This coming weekend, the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary will be hosting their Chag Hasemikhah, celebrating the ordination of three years’ worth of Rabbinic alumni. In the past, the Chag Hasmichah was held once every four years, but recently, they switched to a triennial event. This year, some 150 musmakhim will be recognized, serving in a diverse array of communities and coming from a wide range of backgrounds and geographic locations. I am eternally grateful for the education and professional training I received at RIETS and the continuing support they offer their alumni and other Rabbis around the world.
In this Chag Hasemikhah cohort, 23 musmakhim are in the pulpit, 35 in education, 10 in non profit, 22 in Kollel and 50 in the workforce or school. Of those in Rabbinic positions, 35% are in New York, 25% in Israel and 40% in communities in the US and Canada outside New York.
Before the last Chag Hasemikhah, I spoke about the need for our community to cultivate more professionals who enter into Avodat HaKodesh, particularly serving communities like our own. The last Dallasites to earn Semikhah have been from the Chabad and Chofetz Chaim communities; the last musmakh of RIETS from Shaare was Rabbi Josh Abramson, and before him Rabbi Akiva Wolk. Cultivating Jewish communal professionals does not just mean encouraging young people with talent to enter into professional Jewish communal life, or, at minimum, not discouraging them from doing so. It means creating an environment in which those who work for the Jewish community feel professionally supported, and that those whom they serve wish for them to succeed and position them to do so. This is especially important in the post COVID era, where the job of running an institution, be it a school, shul or other non-profit organization, has become that much more difficult. May we rise to the challenge!
Rabbi’s Recommendations
1. Some of the legendary speeches of Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm’s career were delivered at the Chag Hasemikhah. Listen toand view some of them here.
2. This weekend is also the Kinus Hashluchim, the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries, held in person after a one year hiatus (it was virtual last year). Check out this article about the spate of real estate acquisitions Chabad institutions have made in the past year.
Shabbat Shalom!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
