Beyond Borrowing: How Thirty Boro Park Yungeleit Mastered Ribbis

It is an area of halacha that affects most of us on a daily basis; dealing with monetary matters in accordance with halacha. At the same time, these issues are some of the most complex, especially for the average person. 

And while local Rabbonim do incredible work in ruling on a variety of areas in halacha —guiding the masses in navigating everyday life in keeping with the Torah’s commands—when it comes to certain areas, it requires a great deal of expertise. And then comes along a leader who seeks to address a burning need, a gap in the system—and puts into place a remedy that will educate the public on the gamut of issues that arise on a daily basis, and trains Rabbonim on a) ruling on these matters, and b) more importantly, finding solutions to the dilemmas. 

Which brings us to this past Sunday evening in Boro Park—and the incredible Kiddush Hashem that transpired there. 

Rav Pinchos Vind of Yerushalayim, one of the greatest Talmidei Chachomim in the Belzer chassidus, a longtime marbitz Torah within the chassidus, and the founder of a Beis Din for Hilchos Ribbis, has been sounding the alarm about the need for education in these matters. 

With the help of askonim in America, a framework was established wherein yungeleit, talmidei chachomim who wish to study these halachos in-depth, and with the practical applications can hear shiurim from Rav Vind. A part of the training involves the following: the participants must call into a phone system to hear real-life questions that were posed to the Beis din. They must then write a mini-responsa, answering whether that transaction is permitted or not—but, more importantly, ‘why.’ Furthermore—and this is key—they must come up with a halachically-permissible solution to the person’s dilemma, drawn from the knowledge they have acquired. 

Following close to two years of intensive learning and testing, the course was completed. 

This past Sunday evening, at the Zemer Hall in Boro Park, the forty graduates of the program—thirty of them from Boro Park—gathered to receive their certificates from Rav Vind, and to hear from Rabbonim and Admorim of Boro Park who lauded and inspired them. 

Among them were the Skulener Rebbe, the Skverer Dayan, Rav Binyomin Kohn, Rav Gavriel Zinner, Rosh Kollel of Chaim Berlin, Rav Chaim Kohn of the Flatbush Beis Din, Rav Dovid Gorssman of Beis Havaad in Lakewood, Rav Yitzchok Stein, and the Mattesdorfer Rov.  

In his address Rav Vind reiterated his call for education of the public. He asked that each of them go out to yeshivos, schools, shuls, and anywhere else that they can reach their fellow Yidden to educate them on these important matters. 

A hotline for Ribbis questions that is free and open to the public has been launched. Callers may dial 845-493-8604, and by email ribbishotline@gmail.com to have their Ribbis questions answered, and solutions offered, so that we may restore this important area of Torah—Beyond Borrowing. 

Beyond the borrowing goes behind the sites, sounds, and personalities of our Boro park shtetl, a special project of BoroPark24.com. Comments and suggestions may be emailed to features@boropark24.com