controversial question in Jewish philosophy. From the times of the codification of the Tanach in the early second temple era, there were books designated as "seforim chitzonim" or books outside of Jewish study[1]. It was forbidden to study these works and reading them could subject the reader to the title of "epikorus" (heretic). Since that time, there has been a strong reactionary trend against secular study from within traditional Jewry. Notable exceptions include Maimonides who insists that the only true way to appreciate God's wisdom is to study the natural world. Notwithstanding the philosophical battle which rages until today, there are a great many Jewish students in college today, carrying an enormous challenge of being part of an ancient culture and modern society at the same time.
In ancient times the teachers of Judaism did not accept payment for studies outside of the written Bible([2]). This is because it is impossible for a student to pay a teacher back for bringing meaning into the student's life. Yeshiva Etzion follows this very ancient system of tuition-free teaching. In practice, the students donate to the continuance of the yeshiva by tithes or other forms of donation- sometimes monetary but also by using their expertise in various fields for the furtherance of Torah study. This is more in line with the traditional Jewish system.
The explicit aim of Yeshiva Etzion is to answer practical questions from an authentically Jewish perspective. This represents an ancient philosophical approach described in the Talmud as Torah Lema'aseh - practical Torah learning[3]. Of course, all topics of the Torah are equally important, even the ones that do not have any practical use. However, many proponents of Torah Lishmah - Torah for its own sake [4] feel that to mix Torah with anything from the outside world is blasphemy. However, this was not the approach of Maimonides, as is obvious from even a cursory glance at The Guide for the Perplexed. Now, this does not mean that the Torah Lishmah proponents who do not use Maimonides' approach do not conduct their lives according to the Torah. Of course they do, because all Orthodox Jews try to keep the Halakha in every aspect of their lives - both Torah study and business activities and other worldly matters. The mistake, therefore, is as follows: by not believing that other topics of study have any truth in and of themselves they confine the Torah to a very small sphere. Yeshiva Etzion's philosophy, and Maimonides' philosophy (in this regard) is the opposite, that through finding truth in many various fields, one's understanding of God, and therefore one's understanding of God's Torah, is enlightened. So the approach of Yeshiva Etzion is threefold: to study "impractical" aspects of the Torah, to study "practical" aspects of the Torah and to incorporate these in your life, and finally to study the world as per Maimonides and incorporate that knowledge into your understanding of God and God's Torah. As such the subject matter dealt with in the Yeshiva lectures range from "impractical" Jewish law to "practical" Jewish law to important philosophical matters that affect the students of the Yeshiva directly and help the students in their understanding of the Torah. As in all Yeshivot, the strong tradition of Jewish textual scholarship figures prominently in discussions on these topics and it is not uncommon for tens, perhaps hundreds of sources to be consulted over the course of the lectures on the topic-- which may sometimes take weeks to bring to full closure.
Yeshiva Etzion's students are found in diverse fields as biotechnology, education,law and even pop music. The student body itself is diverse with students from Afghanistan, America, India, Iran, Israel, & Uzbekistan.