Yeshiva LeRabbonus Pretoria Ordains New Rabbis

On Sunday morning the Yeshiva LeRabbonus Pretoria in South Africa were blessed once again to confer semicha to the class of 5780/5781.

In terms of the learning, it was a regular year, but in many other ways, it was very different. Due to complications with traveling into South Africa, the bochurim began their year over zoom, began their dormitory living in Namibia and finally made it to yeshiva in Pretoria to begin the year in earnest.

There was open Hashgocha protis which brought the bochrim through flight paths wrapped in serious red tape, and the Rebbe’s brocha to the bochurim was felt, making the bochurim more determined to learn Torah and work for semicha.

More remarkable was the way the bochurim who finished their pre semicha year over zoom were able to return to complete the semicha year.

At the graduation ceremony, Dayan Rabbi Gidon Fox, the menahel of the yeshiva, exhorted the bochurim to dig deeper into themselves than in the past years, and to realize that shlichus is built on bringing out the best in others, even if it means suffering discomfort to do so.

The timing of the academic year was during a time when South Africa was under strain, making interaction with the wider community difficult, which is itself a tutorial in shlichus!

Rabbi Chaim Finkelstein, the rosh yeshiva, cited various sources that the Torah learned with deep devotion at a time of harshness within the universe, is the ultimate connection to the Aibeshter and the ultimate refinement of the nefesh habehamis.

“May the talmidim hamusmachim continue to grow and give of themselves in their various paths,” Rabbi Finkelstein said.

Bochurim who received Semicha are: Menachem Mendel Ash, Yosef Yitzchok Sher, Dovid Arye Yarmush, Menachem Mendel Weiss, Shneur Zalman Marcus, Menachem Mendel Azoulay, Levi Yitzchok Salek, Levi Yitzchok Lebovic, Menachem Mendel Eliyahu Allouche, Eliezer Arye Brikman and Menachem Mendel Swerdlow .

In the photo:
Front row from left to right:
Menachem Mendel Ash, Dayan Rabbi Gidon Fox (menahel), Rabbi Chaim Finkelstein (Rosh Yeshiva and Rav Hamasmich), Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Kesselman (mashpia), Yosef Yitzchok Sher
Back row from left to right: Dovid Arye Yarmush, Menachem Mendel Weiss, Shneur Zalman Marcus, Menachem Mendel Azoulay, Levi Yitzchok Salek, Levi Yitzchok Lebovic, Menachem Mendel Eliyahu Allouche.
Not pictured: Eliezer Arye Brikman and Menachem Mendel Swerdlow.