The WebYeshiva Blog

Sep 10, 2017

Nathan Davidovich Receives Semicha from WebYeshiva

Amihai Zippor Leave a Comment

Rabbi Nathan Davidovich is one of WebYeshiva.org's first semicha recipients. Rabbi Davidovich spent most of his life in Denver, Colorado until making Aliyah to Efrat in 1994. A 1963 graduate of the University of Denver College of Law, he has since practiced law as a trial lawyer even commuting from Israel for court hearings, trials and depositions after moving to Israel. In 2013 he was honored by the Colorado Bar Association for 50 years in the practice of law. At the same time, learning Torah has always been an important element in Rabbi Davidovich's life helping him get from one point to the next. "Torah is an owner’s manual to life as a Jew," he explained. "Just as you cannot operate a piece of machinery without understanding the owner’s manual, the same is true in navigating life. The Torah adds richness, fulfillment and purpose to life."

From Denver to Efrat

Growing up in Denver, his Torah study included learning with his father, Rav Chaim Davidovich, Z’L, and Rav Shlomo Twersky, Z”L. Later, he organized and started teaching daf yomi at the Denver Talmudic Research Institute, which was under the leadership of Rav Mordechai Twersky. Since coming to Israel he has studied at the Magen Avraham Kollel in Efrat and Yeshivat Hamivtar. He enjoys learning Chassidut, specifically, the Netivot Shalom and Rebbe Nachman saying for him, "They stress the importance of joy in life and joy in serving our Creator."

Learning Torah Online

In 2013 Rabbi Davidovich joined the Halacha Mastery Program to improve his core knowledge of halacha. Prior to that he describes his study of halacha "haphazard." "Most of my time before that was spent studying Gemara and Chumash with the meforshim, but not specifically concentrating on halacha. The program gave me a way of really being able to delve into halacha by learning about many of the sources in addition to the Shulchan Aruch, and learning how to apply halacha to daily life," he explained. He added, "It was also informative to be able to learn about the varied halachic opinions on a particular subject and how to apply them to unique situations."

Semicha

Aug 12, 2017

Daniel Kaganovich Receives Semicha From WebYeshiva

Amihai Zippor Leave a Comment

Rabbi Dr. Daniel Kaganovich is one of WebYeshiva.org's first semicha recipients. Aside from his four years learning in the Halacha Mastery Program he also has a BA in Biochemistry from Harvard University and a PhD in Cell Biology from Stanford University.

As a cell biology professor whose lab studies the molecular mechanism of cell aging and aging-associated brain diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's Disease, his focus is on trying to understand how cells survive stress and what makes certain cells, like neurons, more vulnerable.

From Academia to Semicha

Working in academia has led Rabbi Kaganovich to believe strongly in the rehabilitation of Judaism, the Torah, and Jewish thought in the eyes of the educated elite. "Even among many strictly observant Jews who are highly educated, one often finds that Torah has been relegated to a domain of the 'spiritual,' and therefore last in line to consult about important matters, after modern science, German philosophy, the political trend of the day, and whatever people who write for the times happen to think," Kaganovich said.

"For myself, the Torah is the essential starting point for reasoning about things that one should and should not do. As such, it is my blueprint for thinking about Zionism, morality, politics, and economics," he said.

Bringing Torah to Life

Aside from halacha, Rabbi Kaganovich finds great meaning in learning the text of the Torah itself.

"I think that there is nothing more valuable than the close reading of biblical passages, with or without additional sources," he said. "In particular, I like looking at the text through the eyes of Rashi, one of the pioneers of reading the text closely, and the Ramban, who despite constantly flirting with dualism and mysticism manages to cultivate an indispensable Jewish sensibility."

Semicha

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