6 Ordained at Online Smicha

By COLlive reporter

6 students can now call themselves rabbi following a rigorous two years of studies at Online Smicha, a Chabad-Lubavitch institute that melds the ancient process of comprehensive Torah study for rabbinic ordination with the perks of virtual communication.

At a special ordination ceremony held in St. Paul, Minnesota, the institute’s Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Nachman Wilhelm handed them their certificate and wishes them much success in their activities.

Receiving the smicha were Rabbis Gill Heart – Morristown, NJ; Avrohom Slansky – New York; Moshe Weissberg – Panama; and Yosef Raskin – Florida.

“You have a special merit for pursuing these studies while continuing to lead your daily busy lives,” Rabbi Wilhelm told them at the event attended by members of the ordained families and the local Chabad community.

“You all found or made time to learn Torah, become knowledgeable in halachic areas that pertain to everyone’s life and with Hashem’s help, you have succeed immensely,” he added.

Over the two years, the students were thought by some of the respected halachic experts today. Among them Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky of Crown Heights and Rabbi Faitel Levine of Melbourne, Australia.

They were tested by Rabbi Dovid Schochet, President of the Toronto Rabbinical Council; Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, President of the Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia; Rabbi Levi Raskin, a dayan in London, England.

Two other students were not able to make it to the ceremony due to family commitments (one just had a baby boy), so Rabbi Wilhelm traveled to them in California.

They are Rabbis Michael Mordechai Cohen and Herschel Gilbert Mcnabb.