Rav Moshe Weinberger, keynote speaker at the Brooklyn Siyum
Rav Moshe Weinberger, keynote speaker at the Brooklyn Siyum
Rav Moshe Weinberger, keynote speaker at the Brooklyn Siyum
“I look around and see Shas in front of me,” Rav Zev Smith exclaimed.
“I look around and see Shas in front of me,” Rav Zev Smith exclaimed.

By Chaim Gold

A massive crowd joined the Skulener Rebbe, shlita, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, shlita, and other prominent admorim and rabbanim to celebrate the Dirshu siyum on Seder Nashim in the daf yomi cycle at the Ateres Chynka Hall in Brooklyn.

The highlight of the event was the hadran delivered by the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, followed by Kaddish recited by the Skulener Rebbe. When the Skulener Rebbe–who rarely leaves his home and beis midrash–slowly entered the hall, there was a palpable hush. The Rebbe’s presence infused the hundreds of Dirshu lomdim and test-takers with profound chizuk at the realization of how much the senior gedolim of our generation value their accomplishments and what their efforts and those of their wives are doing for the entire Klal Yisrael.

The joyous dancing was made even more inspiring by the shining countenance of the Skulener Rebbe, who, despite his age and infirmity, enthusiastically danced accompanied by the seemingly endless rows of people dancing and clapping their hands. The simchas haTorah of the mesaymim filled the air.

In his hadran derashah, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe said that he was profoundly moved that in “Galus America” we have merited to have so many Yidden learning and constantly reviewing to the extent that they can be tested on masechta after masechta. He explained how his illustrious father, the previous Klausenberger Rebbe, zt’l, would say that it is a far greater accomplishment for a person living in America to be tested on masechtos than a person living in Eretz Yisrael, where the society is more Torah-oriented.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, rav of Agudas Yisrael of Flatbush and rosh mesivta at Mesivta Shalom Shachne, eloquently explained how when a person pressures himself to excel in yedias haTorah, he can achieve greatness: “We live in the microwave generation. People think they can become microwave talmidei chachamim overnight without investment of time and effort. They want to be fed the entire Torah in 20 minutes or less! I feel small in front of the talmidei chachamim in this room who have invested so much toil and effort into their learning.”

Rav Dovid Olewski, the Gerer Rosh Yeshiva, explained, “Dirshu has created a new entity called a Dirshu home. A ‘Dirshu home’ is one in which Torah, and particularly the Torah growth of the husband and father, is paramount. When there is a family simcha or other obligation, the daily learning and chazarah come first. This creates a new entity called a Dirshu woman, who sacrifices her husband’s assistance with the children and other comforts because the ol Torah, the yoke of Torah, is paramount. This in turn creates a Dirshu child, a child who learns from the youngest age that Torah comes before everything!”

Rav Dovid Hofstedter, nasi of Dirshu, stated, “To achieve a true kinyan in Torah it is not sufficient to go through the daf just to say ‘I have another Masechta under my belt.’ In order to have a true kinyan in Torah, a person must toil and work hard. This is what Dirshu Kinyan Torah learners have achieved. The only way we can fight against today’s considerable yetzer ha’ra is through true yegia in Torah.”

Rav Shlomo Cynamon, rav of Kehal Bnei Torah, Rosh Kollel Dirshu Flatbush, was honored with beginning Masechta Bava Kama.

In an inspirational speech, the chairman for the siyum, Rav Leibish Langer, rosh mesivta at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, related the teaching that when a person makes a simcha his parents come from the next world to participate in it. “I am sure that at this siyum, a true simcha shel mitzvah, both my mother and the mother of Rav Hofstedter are present,” he said. He explained that the two women were cousins who suffered through the horrors of Auschwitz together. At the very end of the war, during the death march when they were informed that they were headed straight to the gas chambers, Rav Langer’s mother pulled Rav Hofstedter’s mother out of the line. Together, they ran to the forest, and they were liberated by the Americans two days later.

Rav Hofstedter, in his remarks, continued the story by saying that the girls were only able to remain alive due to his mother’s mesirus nefesh not to eat chametz on Pesach: “She was forced to hide her Pesach rations. It was that bread that kept the girls alive on the death march as they awaited their liberation.”

“Thus,” Rav Hofstedter exclaimed, “we are only here tonight at this siyum in the z’chus of the mesirus nefesh of these two women.”

Monsey Siyum

On Monday evening, Rosh Chodesh Sivan, hundreds of lomdei Dirshu from Monsey and Shikun Skver gathered for a beautiful siyum and seudas mitzvah. Derashos were given by Rav Avrohom Schorr, rav of Kehal Tiferes Yaakov of Flatbush; Rav Zev Smith, maggid shiur Irgun Shiurei Torah; and Rav Dovid Hofstedter.

There were also hundreds of Dirshu wives in attendance, and in his passionate address, Rav Schorr addressed the impact Dirshu has on the entire family. “How do kids in today’s world know what is really important and what isn’t?” he asked. “The school may be able to impart book knowledge, but seeing how their parents conduct themselves is the ultimate teacher. When a child sees that the entire home is focused around the husband’s and father’s learning seder, chazarah, and preparation for tests, the entire home becomes a manifestation of Torah. This ability to seek out Torah and to love Torah is transmitted to the children.”

Another powerful address that riveted the hundreds of attendees was given by Rav Zev Smith. He recalled Rav Pam speaking at an emotional ma’amad and saying [of himself], “A small person with a small heart, but so many feelings.”

“I wonder,” Rav Smith thundered, “what he would say tonight. I look around and see Shas in front of me. I see tens of thousands of hours of limud haTorah, of yegia in Torah. So many feelings!”

An overwhelming feeling at the siyumim in Brooklyn and Monsey surely must have been one that echoes the mishnah in Avos, a feeling of “Ashreinu, how fortunate are we, for we are fortunate in this world and it is good for us in the next world too!” v

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