Manhattan Semicha Program Celebrates Chag Hasemicha

Yeshivas Hashluchim, Manhattan’s iconic semichah and shlichus program, celebrated a Chag Hasmichah in grand style at Chabad of the Upper West Side on Wednesday evening. A large crowd turned out for the event including many family members of the bochurim who came to celebrate the occasion and witness the bochurim receiving their semichah.

Newly minted Rabbi Effy Kahn kicked off the proceedings by thanking the hanholo and local shluchim for their dedication to the bochurim. His talk concluded with a dvar torah that explored the true definition of leadership in Yiddishkeit and the qualities that a Rav must possess to positively affect others. Following him Rabbi Shlomo Kugel, Shliach to the Upper West Side, highlighted the role that the bochurim played and described the effect that they had on the community. Rabbi Shmuel Plotkin, the Menahel Ruchni, urged the bochurim to review what they had learned and to continue their studies further into Choshen Mishpat and receive dayanus.

Rabbi Yossi Barber, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Hashluchim, went on to exhort the bochurim to continue growing in their learning and apply the knowledge they learned in their own lives. The bochurim were then presented with their certificates by Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, the Menahel of the Yeshivah. In appreciation of their outstanding work throughout the year, Rabbi Mendel Kugel presented each of the bochurim with a sefer as a gift on behalf of the local shluchim. Outside of the Yeshivah’s regular learning schedule, the bochurim spent their evenings learning with local Jewish people at several nearby Chabad Houses. Rabbi Kugel introduced some of these chavrusas who shared how their learning positively affected them in a transformative way.

The event celebrated the largest group of bochurim to receive semichah from the program to date in a single year. In all, 12 bochurim received their semichah: Effy Kahn, Mendy Raitman, Mendy New, Avremi Bekhor, Mendi Hazan, Shmulik Vogel, Zelig Baumgarten, Levi Chazan, Levi Katz, Mordechai Rosenzweig, Dovid Gutnick, Meir Levin.

Now entering its eighth year since its inception, Yeshivas Hashluchim continues to be an excellent program for bochurim seeking to learn semicha on a high level while honing their shlichus skills outside of the learning hours.

Rabbi Barber guides the bochurim through the complexities of halachah by drawing on his vast knowledge of the subjects and experience teaching semichah to hundreds of bochurim over many years. His almost daily shiurim, delivered in a clear and systematic way, take the bochurim far beyond the basic requirements of a semichah test as he introduces them to a plethora of poskim from across the halachic spectrum. The result is a thorough understanding of the halachah that enables them to apply what they have learned in a practical way. Thanks to his meticulously planned learning schedule, the bochurim are able to finish semichah within the year while maintaining an unparalleled caliber of learning.

Besides learning at the Chabad Annex on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the bochurim also live in apartments nearby, enabling them to interact with the local Jewish community through learning, Shabbos meals, and farbrengins.

The coming year of 5783 will see another exciting change coming to the Yeshivah. Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, who taught the bochurim and oversaw the day-to-day activities of the Yeshivah over the past two years, is moving on Shlichus and his position will be filled by Rabbi Shaya Liberow.

We wish Rabbi Liberow much hatzlachah in taking the Yeshivah further into the coming year.

For questions regarding the yeshivah please email: yeshivashashluchim@gmail.com.