Our Rabbis

Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch
​Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch , is Mekor Habracha’s spiritual leader and founding rabbi. Since its inception, the congregation has experienced remarkable growth, and has significantly contributed to the flourishing Center City Jewish community. In addition to Shabbat/holiday services, our shul provides a daily morning and evening minyan in the Rittenhouse neighborhood.

Under Rabbi Hirsch's leadership at Mekor, Center City has developed an array of Jewish services. He is the Director and local halachic advisor for the expansive Center City Eruv, and he serves as Rabbinic Administrator of IKC Kosher Certification in Center City, which has facilitated the substantial growth of kosher establishments in this area.   Rabbi Hirsch and the Mekor congregation have also played an active role in supporting the newly constructed community mikvah.

Rabbi Hirsch has made unwavering support for Israel a cornerstone of our shul, articulating a fervent voice for Israel, and celebrating the many Mekor congregants who have made Aliyah.  In recognition of his pro-Israel advocacy efforts across the Philadelphia region, Rabbi Hirsch was honored in 2019 with the Guardian of Israel award from the Philadelphia Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).
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In addition to his work in the Philadelphia region, Rabbi Hirsch serves as Dean of Jewish philosophy at Genesis University, a distance learning college based in Suffern, NY.

Rabbi Hirsch received rabbinical ordination from Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland and Yeshivas Ohr Reuven in Monsey, NY. During his almost two decades of study in Yeshiva, he forged close relationships with prominent Rabbinic leaders and received years of training from renowned Halachic authorities.

In 2010, Rabbi Hirsch was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease, an incurable, degenerative neurological condition marked by numerous symptoms.  You can read some inspirational thoughts he related about grappling with Parkinson’s Disease here. Since sharing news about his condition, Rabbi Hirsch has welcomed inquiries from individuals across the globe seeking Halachic and spiritual guidance to cope with significant personal hardships.

Recognizing that many people hunger for practical ways to conceptualize and fulfill their commitment to God and Torah, Rabbi Hirsch has written 3 books about Jewish holidays, in the hope that readers will renew their enthusiasm for these special days and enliven their engagement with Judaism year-round:
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• Pesach Without the Pain: A Practical Guide to the Laws and Practices of Passover ​
• Bringing Order to the Seder: A Modern Guide to the Traditional Passover Haggadah 
• The Book of Life: A Transformative Guide to the High Holidays.                                                                                                      

​In his books, articles, sermons, and classes, Rabbi Hirsch connects the lessons of the Torah and Jewish holidays with practical wisdom for daily life, emphasizing the Torah’s eternal relevance for Jews of all backgrounds.
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LISTEN TO RABBI HIRSCH'S LECTURES

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​ASSOCIATE RABBI STEVEN GOTLIB
​Rabbi Steven Gotlib is Mekor’s Associate Rabbi.  A graduate of Rutgers University, he received ordination from Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), a Certificate in Mental Health Counseling from the Ferkauf School of Psychology in partnership with RIETS, and a START Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship from the Glean Network in partnership with Columbia Business School.
 
Rabbi Gotlib is originally from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and was privileged to serve several communities before moving to Philadelphia. He was most recently Co-Director of the Capital Jewish Experience, an outreach organization for Canadian young professionals, while serving as Interim Rabbi at Young Israel of Ottawa. Prior to that, Rabbi Gotlib was Assistant Rabbi at the Village Shul and Aish HaTorah Learning Centre, a Community Scholar at Beit Midrash Zichron Dov of Toronto, and Head of the Beit Midrash Program at Congregation Shearith Israel: The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City. As a RIETS student, he held rabbinic internships at Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob of Albany and at Yeshiva University's Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought while working as Webmaster and Social Media Manager for The Lehrhaus.
 
A popular guest speaker throughout the US and Canada, Rabbi Gotlib was a guest on the 18Forty podcast and is a frequent contributor to their website.  He has written for numerous publications, including The Lehrhaus, Jewish Action, andTradition Online.  Rabbi Gotlib has also contributed to several books, including Who by Plague High Holy Day Sermons from COVID-19 Times (Hamotzi Press, 2021), Nothing So Full as a Broken Heart (Izzun Books, 2024), and The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law (Oxford University Press, Forthcoming). 
 
Rabbi Gotlib strongly believes in making Jewish theology, philosophy, and law as accessible as possible to all who seek guidance and comfort within our tradition.