Beth midrash
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Hebrew בית מדרש) (plural battei midrash) literally means a "House [of] Interpretation" or "House [of] Lecturing" or "House [of] Learning" in Hebrew. It may refer to a synagogue, yeshiva, or kollel, and refers specifically to the central "study hall" (and/or also to the "place of worship"), which is a place dedicated for Torah and Talmud study. It is also often used as an alternate name for a yeshiva.
Structure
Generally, there are either benches or chairs, and lecterns (shtenders in Yiddish), or tables, on which books are placed, and chairs for seating.
A characteristic Beth midrash has many hundreds of books, including at least several copies of the entire Talmud, Torah, siddurim (prayer books), Shulchan Aruch, Mishneh Torah, Arbaah Turim and other oft-consulted works.
Origin
In the times of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), and the Mishna, most Torah study probably took place in the Beth din (Rabbinical court), where religious law was deliberated as part of the judicial process. Nevertheless, the Mishna makes mention of the beth midrash as a separate institution. The Talmud (Shabbat 127a) holds that there is no time limit for attending the beth midrash to engage in study, but does hold that one should attend twice daily. Similarly, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 155) maintains that one should spend a few hours in the beth midrash after the morning prayers.
Yeshiva
While a beth midrash generally serves a community, it is also the physical abode of a yeshiva (college of higher Jewish study) and kollel (Torah study institute for married men). The location and institution of study are often interchanged, so in popular parlance, yeshivot are sometimes referred to as battei midrash. Many battei midrash originally serve the community but attract a yeshiva in the course of their existence.
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