In November, Rabbis from Jewish communities in France and around Europe participated in a course for laws of the Jewish home that took place Paris. The course was held at the initiative of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe and was given by Rabbi Gideon ben Moshe, Rosh Kollel of Beit Hora’ah and head of the Rabbinical court for monetary matters in Jerusalem; Rabbi Yitzchak Guggenheim, Chief Rabbi of Paris and member of Rabbinical Council of Europe; Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Kahn, member of the Lubavitch Rabbinical Court in Paris, and member of the Rabbinical Council of Europe; Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Raskin, Dayan and Posek for the Lubavitch Community and Kedassia- London, and a member of the Presidium of the Rabbinic Council of Europe; Rabbi Shlomo Tobaly, Rosh Kollel  Beit Hananiah in Paris , Dayan and a member of the Rabbinic Council of Europe; and Dr. Claude Shealy.

Rabbi Gideon Ben Moshe began the course by delivering a fascinating halachic lecture in which he presented questions about the Jewish home that he had received, and then discussed the answers with the rabbis. Rabbi Levy Yitzhak Kahn and Dr. Claude Shealy held a question-and-answer session regarding complex practical halachic questions relating to the subject.

The representative of the RCE in Paris, Rabbi Shmuel Houri, who directed the seminar, said that “For some time already, the rabbis in France have been asking for practical halacha lessons Rabbi Gideon Ben Moshe, who has extensive knowledge and is considered an expert on the subject of the Jewish home. With the help of the RCE we were able to organize a course that was attended by more than 80 rabbis.

“There were many practical details involved in this course. It was impressive to see how the rabbis divided the topics in a clever way, which made it easier for them to deal with the subjects that were raised by the rabbis and the professionals who spoke over the three-day event. At the conclusion of the intensive course, many rabbis requested that the RCE hold similar events addressing subjects such as chuppah and kiddushin, among others.”

One of the presenters was Rabbi Yitzchak Guggenheim, Chief Rabbi of Paris, and member of the Rabbinical Council of Europe. His words sparked a long discussion. Even when he finished his lecture and left the stage, members of the audience crowded around him to clarify a series of topics with him.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Kahn of Paris spoke about several practical issues, which kept the audience very engaged. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Raskin of London spoke about his experiences and generated a lot of feedback. Rabbi Shlomo Tobaly of Paris gave numerous delivered numerous shiurim on complex issues relating to the laws of the Jewish home

Chairman of the RCE Rabbi Menachem Margolin noted at the conclusion of the course that it took place at the same time as a variety of RCE activities in different cities and countries.

The CEO of the RCE, Rabbi Arie Goldberg, stated that the course is part of the RCE’s extensive activities at the request of European rabbis and is intended for community rabbis.

The participants thanked the VP of the RCE, Rabbi Yosef Bainhaker, and RCE secretary of the rabbinical council, Rabbi Avraham Aba Torezki, who invested a lot of effort to ensure the success of the course.