An event honoring Nishmat’s Rabbanit Henkin is set for June 18 in New York City.

Dear Rabbanit Henkin,

מודה אני—On Wednesday, June 18, we will come together as a community to say “thank you” to you, HaRabbanit. In Hebrew, the word lehodot, means both to thank and to admit. Genuinely saying “thank you” requires an acknowledgment of what exactly one is thankful for. As Yehudim, this is one of our defining character traits. It is in this spirit that I wish to take this opportunity to explain exactly what I am saying thank you for.

Rabbanit Henkin, I would like to say thank you on behalf of myself. Thank you for the opportunity to come back into the עולם בית המדרש. An עולם that I fell in love with in Israel and in college, an עולם that I missed and yearned for throughout graduate school and while establishing my family. Thank you for instilling a heightened level of respect for the מסורת of halachic development and appreciation of our hachamim throughout the generations. Thank you for the incredible opportunity ללמוד וללמד לשמור ולעשות ולקיים את כל דברי תלמוד תורה באהבה.

Thank you on behalf of my community. I must admit that, initially, I didn’t realize just how much learning becoming a Yoetzet Halacha would entail. I was already a Rebbetzin and kallah teacher. I was already a resource. How much more did I need? Baruch Hashem, I was accepted into the program and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. It was life-changing, both for myself and particularly for my community. When I thought I was getting too many calls, the number increased exponentially as did the complexity of the questions. On behalf of my community, thank you for the ability to navigate הלכה פסוקה to simply answer more questions. And thank you to my rabbis, the פוסקים of Nishmat, for being there when an answer is beyond פסוקה הלכה, and whose guidance has enabled me to support my community in ways I could not have imagined without them.

Thank you on behalf of Am Yisrael. The recent chagim of Pesach, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut remind me that as we reflect on events that were formative to our establishment as a nation, we are obligated to ensure that we accept responsibility for our people, our country and our G-d. At times, this responsibility throws me into an existential crisis. Other times, my work as a Yoetzet Halacha grounds me in this sense of responsibility with a clear path and focus.

It is well known that the secret to our endurance is the Torah principles upon which our homes are built.

מה טובו אהליך יעקב משכנותיך ישראל

It is no surprise that our homes are called אוהל and משכן. Moshe would meet Hashem’s presence in the אוהל מועד, and the משכן was constructed to ensure that Hashem would dwell among His people. Rabbanit Henkin, it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this incredible sisterhood of Yoatzot Halacha, whose mission is to support each family in their own construction and maintenance of an אוהל and משכן. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of your vision.

In the third chapter of הלכות תלמוד תורה, the Rambam teaches us:

בשלושה כתרים נכתרו ישראל: כתר תורה וכתר כהונה וכתר מלכות…כתר תורה – הרי הוא מונח ועומד ומוכן

לכל… כל מי שירצה יבוא וייטול.

I am endlessly grateful for the Keter Torah that I wear as a Yoetzet Halach.

שנזכה להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה.

With love and admiration, Yoetzet Halacha Yaffa Setton.

For more information about celebrating Rabbanit Chana Henkin on June 18th in NYC please visit afnishmat.org/35years

Yaffa Setton is a Yoetzet Halacha serving the Syrian Jewish communities of Brooklyn, NY and Deal, NJ. Yaffa is also newly certified by Nishmat as a Fertility Counselor. You can find her contact information at yoatzot.org