Rosh yeshiva (Hebrew: ראש ישיבה‎, pl. Hebrew: ראשי ישיבה‎ , roshei yeshiva,rashe yeshiva; Anglicized pl. rosh yeshivahs) is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and the Torah, and halakha (Jewish law). It is a compound word of the Hebrew words rosh ("head") and yeshiva (a school of religious Jewish education). The rosh yeshiva is required to have a comprehensive knowledge of the Talmud and the ability to analyse and present new perspectives, called chidushim (novellae) verbally and often in print.