New Crown Heights Kolel Renews An Old Concept

By COLlive reporter

An innovative idea, born during a birthday Farbrengen for local Crown Heights resident Rabbi Shloimy Greenwald, will create the first-ever “Yisachar Zvulun” partnership for local businessmen, whereby each businessman sponsors one Yungerman of the Kolel for a year.

The new “Kolel L’Horaa Maasis – Crown Heights” is named after a Kolel bearing the same name which operated in Crown Heights in the ’70s, directed by the Skulener Rebbe and Rabbi Chaim Krieger, Av Beis Din of Agudas Harabonim, both of blessed memory.

The Kolel aims to teach, educate and train Lubavitcher Yungeleit who seek to dedicate their lives to practical Rabonus, thus the Kolel will not only study the Halacha, but also the practical applications of Halacha.

Each of the students of the Kolel will be sponsored by one of 14 donors from Crown Heights, who have committed to supporting this new institution of learning.

The Kolel staff will be sponsored by Rabbi Greenwald, who serves as the Rov of Beis Gimpel Shul in Crown Heights, where the Kolel will take place.

The Kolel, which will officially launch on Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, is currently accepting applications for 14 members, and will be paying $1,250 per month to official members.

The Rosh Kolel will be Rabbi Sholom Ber Shuchat, Dayan in Beis Din Agudas Harabonim and the Beis Din of Vaad Harabonim of Queens. The Sgan Rosh Kolel will be Rabbi Shraga Homnick, renowned scholar and Magid Shiur in Crown Heights.

The first year (5781) will focus on the topics of Mikvaos and Ribbis, with the curriculum focusing on the Gemara, Tur and Beis Yosef, Shulchan Aruch, and the Tshuvos and Psokim of the Lubavitcher Rebbes and Lubavitcher Rabonim throughout the generations.

In addition to the study of the Halacha, the Mikvah curriculum will also include the practical aspects of building a Mikvah, which each carry serious Halachic implications, from the consistency of the concrete used for the Hamshachos, to the type of pipes used to bring water to the Mikvah, roofing materials and their placement, the type of tiles used inside the Mikvah, and even the material used as a plug to close the rainwater reservoir when not in use.

The Kolel will be located in the Beis Gimpel Shul, 309 New York Avenue, and breakfast will be served every day to the Yungeleit after Shacharis.

In addition to the Yungeleit studying in Kolel, the Kolel will also service the community with the Kolel Yungeleit studying with local residents every Sunday morning, and the Rosh Kolel will deliver a Shiur to sponsors every Motzoei Shabbos (during the winter months) on the topics studied in Kolel that week, following the Kolel curriculum. Thus, the sponsors will not only be partners with a Yungerman studying the topic, but will be able to converse with the Yungeleit on the topics they study.

To sign up for the Kolel, email [email protected] or call (248) 247-4900.
Bale batim who would like to join as donors so that the kolel can expand, please email [email protected] .

The Kolel schedule will be as follows:
Sunday:
8:15am Shacharis
9:15am-10:00am Breakfast & “Morning Kolel” study with local residents.
10:00am-10:30am Morning Kolel Shiur
10:45am-1:30pm – Morning Seder
1:30pm-3:00pm – Lunch break
3:00pm – Mincha
3:15pm-5:00pm – Afternoon Seder

Monday-Thursday:
8:45am – Chasidus
9:45am – Shacharis, followed by breakfast
11:00am-2:00pm – Morning Seder
2:00pm-3:15pm – Lunch break
3:15pm – Mincha
3:30pm-5:30pm – Afternoon Seder