(lit. "house of study"). Center for religious learning, often part of a synagogue building or complex. The bet midrash has generally served as the primary place for study of the classical talmudic texts and commentaries. It is also generally used for prayer by those who study there. Because of the supreme importance of Torah study, the bet midrash is considered to be even more holy than the synagogue, and it is permitted to sell a synagogue in order to buy or construct a bet midrash.
According to legend, the first bet midrash was that of Noah's son Shem, and his son Eber. The Midrash lists various biblical figures who are said to have either studied at a bet midrash or to have founded one.
One of the earliest known examples was that of the first century BCE sages Shemayah and Avtalyon. There was an entrance fee, and when Hillel, who later became one of the greatest scholars in Jewish history, was unable to afford it, he climbed to the roof to hear the lecture.
During and after the Middle Ages, the bet midrash was a standard fixture in each town, usually maintained by the community, where young men would spend their entire day studying the Talmud, while those who worked for a living might attend before or after work to study for a few hours. Sometimes the bet midrash was inside the synagogue which was identified with it. Today, the communal bet midrash has almost ceased to exist, although certain synagogues maintain their own bet midrash, often during specified hours of the day. Nowadays, each Yeshivah has a bet midrash, which serves as the focal point of all study, and the yeshivah bet midrash is often also utilized by members of the local community for study purposes.
In Germany, the bet midrash was known as a
