BROOKLYN, NY — If he is not affixing a mezuzah to a doorpost, lighting a mega-menorah, or frantically picking up last-minute groceries for a large Shabbat dinner, a typical shliach can often be found teaching a class or comforting the bereaved.
But for one hour each Thursday night, his time is his own.
Hitting the Books: Shluchim Take Their Study to the Web
BROOKLYN, NY — If he is not affixing a mezuzah to a doorpost, lighting a mega-menorah, or frantically picking up last-minute groceries for a large Shabbat dinner, a typical shliach can often be found teaching a class or comforting the bereaved.
But for one hour each Thursday night, his time is his own.
“It is blocked off on my calendar each week. My family knows that unless something major comes up, I am listening to my shiur (Torah class) on the phone,” states Rabbi Yosef Biston of Parkland, Florida. “It is my one chance to study with contemporaries at my level. And it’s a wonderful thing.”
Whether by phone or live internet feed, Chabad representatives around the globe tune into Shluchim Beis Medrash each week. The impetus, explains organizer Rabbi Sholom Zirkind, came from shluchim looking for regular study opportunities in Chasidic philosophy and Jewish law. The weekly classes, airing on Tuesday nights for women and Thursday evenings for men, speak to a wide variety of subjects as requested by participants.
The initiative is a project of Lubavitch headquarters’ division for shluchim services, run by Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky and sponsored by the George Rohr family. A designated committee, consisting of Rabbi Efraim Mintz (director of the Jewish Learning Institute, JLI), Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, and Rabbi Simcha Backman, finalize topics and find appropriate speakers. A complementary program, for non-English speaking participants, is based in Israel.
On its first anniversary the live classes boast of 500 regular participants and hundreds more who access the archived versions.
“I enjoy the classes that address contemporary issues,” says Pearl Krasnjansky who tunes in from Honolulu. “Following the tragedy in Mumbai and during the recent situation in Israel, study sessions helped us deal with our own emotions and helped us formulate responses for our communities.”
