Joyous dancing at the Dirshu Montreal siyum
Joyous dancing at the Dirshu Montreal siyum
Rav Dovid Hofstedter addressing the Montreal siyum
Rav Dovid Hofstedter addressing the Montreal siyum

By Chaim Gold

History was made in Montreal on Sunday, 26 Cheshvan/November 8 when Kollel Dirshu of Montreal celebrated its second siyum haShas. Kollel Dirshu has been in operation for more than 15 years and its members have completed the entire Shas twice, taking weekly and monthly tests along the way.

In recognition of this great milestone, virtually every member of Montreal’s rabbinate attended the siyum, held at the Bais Yaakov Seminary Hall. The representation of Chassidic, Litvish, and Sephardic rabbanim testified to the deep esteem and reverence that the entire Montreal Torah-observant community has for Dirshu.

Kollel Dirshu of Montreal began 15 years ago as the second Dirshu kollel in North America, joining its counterpart in Toronto as one of the founding Dirshu kollelim. The kollel began learning MasechtaNazir at Kehal Me’or Hagolah and has since been gathering every weeknight, day in, day out, traversing the entire Shas–not once but twice.

Sanctifying The Mundane

A highlight of the siyum was the attendance and powerful derashah given by Dirshu’s nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, who set the tone by encapsulating the unique simcha of the evening. He said, “One of the ultimate purposes of a Jew in this world is to sanctify the mundane. The idea of a nazir is only found by Yidden. A Yid becomes holy by not being subjugated to the physical.”

Rav Dovid continued, “The ZoharHaKadosh explains that the Torah goes into such detail about SarahImeinu, something not done regarding other women, because until Sarah, no other person was able to withstand a nisayon, a spiritual test like she. She was able to remain a tzenuah even in a place of such ill repute like the house of Pharaoh in the immoral land of Mitzrayim. Until then, Adam and Chava did not pass their test. Kayin did not pass his test; even Noach did not pass his test when he left the Teivah and the first thing he did was plant a vineyard to make wine.”

Rav Hofstedter asked rhetorically, “Was Noach’s action so bad? It is not assur to drink wine!” He explained, “The ultimate purpose of a person is to sanctify the mundane. Regarding Noach’s planting a vineyard, the Torah says ‘Vayachel, Noach engaged in the mundane.’ According to his exalted level, he should have planted vines for a holy purpose, to make Kiddush, to bring nesachim, thereby sanctifying the mundane.”

“Similarly, a nazir is called a kadosh, a holy person, because he refrains from wine, from indulgence in worldly pleasures. Simultaneously, Chazal call him a sinner because he caused himself to suffer by refraining from wine. This seems contradictory. The answer is that the pasuk says after he finishes his period of nezirus, ‘And afterwards the nazir drinks wine.’ Does ‘the nazir’ drink wine? He has completed his nezirus. It should say, ‘The man drinks wine.’ The point of the nazir is that once he completes the nezirus he should be able to return to the mundane world and drink wine l’shemShamayim, in a sanctified way. The purpose of nezirus is not just to refrain but to also elevate oneself to be able to engage in the mundane and elevate it to holiness.”

‘Antidote To The Internet’

“SarahImeinu was able to withstand the test of being in ultra-immoral Egypt. Morai v’Rabosai,” Rav Dovid exclaimed emotionally, “If there is any society steeped in immorality, it is the world in which we live today. We are all akin to having seen a sotah in her kilkul and must refrain from wine. What is our version of refraining from wine? Being part of Dirshu! Dirshu takes over your life–day and night, new learning, chazarah, tests . . . it never ends. It is the greatest shemirah. It is not just a seder, it becomes the most important thing in your life.

“After the Internet asifah that was held several years ago to highlight the spiritual dangers of the Internet, several people came over to me and said, ‘The antidote to the Internet is Dirshu.’ Being part of Dirshu learning and reviewing daily, taking weekly and monthly tests is a way to live in Olam HaZeh but at the same time live a life with total focus on Olam HaBa; to sanctify even our engagement in the mundane through constant preoccupation with the holy. That is what Dirshu has done in Montreal–it has transformed you and the entire city with you.”

The participation of so many of Montreal’s prominent rabbanim was a testament to their esteem for Dirshu and its mission. Among those attending were HaRabbanim Yonason Binyomin Weiss, Yochanan Wosner, Shaya Yaakov Portugal, Osher Mintz, Dovid Elias, Asher Greenfeld, Yaakov Elya Unsdorfer, Yosef Unsdorfer, Aharon Hager, Wolf Ber Lerner, Levi Roth, Mordechai Galitzy, Yechiel Meir Katz, Dovid Merling, Shlomo Shmuel Toledano, Yaakov Meir Forkash, Yoel Chonon Wenger, Uri Deitch, Mordechai Dov Beck, Pinchos Vieder, Moshe Werner, and Rav Rosner, shlita.

Language Of The Heart

The event was opened by Rav Isser Fuerst, menahel of the mesivta, who learns with the kollel every night. He called upon Rav Yonason Binyomin Weiss, shlita, Chief Rabbi of Montreal, to deliver divreiberachah.

Special recognition was given to Reb Avrohom Tzvi Moskowitz and his son Reb Shimon for supporting and being moser nefesh for the kollel.

Another powerful address that ignited the crowd was given by Rav Don Krancer, a participant in numerous programs, who addressed the importance of recognizing one’s own Torah accomplishments as a way to spur himself to even greater heights.

Perhaps the words spoken by the kollel’s maggid shiur, Rav Zelig Waldman, encapsulated the uniqueness of the evening and the kollel most succinctly. Rav Waldman, who was honored with making the siyum, related that the two words most associated with the remarkable Dirshuchaburah of Montreal are “achdus” and “consistency.” The phenomenal achdus, brotherly love, between members of the kollel is legendary. And the consistency, the fact that for nearly 16 years, in Montreal’s bitter winter cold and snow and oppressive summer heat, the kollel members, who hail from both the downtown and uptown neighborhoods, come together, in achdus. The varied spoken languages are English, Yiddish, and French, but the language of the heart is the same for all.

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