From Jewish Action Magazine:
VBM—The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion
In 1994, Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) began e-mail correspondence courses on a variety of Torah topics. Taught by experienced scholars, these free courses were serious and often innovative explorations of Tanakh, Talmud, law and thought. VBM’s long-time director and editor-in-chief, Rabbi Ezra Bick and Rabbi Reuven Ziegler, respectively, have maintained the project’s quality and relevance. VBM was there from the beginning of the worldwide web, making the archives of these classes – currently numbering over 10,000 – available to even nonsubscribers.
Instructors include – but are not limited to – faculty of Gush and its affiliate, Herzog College, which has been the center of innovative Tanakh study. Many other scholars are also on the site and a number of series have since been published as books. Particularly noteworthy are the translated lectures on special topics from Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein and Rabbi Yehuda Amital.
What distinguishes VBM is its sophistication. Every controversial topic of the day, as well as many noncontroversial subjects, has been explored from multiple angles, utilizing the greatest Torah tools and contemporary thought. This web site is a treasure trove of Modern Orthodox halakhah and hashkafah (thought).
Sponsors
The VBM gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the Koschitzky family. Their continuing long-term support of the VBM – in memory of Israel Koschitzky z”l – allows tens of thousands of VBM students to deepen their commitment to and understanding of Torah. As partners with Yeshivat Har Etzion nearly from the inception of the VBM, the worldwide influence of the VBM’s high-quality shiurim stands as a testament to the Koschitzky family’s far-reaching and forward-thinking educational vision.
The VBM is also grateful for the help of graduates and friends of Yeshivat Har Etzion, and students and supporters of the VBM, who have donated generously to support individual shiurim and series. May God reward them and bless all their endeavors.
The crucial partnership of our supporters makes possible the VBM’s pioneering efforts to harness the Internet – a uniquely powerful medium – to spread Torah to every seeker worldwide. We pray that these efforts will help hasten the day when “the world will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Yeshayahu 11:9).
Photo Credit
A number of the beautiful photographs of landscapes and Judaica on the VBM website are the work of photographer Yehoshua Halevi.