A historical event at the Chief Rabbinate of Israel – 789 rabbonim and dayanim were ordained in a moving ceremony.

Thousands of rabbonim and their families gathered in the afternoon for a historic and impressive conference held by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel on the occasion of the granting of certificates to 789 rabbonim, city rabbis and dayanim, held for a first time at the Jerusalem Convention Center.

In the light of the welcome growth in the number of examinees and high success rates, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel held its annual certification conference in which 789 rabbis, city rabbis and dayanim were ordained in Jerusalem’s Binyanei Ha’uma, with the participation of thousands of members of excited families.

The Chief Rabbis of Israel, HaRav Dovid Lau and Rishon L’Tzion HaRav Yitzchak Yosef celebrated the festive and impressive ceremony with the rabbonim, along with the members of the Chief Rabbinate Council, as well as the dayanim, members of the Supreme Beis Din, many an Av Beis Din, Director-General of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Rabbi Moshe Dagan and Minister of Religious Services MK (Shas) Rabbi Yitzhak Vaknin.

The ceremony was also attended by city rabbis, dayanim, roshei yeshiva, as well as thousands of excited family members of the rabbonim who received the certificates and was accompanied by a children’s choir that provided exciting musical moments.

At the opening of the ceremony, the host invited the Rishon L’Tzion Rav Yosef to deliver his congratulations to the rabbonim receiving the certificates along with extending best wishes to their families.

Rav Yosef began by saying, “You are the important rabbis, the recipients of certificates, you are the pillars of the next generation. All the rabbonim who were ordained here tonight toiled a great deal in Torah and poskim in order to attain this status, and certainly you deserve it.

“Every talmid chacham who gets a certificate tonight must also know ‘the fifth Tur’. Every talmid chacham needs to understand something when he is asked questions in halacha, to understand what is hidden behind the question.

“In addition, it is very important to know the rules of rendering a correct psak halacha and to follow it, ולאסוקי שמעתא אליבא דהלכתא , to reach the correct halacha, and I give you my bracha that B’ezras Hashem, you will know how to rule the halachas and that there will be no error caused by you.”

Chief Rabbi HaRav Dovid Lau addressed the rabbonim who received the certificates and instructed them: “You are the rabbis who have been authorized to serve in the Rabbinate. When you receive the certificates today, you will be able to hold a certificate that confirms your toil in limud Torah, This is a document you worked hard to achieve.

“The obligation is not to make a mistake in halacha, and that your words are heard fairly and correctly and we remain confident that after toiling in Torah and a certificate like this, it is certain that you your words will be heard. It is also important to emphasize that the more you move up to new heights, the more caution you need. Continue forward in strength and limud!”

The rabbi added warm words to the wives of the rabbis who were present at the ceremony: “Give great strength to the wives, because if they had not been successful and successful, they would have enabled you to work and study quietly and safely.

In his speech, the Chief Rabbinate’s Director-General Rabbi Moshe Dagan praised the rabbonim who received the certificates and their families: “You are the next generation of the rabbinical leadership in Israel. The eyes of the people of Israel in the cities and towns will be borne to you and to the words of your mouth. We know that each and every one of you is the face of the Chief Rabbinate, and therefore, we strive to empower you as leaders and provide you with the necessary tools so that you can provide solutions, advice and direction to your communities.”

During his speech, Rav Dagan presented the activities of the Chief Rabbinate on a variety of subjects, such as kashrus, certifying mohelim and rabbinic ordination, and noted that this year there was a twofold increase in the number of examinees compared to last year.

“in 2017 there were 403 recipients of certificates and this year, the number stands at 789, including 70 certified as dayanim and 168 certified as a rabbi of a city”.

Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Yitzhak Vaknin also welcomed the participants and noted the effort in limud Torah required to achieve what they have accomplished.

The rabbis who received the certificates were composed of 560 recipients of the “Yoreh Yoreh” certificate (a rabbinical ordination degree corresponding to a bachelor’s degree in Israel) who are qualified to serve as neighborhood rabbis; 168 rabbonim who were ordained to serve as city rabbis; and 69 recipients of Yadin Yadin (Dayanus and in Israel, the equivalent of a master’s degree), who are qualified to serve as dayanim.

After this, the participants began dancing, giving kovod to the Torah and in honor of the moving event, receiving the certificates signed by the Chief Rabbis of Israel from the rabbis, together with members of the Chief Rabbinate Council and dayanim serving on the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Beis Din.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: יעקב כהן – אושרת ראובן)