Come Be a Member of Lekhatchila
and Help Shape
Israeli Torah
A movement to cultivate a living Torah for a people returned to their land.
Not someday — now. Not by others — by us.
Israeli Torah —
Beyond Religiosity and Secularism
Lekhatchila is a movement devoted to cultivating Israeli Torah — bringing Torah to this generation, claiming responsibility for it, renewing it, and building upon it a new story that transcends the divide between the religious and the secular.
A story of living Torah that embraces the everyday, the body, and the earthly — one that fosters deep commitment while leaving room for growth and freedom. The Torah of the Land of Israel, the Torah of a redeemed people who have returned from exile to full life.
For more than thirty years, Yoav Shorek has put forward a bold and renewing vision — through pamphlets, essays, the book "The Israeli Covenant," and now through Lekhatchila.
The hour has come to renew the Torah — not in some unimaginable future, but now.
The war taught us that Israeli identity urgently needs a strong and unifying anchor.
Torah must be renewed with fidelity and reverence, and with audacity and creativity — for our generation.
Not by a miraculous Sanhedrin — but by us.
Someone committed to tradition — and who wants to see it reconnected to life as it is actually lived. Someone who believes that the profound transformation of Jewish existence over the last 80 years demands an equally profound response within our Torah. Someone who believes that authentic Torah is Torah that meets life in its fullness — and that this encounter is precisely how a living Torah is born. Someone who refuses to leave the great questions unanswered, and chooses to become part of the answer.
What Members of Lekhatchila Receive
Become part of the circle of creators of Israeli Torah — a genuine partner in opening a new era of connection between the Jewish people and its living tradition.
Access to lectures, interviews, and publications on halacha and Jewish thought produced by Yoav Shorek — including original halakhic pamphlets and unique study materials.
Join a community of leading thinkers — rabbis, scholars, academics, and public figures united by a commitment to the vision of Jewish renewal.
Early access to new episodes exploring culture, philosophy, and Jewish-Israeli identity through candid and wide-ranging conversations.
Invitations to Lekhatchila events — conferences, talks, study days, and community gatherings that bring members together around shared ideas.
Members receive HaAretz HaTova ("The Good Land") directly in their inbox — a monthly publication offering fresh, expansive samplings of Israeli Torah, from thought to halacha. Delivered the moment each issue appears.
Receive the Complete Guide
"Eating Kosher Abroad"
Every Lekhatchila member receives the full guide "Eating Kosher Abroad" — a practical, forward-thinking guide to keeping kosher while traveling, grounded in a distinctly Israeli approach to halacha.
Distributed widely across Israel, this guide embodies the spirit of Lekhatchila: halacha that makes room for life, freedom, and commitment — all at once.
Join and Receive the Guide
The time is ripe. Torah needs to be renewed now — and you can be part of it.
Partnership in Israeli Torah
Membership in Lekhatchila is a genuine partnership in building a cultural and spiritual future for the Jewish people.
Full membership with all member benefits — the HaAretz HaTova newsletter, the "Eating Kosher Abroad" guide, access to exclusive content, invitations to events, and real partnership in the creation of Israeli Torah.
Join NowThe People Behind the Vision
Dr. Yoav Shorek
A public intellectual and thinker who has devoted his work to renewing Judaism and connecting it to Israeli sovereignty. His thought strives to liberate Torah from the constraints of sectarian identity and restore it as a vital, relevant source of inspiration for Israeli society as a whole.
This vision is articulated in his book "The Israeli Covenant," which proposes a foundation for a new social and spiritual compact, and calls for a shift from a culture of isolated sectors toward a broad national covenant grounded in creative Israeli Torah.
Rabbi Chaim Videl
A rabbi and educator leading a profound line of thought in the renewal of Torah, rooted in direct engagement with contemporary Israeli reality and culture. His thinking seeks to free religious thought from limiting sociological categories and exhausted sectarian frameworks.
In his book "Beyond Religiosity and Secularism," he charts a path that aspires to transcend the familiar sacred-secular divide, offering a deep spiritual language that speaks to the core identity of Israeli society as a whole.
The Thinkers Who Stand with Us
A forum of leading intellectual figures from the worlds of Torah, academia, and public life
Prof. Avinoam Rosenak
Emunah Elon
Prof. Benjamin Ish-Shalom
Rabbi Dov Berkovits
Rabbi Dan Bari
Prof. Vered Noam
Dr. Chana Friedman
Yehuda Etzion
Rabbi Yehuda Shlush
Rabbi Dr. Yoel Ben-Nun
Prof. Yonatan Grossman
Dr. Yafa Gisser
Prof. Meir Buzaglo
Rabbi Shai Zarchi
Sara Eliash
Rabbi Yitz (Irving) Greenberg
Rebbetzin Blu Greenberg
Rabba Tamar Elad-AppelbaumJoin the Renewal
Join Lekhatchila — Israeli Torah — and become a genuine partner in creating a living Torah tradition, opening a new chapter in the relationship between the Jewish people and the wisdom that is their inheritance.