Training Leaders
New 4-Year Semicha Program at Kollel Tirtza Devorah is Developing the Next Generation of Rabbanim and Poskim
While a typical day in the life of a rav in a shtetl might involve a shochet bringing in a lung and asking the rabbi to pasken if the animal is permissible , this scenario would seldom , if ever , present itself to a contemporary rav . More often , he may be asked a shailah in Hilchos Yichud concerning a babysitter , or in Hilchos Ma ’ achalei Akum concerning the cleaning help or about what occurred in someone ’ s home kitchen or in a food establishment .
When Rabbi Levi Simsovits and Rabbi Avi Lauterbach , two of the esteemed members of the twentynine-strong Kollel Tirtza Devorah , broached the subject of establishing a chaburah to study halachah l ’ maaseh with the Rosh HaYeshiva , Rav Yaakov Bender , he was enthusiastic about the idea and encouraged them , albeit with one caveat : The chaburah should concentrate on mastering the subjects which a contemporary rav needs to be knowledgeable about .
“ We started small , but over the last 16 months , we have built a group of 12 chashuveh talmidei chachamim who are focused on learning the sugyos from the ground up ,” Rabbi Simsovits relates . “ Before we begin learning the sifrei halachah , we go through the sugyos with the Gemara , Rashi and Tosafos , and the Rif , Rosh and the Ran , in order to understand the shitos of the Rishonim with clarity . After we have achieved that , we are first ready to learn the Tur , Bais Yosef , and of course the Shulchan Aruch with all the nosei keilim .”
On Friday , they spend upwards of an hour listening to a chaburah in which the main points are reviewed , and practical shailos are discussed in depth . Periodic written bechinos are administered , and the yungeleit have visited prestigious rabbanim for oral bechinos and to receive shimush , practical guidance and direc-
24 BEDARCHEI HATORAH WINTER 5784 / 2024