New York – For 30 years, Hank Sheinkopf has been offering his advice to candidates and his analysis of the political landscape to the media. Now, he’s also fielding questions about halacha and offering comfort to the spiritually afflicted – as a newly ordained Orthodox rabbi.
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Rabbi Sheinkopf was granted smicha on July 5 from Rabbi Yitzchak Yehuda Yaroslavsky of Kfar Chabad, the Lubavitch enclave in Israel. Since the rabbi speaks no English, Sheinkopf completed his exam in Hebrew, which he has been studying at home on the Upper West Side.
“I studied very hard,” said the consultant, 61, who is perhaps the most quoted pundit in the city, and has worked on the 2001 mayoral campaign of former Public Advocate Mark Green, the 1998 attorney general bid of Eliot Spitzer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2009 re-election campaign, among many others. “I had to learn four portions of the Shulchan Orach [code of Jewish law].”
Now he can market himself better for Jewish politicians charging them double for spiritual and political advice. Good move
#2 please explain to me what simcha means today? a step up into a better college? or help yiddishkeit teach yidden torah with a “degree” of studying torah. We all know its getting harder and harder for yidden to learn torah, by giving somebody a degree for putting in effort and time into learning torah you knock?
Dayanim today and poskim have a degree with learning torah but stam yidden?
#2 yes you have forgotten a lot you have forgotten about rechilus loshon hara and motzi shem rah which are worse than the three worst aveirahs yehareg val yaavor.
Btw the proper way to look at it is that the Rebbe gave hope and power to those which are not such talmidei chachamim to also get involved in reaching out to our lost fellow jews. They dont need to be so learned to put tfilin on others to teach a possuk chumash etc..
Even many Rabbis with semicha many times send sheeilos to more knowledgeable poskim wether about shabbos taharah medical etc.. So stop smashing and start doing yes maybe some of them are not of standard to be Rabbis but when there is fire u dont wait for trained firemen to come u go and do something
Hank has been losing some good clients and his reputation is going down.He is a bully after working for bill thompson for many years switching to bloomberg for a hefty contact with loads of cash.He also worked for the catholic groups fighting better laws against child abuse as well as representing the skverrer rebbe on his problems
now a rabbi he is a fraud
all yidden should learn,this how we keep ourselves whole,truely connected to the source above
This is great encouragement for everyone out there. It shows that it’s never too late for anyone. I’m certain that Mr. Err. (Newly minted) Rabbi Sheinkoff (At 61 Years.) was familiar with Halachic concepts even before his ordination. He can continue to be a political consultant even after he (Possibly) becomes a pulpit Rabbi. It’s a great honor for Klal Yisrael.
My son also got semicha from Rabbi Yaroslavsky. Rabbi Sheinkopf is in good company! Difference is, my son is 23. But they both had to work hard and even though neither of them will take Shul jobs it’s a respected “degree”. I’m very proud of my son & congratulate Rabbi Sheinkopf on his success.
Interesting. I wonder if he is related to Harav Moshe Sheinkopf a”h a galitzianer goan otzum who spent may years in Springfield, MA.