Posted on 08/04/18
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 4, 2018 - The Baltimore Community Kollel is pleased to announce that Rabbi Eliezer Lachman, formerly Rosh Kollel in Olney, Maryland, has assumed the position of S’gan Rosh Kollel.
The Baltimore Community Kollel was established approximately fifteen years ago, by Rabbi Mordechai Bamberger, together with Harav Nesanel Kostelitz, Rav of Khal Machzikei Torah, as a place where diverse community members, including young teenagers who were having difficulty in school, could find a warm and accepting environment, wherein all can learn. Since its inception, the kollel has developed as a community mosad where many people in various stages of life can come to daven, learn with a chavrusa or in a shiur, and feel noticed and appreciated. Harav Kostelitz serves as the Rosh Kollel, and is available throughout the day to answer shailos and learn with baalei batim.
The kollel is bustling from early in the morning until the late evening hours. There are daily minyanim, multiple shiurim throughout the day, and cake, coffee and tea are always available. Yungeleit learn two sedarim a day among themselves, and in the evenings, learn with youth and baalei batim. Many elementary school children come to the kollel in the evenings, where they learn with chavrusos and receive help with their homework, free of charge.
The kollel building has also hosted various other small yeshivos and learning programs over the years; currently, there are two yeshivos who use space in the building on Labyrinth Road.
With the appointment of Rabbi Lachman as S’gan Rosh Kollel for the upcoming Elul zman, the kollel hopes to upgrade and expand its programming, both within the kollel building, and throughout the community.
In the kollel, Rabbi Lachman will be guiding the learning of the yungeleit during first and second seder. During night seder, he will lead a chaburah of baalei batim. On Shabbos, Rabbi Lachman will join Rabbi Moshe Schuchman in directing the minyanim held at the kollel. Rabbi Lachman is recognized as a respected talmid chochom and will also be assisting Rav Kostelitz in answering shailos.
As Rabbi Lachman will be guiding the learning of the yungeleit, the previous roshei chaburah will be assuming other responsibilities. Rabbi Rafael Cohen, who has been serving as Rosh Chaburah during morning seder, will now lead a chaburah of baalei batim in the morning. Rabbi Yehuda Brody, who has been serving as Rosh Chaburah in the afternoon, will now lead a chaburah of baalei batim in the afternoon.
For the broader community, the kollel anticipates that the yungeleit will begin offering shiurim in other community mosdos.
Rabbi Lachman, an alumnus of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel and a talmid muvhak of its Rosh Yeshiva, Harav Yaakov Weinberg zt”l, served as Rosh Kollel in Olney, Maryland for ten years. Rabbi Lachman has immersed himself in Rav Weinberg zt”l’s teachings, and from them he has compiled and edited the sefer Meoros HaRambam on the Rambam’s introduction to Yad Hachazakah, with Rabbi Lachman’s own additions included in the sefer as footnotes. He has also been working on producing similar volumes of Meoros HaRambam on other sections of Yad Hachazaka, and is about to complete its commentary on HIlchos Talmud Torah.
Rabbi Lachman shared his vision for the Baltimore Community Kollel. “I hope that the kollel will be further developed and enhanced as a makom Torah where people develop an understanding that the Torah is something real and alive, something that helps them grow. By its very nature, Torah develops a person, and changes the way they view themselves, the world around them, and their relationship with Hashem. In this manner, we hope to have a greater impact on the Baltimore community. When the learning of the yungeleit is upgraded, the effect will radiate outward, and the learning of the baalei batim and youth that come to learn in the kollel will be upgraded as well. They will see the excitement and growth of the yungeleit and will come to a deeper understanding of the centrality of Torah, and in turn, will become greater people themselves and come closer to Hashem.“