“This is the offline portion of Online Smicha,” said Rabbi Mendel Feller. He was addressing the participants of the Yarchei Kallah Shabbaton in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and S. Paul, Minnesota.
Four days of intense Torah study at four Twin Cities venues lifted the participants to new heights of joyful Torah living and learning.
Approximately twenty students of the vaunted Online Smicha Institute gathered from throughout the United States and Canada. Their ages ranged from mid-twenties to mid-seventies, but they are united in their goal: to receive Smicha – Rabbinic Ordination. Shiurim – lectures – are given by Rabbi Nachman Wilhelm, who heads the Institute from the Highland Park neigborhood of S. Paul. Some 70 students are enrolled in the Institute, whose programs range from beginner-level classes in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch – basic Jewish law – to intermediate and advanced courses in Yoreh Deah – the laws of Kosher, Even Ha’ezer – the laws of Jewish married life, and Choshen Mishpat – Jewish civil law.
The students were hosted in Lubavitch House in West S. Paul, where many of the shiurim took place. Portions of the program were held in Adath Israel Synagogue in S. Paul, the Rohr Chabad House on Campus at the University of Minnesota, and Dodge Nature Center in West S. Paul.
Shiurim covered a broad range of topics, and were given by lecturers who were able to share their extensive knowledge and experiences. They included Rabbi Nachman Wilhelm, Rabbi Moshe Feller, Rabbi Manis Friedman, Rabbi Asher Zeilingold, Rabbi Mendel Feller, Rabbi Menachem Piekarski of New Haven, Connecticut, Rabbi Mendel Feller, Rabbi Moshe Kasowitz, Rabbi Sholom Reindorp, Rabbi Yehuda Shurpin, Rabbi Yitzi Steiner, Rabbi Gavriel Levin of Postville, Iowa, Rabbi Yitzchak Mendel Wagner of Krefeld, Germany, and Chaplain Captain Moshe Lans, from Fort Benning, Georgia.
Ten local families joined the participants for a rousing Shabbos in Lubavitch House, complete with uplifting tefilos, inspiring farbrengens, and informative shiurim.
At the Grand Melava Malka in Dodge Nature Center, attended by numerous community members, Shluchim, and guests from afar, Rabbi Wilhelm thanked the program’s organizers and caterers, and everyone else who had contributed to the memorable weekend.
Visit onlinesmicha.com for more information about the ongoing programs offered.
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