Bais Toras Menachem Graduates

On Sunday, Chof-daled Sivan, June 26, 2011, members of Anash of Los Angeles joined with friends and supporters of the Yeshivas Bais Toras Menachem for a Tribute Reception celebrating the unique institution of higher learning’s completion of its third successful year.

Amongst the highlights of the celebration were remarks by the program’s primary Maggid Shiur, Rabbi Levi Chazan, and a tribute to five of this year’s 11 graduates who, under Rabbi Chazan’s thorough and patient tutelage, successfully completed the four “chalokim”, or sections, of the Code of Jewish Law required for rabbinical ordination. Many of the program’s other students have thus-far covered two of the sections and intend to return for the next semester beginning in September to complete the program and to duly receive their Smicha.

The designated “testing Rav” for the specialized Smicha program is the renowned and widely respected Posek, and Av Bais Din D’kehilla of Los Angeles, Rabbi Elchanan Tauber. Rabbi Tauber, who has been a strong proponent of the program since its inception, has expressed how impressed he’s been by the Bais Toras Menachem students’ overall dedication to their studies and their fine grasp of the material.

Yehivas Bais Toras Menachem was established in 2007 in response to an obvious void in the greater Chabad community in terms of quality programs catering to post-mesivta students who are looking for something different and innovative. By balancing a well-rounded curriculum of Smicha studies, Chassidus, Halachah and Hashkafa with various occupational and vocational training opportunities –(for example, GED lessons for those that need it and electives such as music and photography for those that desire it – the program has enjoyed phenomenal success in keeping its students engaged on all levels.

“The fact that these Talmidim are experiencing a sense of accomplishment and productivity in other arenas has only enhanced their sense of spiritual growth on the Limudei Kodesh front,” says Program Coordinator Rivky Katz. “The success of this program lies in the synthesis of these two elements as opposed to the usual sense of perceived conflict between them.”

Katz also points to the program’s numerous extra-curricular activities as providing vital enrichment and support for its spiritual and social aspirations. These include regular Chassidishe Farbrengens, trips, hikes, barbecues, Shabbatons, and specialized in-house Shabbos experiences. The students of Yeshivas Bais Toras Menachem are often engaged by many of the local Shluchim who involve them in outreach programs – each according to the student’s individual skills and inclinations. The students are likewise warmly welcomed and embraced by the Lubavitcher community of Los Angeles, making them feel as an integral part of the “Anash Family”.

In the words of one of BTM’s proud alumni, Rabbi Eliyahu Piperno, “The 2 years I spent in the “Katz Smicha program” as it has fondly come to be known, since Rabbi and Mrs. Mordechai Katz put their whole heart and soul into this Moisad, have been the most productive of my life. Rabbi Chazan is the most wonderful Maggid Shiur ever, and there was a perfect blend of Chassidus, Halacha, and Farbrengens with various ‘choshiv’e members of the L. A. community. The bachurim in the program bonded as family, and many, such as myself, are BH married and have embarked upon their next stage in life to build a ‘Bayis ne’man b’Yisroel’ upon the yesodos of Torah and Mitzvos, and specifically equipped with the practical knowledge gained by obtaining Smicha. Its halochos are now applicable in my day-to-day life, both in my work place and at home.”

Plans are underway to expand both the curricular and extracurricular components of the program for the coming 2011-2012 school year, including an allowance for students to earn an Associate’s Degree through a local college, and the offering of new electives such as safrus and shechita, (depending on interest and demand).

“As we embark upon our 4th year, we are enthusiastic about achieving new heights in terms of what this program has to offer,” says Rivky Katz. “We are also delighted with our expanded capacity to accommodate many more sincere bochurim who can appreciate the beauty and benefits of a rich yeshiva/smicha learning experience when offered in a well balanced, trusting,
positive and encouraging environment.”

To inquire further regarding Yeshivas Bais Toras Menachem for the 2011-2012 semester, visit www.smicha.com, or contact Mrs. Rivky Katz at 323-936-5226 or 323-495-3010, or via email at learnsmicha@gmail.com.