Atlanta Semicha Graduate

Close to 200 Atlantans assembled for an uplifting and inspiring evening at the Semicha graduation ceremony of eight Bochrim at the Chabad-Beth Tefillah center, headquarters to Chabad of Georgia, on Thursday, 21 Sivan (June 3).

In the afternoon before the event, the students were tested in their fifth and final examination of the year. The test was administered by the chief ordaining Rabbi, Rabbi Dovid Schochet, leading international Chabad Rabbi and head of Beis Din in Toronto. The 4 hours-long test was administered on the laws of Muktzeh on Shabbos, the intricate laws of Koshering dishes, utensils and other appliances, and the complicated laws of salting different types of meat.

Various aspects of the other laws studied throughout the year – such as forbidden mixtures, dairy and meat – were also discussed during the rigorous test.

The daily schedule of the Bochrim during the course of the year is quite intensive. Over the past few weeks, however, the Bochrim have been studying for many extra hours, in order to review the material as many times as possible. Their phenomenal success in their final test shined through clearly, and Rabbi Schochet expressed his satisfaction and pleasure. As the Bochrim prepared to leave the table following their test, Rabbi Schochet implored upon them to utilize their success in this test to continue mastering other sections in Halacha and in Torah.

The Atlanta Semicha program has just concluded its fifth year. Headed by Rabbi Yossi Lew, under the auspices of Chabad of Georgia and its head Shliach, Rabbi Yossi New, the program selects eight highly qualified students whose mission is to simply study all day. In their spare time, as well as on Shabbos, the Bochrim study with dozens of local people and families. Another unique and exclusive aspect of the Atlanta Semicha Program is that, in that in addition to the actual Smicha studies, it also offers courses in the areas and skills in which a Lubavitcher Rabbi and Shliach must be efficient. The program, therefore, provides courses in public speaking, counseling, financial management, Chevrah Kadisha, Safrus, Milah, life-cycle events, Shechita, marriage and other courses.

This year’s graduating students were: Zali Lazarus (South Africa/Vegas), Moshe Liberow (Worcester, MA), Eli Marcus (California), Ari Motchkin (Melbourne), Arik Naparstek (California), Shimon New (Melbourne), Zevi New (Crown Heights), and Mula Shechter (Crown Heights).

The Atlanta Semicha Program is named for David and Gertrude Silver Z”L. The graduating ceremony was hosted and chaired by their son, Samuel Silver. David and Gertrude were pioneers in establishing institutions for Torah learning.

Many of the large number of the people attending the graduation on Thursday were those who had been touched and affected by the newly-ordained rabbis, mainly through personal classes, discussions and other interactions.

After words of greetings from the city of Sandy Springs, in Atlanta, Rabbi Dovid Schochet related a Dvar Torah. In his remarks, the Rabbi compared the bubbling of oil from the Gulf seabed to the bubbling of blood from the prophet Zecharia, mentioned in the Talmud. The Rabbi said that just as during those difficult times, when the Holy Beis Hamikdash was being destroyed, it was those who studies Torah that stopped the blood from bubbling, similarly, the message from the current natural disaster must be a stronger commitment to Torah.

Rabbi Hershel Fogelman, Shliach to mid Massachusetts, and senior Chabad Shliach, was the guest speaker. The Rabbi, who spoke via video hookup, reminisced about his relationship with the Rebbe, and that even as early as 1942, the Rebbe’s goal was to infiltrate the world with the light of Torah and Yiddishkeit. “This is the job of not just rabbis, but Lubavitcher Rabbis, to light up the world with the light of Torah.”

At this stage a video, produced by Rabbi Isser New, was shown to the crowd. This video, marking five years of the Atlanta Semicha Program, was titled “where are they now.” It was a glimpse into where some of the graduates had set up posts to spread Yiddishkeit, Torah and Chassidus.

Rabbi Yossi Lew, dean of the program, offered his blessings that the newly ordained rabbis continue their studying and teaching even better and stronger than until now.

Newly ordained Rabbi Eli Marcus, in the name of his seven colleagues, spoke movingly about his thanks to Hashem, his parents, and the Atlanta Smicha Program. Eli shared that two years prior, in the summer of 2008, he was in Mumbai on a Mercaz Shlichus mission at the Holtzbergs, of blessed memory. Gavi asked Eli to consider staying in Mumbai to learn Semicha there. Eli agreed. By December, 2009, the visa had still not arrived. It only arrived the day the terrible news broke about the Holtzberg’s murder. “There is no doubt,” said Eli, “that I would have been in the Chabad House on that fateful night had the strange delay in my visa not had happened.”

The graduates were then called to receive their Semicha. Before each graduate approached the podium, he was introduced by a grateful study-partner who explained how the student impacted his or her life. Mrs. Marcia Jaffe movingly described how her and her husbands weekly sessions first happened. “It was a snowy night, and we were sure this guy would not want to come to our house in the cold, dark and snow. We then saw his shadow, with this hat and jacket. I turned to my husband and said, ‘Ed, I think they sent the Moshiach to us!'” Another speaker came up with his son to thank the Bochur for impacting not just him but his entire family. a Friendship Circle member. The final speaker related that in the five years of his studying with the Bochrim, they managed to complete the entire Gemara of Sanhedrin!

All the speakers related how it was sad to realize that “their” Bochur was departing, yet happy to know that the Atlanta Semicha Program will continue next fall, with eight special students.

Rabbi Yossi New, director of Chabad of Georgia, thanked all those who had made the Semicha program so successful, and hoped that the Bochrim represent their experience in Georgia by reaching out to ever more people, bringing Moshiach ever closer.