By COLlive reporter
Photos: Menush Amit/COLlive
A festive Gala Banquet took place in Crown Heights Tuesday, celebrating the completion of the inaugural year and the commencement of the second year for the Kolel L’Horaa Maasis, the premier educational institution for young Rabbis in Crown Heights.
The gala event was held at the Jewish Children’s Museum and featured live music accompanied by singer Eli Marcus. The evening was dedicated to the Kollel’s both new and returning students, as well as the many generous supporters of the Kolel.
Guests enjoyed a gourmet dinner and toasted L’chaim to the graduates of the inaugural class of the Kolel founded by Rabbi Shlomo Greenwald and supported by businessmen who partner in the groundbreaking endeavor.
This Kolel, the first of its kind in the Chabad world, is led by Rabbi Sholom Shuchat – Rosh Kollel and Rabbi Shraga Homnick – Sgan Rosh Kollel, and is training over 40 young Rabbis in the practical applications of Jewish Law and prepares them to serve as leading Halachic authorities worldwide.
Businessman Dudi Farkash of Chabad of Olympia in Monsey, NY, served as the Master of Ceremonies.
“The Kolel fuels the future Rabonim and Manhigim with the highest grade of fuel possible, creating future manhigim in Lubavitch,” Farkash said.
Renowned author and lecturer Rabbi Simon Jacobson, Mashpia of the Kolel, said that when approached by Rabbi Greenwald to join the Kolel staff, he asked why is another Kolel needed, to which Rabbi Greenwald replied, “to create leaders.”
“This is why I felt the Kolel is something worth investing in,” Rabbi Jacobson said. “We are now 27 years from gimmel Tammuz, and the Rebbe trained us not to be followers, not to be conformists, but to ‘take the bull by the horns,'” he said. “There are many challenges today, and people say, where do we get direction from? The Rebbe told us we have everything we need – the tools, the resources, the information – Torah and Chassidus. The challenge is to take the resources and turn them into instruments of change,” he said.
The point is “to create a Kolel which will be focused not only on just Torah – nigleh and pnimius – but above all, the students are trained to be Shluchim, Mechanchim aand Rabbonim…they should be influencers, not bystanders. They should be a shining light, and dugmah chaya,” he said.
Also addressing the event were Rabbi Shuchat and Rabbi Homnick, as well as Rabbi Chaim Schapiro, Rosh Yeshiva in Morristown, NJ and noted philanthropist R’ Chezky Kauftheil.
A special address was delivered by Rabbi Leibel Shuchat, Shliach and Rosh Yeshiva of Caracas, Venezuela, the father of the Rosh Kolel, who spoke about the importance of spreading and publicizing every Shiur and every activity to encourage Torah study and to counteract whatever else is shown publicly which is not Torah.
Rabbi Greenwald, founder of the Kolel, thanked the Rabbonim who devote many hours a day and those who provide financial support to make the Kolel a reality.
Rabbi Greenwald presented certificates of thanks to the Kolel Yungeleit who excelled in Torah study and those who excelled in Shmiras Hasdorim, and to Rabbis Shuchat, Homnick, Jacobson and Eli Labkowski who serves as the Meishiv for Chassidus.
A beautiful moment happened when a birthday cake showed up on the head table celebrating the shared birthday of Rabbi Greenwald and Rabbi Homnick on the 26th of Elul.
Each participant received a beautiful Machzor as a souvenir from the event.
VIDEO: Full event replay
Wow
Making Kolel great again!