Expanded Halacha Series Has People Staying Up Past Midnight

In a conversation with Anash.org, Harav Levi Yitzchok Raskin, rov of Anash in London, shares what prompted him to expand his weekly halacha shiur, why he’s keeping it online post-covid, and why some people stay up past midnight to participate.

By Anash.org writer

The weekly halacha series “Panorama of Halacha” by Harav Levi Yitzchok Raskin, rov of Anash in London, is now in its second year and has grown a significant following. The shiur is popular for its practical, yet in-depth, style where shailos are answered together through sources presented on the screen.

Now, the English shiur has expanded with a parallel shiur in Hebrew. In a conversation with Anash.org, Harav Raskin shared how it came about:

“In the excitement leading up to Yud Alef Nisan of the 120th year of the Rebbe, and the drive to establish 1,210 new institutions, I saw my family members establishing new ventures, and I thought to myself: ‘What can I establish as a new institution, which isn’t yet operational?’

“It then occurred to me that BH I have the weekly Panorama shiur, and it has been a success well beyond my expectations. But I have many regular contacts – in France and elsewhere around Europe – who don’t speak English but would benefit from a similar Halacha forum. So, after consulting with a close friend who has his ear to the ground, and after asking for suggestions for a suitable timeslot, the Hebrew forum named Meishiv keHalocho was launched, to share current Halachic queries that had come my way, and how I had answered them.”

For practical reasons, the Hebrew format is kept short, between 20 and 30 minutes. The list of questions is emailed to an email list of Hebrew speakers, and they are invited to share that invitation with others who may find it of interest.    

“Although the Panorama was born due to the Covid lockdowns,” Harav Raskin shares, “I see it as a more effective medium even than a traditional Shiur, since it allows me to easily present the texts from where each conclusion has been drawn.”

This new Hebrew shiur is held on Wednesday evenings, 7:30 in UK; 8:30 in Europe; 9:30 in Eretz Yisroel; 2:30 Eastern Time. The participants range from those living in Eretz Yisroel to France, Austria, the Baltic states, and even to Asia where it is after midnight!

The recording is available the next day on YouTube, Spotify and other platforms, for people to listen at their own leisure.