At age 25, he received semikhah from Moshe Feinstein and was ordained a rabbi (as his three brothers, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had been), in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
В возрасте 25 лет Яков получил (рукоположение) от галахического авторитета Моше Файнштейна в раввины, так же, как и три старших брата, отец, дедушка, прадедушка и прапрадедушка.