Rabbi Meyer Yedid

On Shushan Purim, 5782 (March 19, 2022), the Jewish world lost the man known as the “Sar HaTorah” (“Master of the Torah”), Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, recognized by the Torah world as the generation’s leading rabbinic sage, revered for his unparalleled mastery of the entire corpus of Torah literature, and for his love and commitment to every Jew. The following is an adaptation of the eulogy delivered by Rav Mayer Yedid in Congregation Shaare Zion.

What could we possibly learn from an angel?

When we think of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, we immediately feel completely disconnected. He was an angel of a human being. He seems so far beyond anything we could relate to. What can we, ordinary people, learn from him?

But if we take a closer look, we will see that Rav Chaim was much closer to us than we think.

Normally, when a great Torah figure passes away, messages and notices are posted announcing the loss of the rabbi, who was “Rosh Yeshivat Such-and-Such Yeshiva,” or “Rabbi of Such-and-Such Congregation.” Rav Chaim was neither a Rosh Yeshiva nor a congregational rabbi. He wasn’t a Rosh Kollel. He had no formal title, no formal position.

He was just like most of us.

The vast majority of us are not Rosheh Yeshiva, Rosheh Kollel, or rabbis of synagogues. We are just private people going about our lives. Rav Chaim was the same way. He was not formally the head of any institution. He was a private person. And this makes him very close to us.

“What are You?”

The Brisker Rav (Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, 1886-1959) once greeted a visitor who came to his home, and asked him, “What are you?”

“I’m a businessman,” the fellow replied.

Shaking his head, the Brisker Rav said, “No, no, what are you?”

The guest repeated, “I’m a businessman.”

Once again, the Brisker Rav said, “No, what are you?”

Figuring that the rabbi was hard of hearing, the visitor shouted, “I’m a businessman!”

“Stop shouting – I heard you the first time!” the rabbi said.

He proceeded to explain that a Jew is not defined by his professional title, by what he does for a living. This is a mistake people make. A person is not a doctor. Or a lawyer. Or a businessman. Or a housewife. Or a teacher. Or a rabbi. These titles describe what a person does for a good part of the day, but not what he is.

The correct answer to the question of “Who are you?” or “What do you do?” is taught to us by the prophet Yonah (1:8-9). The sailors on the ship turned to him and asked, “Mah melachtecha – What is your work?” and he replied, “Ivri anochi, ve’et Hashem Elokeh hashamayim ani yareh – I am a Jew, and I fear Hashem, Gd of the heavens.”

Here in the United States, the question “What do you do?” means “How do you make money?” But if a Jew is asked “What do you do?” the only answer is “Ivri anochi – I am a Jew.”

This was Rav Chaim. He was not a Rosh Yeshiva. He was not a Rosh Kollel. He was a Jew, and as a Jew, the only thing on his mind at any moment was, “What does Hashem want from me now?”

This is one thing we can learn from Rav Chaim – to remember who we are, and the purpose for which we are here in this world. We are here to serve Hashem. Let’s not let our titles, our job, our official positions, distract us from this definition of our essence: “Ivri anochi!”

Finish the Job!

It is well known that Rav Chaim finished the entire Torah – all the classic Torah texts, including the Tanach, Midrashim, both Talmuds, Rambam and Shulhan Aruch – each and every year. Very few people, even scholars, complete this in a lifetime. Rav Chaim completed it every year.

It might not be realistic for us to strive to complete the entire Torah. But there is one thing we can take from this: to finish what we start.

If you started a masechet, finish it. If you started a project, finish it. If you started helping somebody, follow up until the end.

If we come away from Rav Chaim’s passing saying to ourselves, “Well, I’m never going to learn the entire Torah anyway,” then we are completely missing the point. The point is not that we have to complete the entire Torah. The point is that we have to finish what we start. Don’t let that masechet go. Don’t let that seder (regular learning session) slide. Don’t let that person be forgotten. You don’t need to be a Rav Chaim Kanievsky to do that. Start what you finish.

We cannot even imagine how difficult it must have been for Rav Chaim to complete this project each year. We must assume that countless things came up over the years, numerous different challenges, each of which might have been enough for him to start thinking, “Ok, not this year… It’s too hard… It’s not possible…” But his commitment was unshakeable. He

made no excuses for not finishing. He ensured to complete the job, year in, and year out. This is certainly something that we can learn.

A Different Kind of Wealth

Rav Chaim’s apartment in Bnei-Brak was famous for being, we might say, “disappointing,” considering he was the gadol hador (greatest sage of the generation). I had the privilege of being there numerous times. The walls were not painted. The furniture was older than him, and he likely purchased it second-hand. There was a hardly a kitchen.

Hundreds of people visited his home each day. We cannot imagine how many wealthy millionaires visited him. Without doubt, he received many offers of money for an “upgrade,” for some renovation, for a more comfortable chair, a sturdier table, or an expansion. But he never wanted it. And the reason why he never wanted it is because he wanted to teach us that true simha does not come from a large home or fancy furniture. He wanted us to know that no matter what your house looks like, you can be happy, fulfilled and content.

Rav Chaim served as a sandak – holding the infant during a berit – every day. Many parents brought their child to be held by Rav Chaim during the berit. The rabbis teach that serving as sandak is a segulah for becoming wealthy. And so somebody once approached Rav Chaim and asked why, after serving as a sandak so many times, he was not wealthy.

He answered that having a lot of money is only one kind of wealth. Citing his father, the famous Steipler Gaon (Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, 1899-1985), he explained that Torah knowledge is wealth. The ability to learn, to amass scholarship and wisdom, to teach and to write – this is wealth.

“And if you ask me,” Rav Chaim added, “wealth comes from my family, from my children and grandchildren.”

No, money is not bad, and those with nice, large homes should not feel bad. There’s nothing wrong with having a nice kitchen, but life isn’t about that. We need to stop worrying about, and paying an inordinate amount of attention to, the things which don’t really matter. What matters most is Torah, our families, our children, our grandchildren, education, and Am Yisrael. This is what Rav Chaim taught us. Happiness comes from Torah and from family – not from the size of our homes or the quality of our furniture.

It’s Not About You

Thousands upon thousands of people flocked to Rav Chaim to ask him questions or receive his blessing. Many people would come up with a question that wasn’t really bothering them just to have something to speak to him about. Some came just to have their picture taken with him. He had hundreds of people lining up to speak to him each and every day.

We cannot even imagine how tiring this must have been. We must wonder, did he ever have private time? Did he ever get to just relax on the couch?

Once, I came to Rav Chaim’s home while he was eating dinner. He was eating a salad, and somebody was sitting next to him with boxes full of letters. The man would read the

question in the letter, and Rav Chaim would give his brief response: “Yes;” “No;” “Permissible; “Forbidden; etc. This is how Rav Chaim ate dinner.

Do we always ensure to respond to every letter sent to us? Rav Chaim did.

He understood that we are not placed here in the world for ourselves, so we can enjoy and relax. We are here to help people, to give, to contribute. Of course, unlike Rav Chaim, we need time to unwind and relax, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if we have energy, if we have free time, and somebody needs our assistance – we need to go out and help.

The next time somebody asks us for a favor, let’s think about Rav Chaim, how he took the time to speak to and help hundreds and hundreds of people each day.

There is No “Retirement”

King David says in Tehillim (92:15) about righteous people, “Od yenuvun besevah – They shall still produce in old age.”

Many people start feeling old, like they need to retire, to relax and vacation. But retirement is for the deceased, not for the living. As long as we are alive, we need to look ahead, to have our eyes open, to be hungry for more achievement. In fact, as we grow older, we should become even hungrier, because we understand that time is running out…

I’ve been visiting Rav Chaim’s apartment for the last 30 years or so. I don’t remember noticing a single difference in the way he looked or acted throughout those 30 years. He sat in the same chair, doing the same things, and following the same schedule. He passed away at the age of 94. There are pictures of people with him on Purim the day before he died. He never stopped working, achieving and producing. “Od yenuvun besevah.”

If you’re retired, if you sold your business, then start learning. Take on new sedarim. As you get older, take on more, not less. Work to become greater.

“Ki na’ar Yisrael va’ohaevhu – For Israel is a youngster, and I love him” (Hoshea 11:1). Hashem has special love for those who are a “na’ar,” who have youthful ambition, who look to the future like youngsters do. He has special love for those who don’t talk about the past, about what they’ve already accomplished, but rather talk about their future ambitions.

The Torah says that until Moshe Rabbenu’s final breath, “lo chahatah eno” – his eyesight never dimmed (Devarim 34:7). A person’s eyes begin to “dim” when he stops using them to look ahead at what he can still accomplish in the future. Moshe Rabbenu’s eyesight remained intact because he never stopped looking to see what more he can do. Rav Chaim provided us with an image of “lo chahatah eno,” of a person who never stopped working and producing.

The first mitzvah performed in the Bet Hamikdash each morning was terumat hadeshen – removing the ashes from the mizbeah (altar). A kohen would climb to the top of the mizbeach and collect the ashes that had collected overnight. This job was assigned not to a custodian, but to a kohen. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) explained that the kohen needed to be reminded that yesterday’s service is finished; today starts a new day. Yesterday’s sacrifices are not on the altar anymore; we need to start the new day from scratch.

In Rav Hirsch’s words, “The thought of what has already been accomplished can be the death of that which still must be accomplished.” We cannot leave yesterday’s “offerings” on the “mizbeah.” We cannot focus our attention on what we’ve already done. Today is a new day, with so much more that we can do and achieve.

Until his final day at the age of 94, Rav Chaim was learning and helping people. He did not stop. He did not for a moment look back with contentment at what he had already accomplished and say, “Ok, I did enough.” He showed us that each and every morning, the “mizbeah” is empty again, waiting for our “avodah,” for our new accomplishments.

Staying Focused

Reflecting on the life of Rav Chaim, we must be asking ourselves: Can’t we have bigger plans? Isn’t there more we can and should be doing with our free time? Are we maybe selling ourselves short? There is so much to learn. There is so much to do. Are we maximizing our time? Are we being the best we can be?

The final chapter of Pirkeh Avot lists the “kinyaneh Torah,” the 48 means by which we acquire Torah scholarship, including taharah – “purity.” One aspect of “purity” is focus and concentration, being fully present, fully focused on our goal. Rav Chaim lived a life of “taharah.” He was completely focused on the goal of being an eved Hashem, a servant of Gd. He did not allow anything to distract him from this goal.

We need to learn this focus, to live with a constant awareness of “Ivri anochi,” that we are here to serve Hashem. We are not going to live like Rav Chaim, but we do need to put the phone away, to stop getting distracted, to stop wasting our time and our energy.

Rav Chaim lived each day as an eved Hashem – and so can we, as long as we remain focused on this goal, and we always remember that this is who we really are.

Teheh nishmato tzerurah bitzror hahaim.

Rabbi Mechel Handler’s recently released new book, published by Art Scroll, is already making a big hit in the community. The author of this outstanding new volume on berachot was inspired to write this book after last year’s Meron tragedy. In his introduction to the book, Rabbi Handler quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky, who said after that Lag B’Omer that in order to prevent tragedy, “We should improve our kavanna when reciting berachot, to feel Hashem’s closeness to us.”

Rabbi Handler’s book is filled with description, instruction, and elucidation of how to pray, how to say a berachah, and what our intentions should be. Rabbi Handler has also added fascinating, documented stories that help readers to incorporate the book’s teachings into their own lives. Everything in the book is based on the teachings of Hazal, the Rishonim and Acharonim, as well as the Baalei Mussar and Baalei Hassidut. The book is divided into six sections, with appendices, and the entire book is also divided into 100 sections for daily learning.

I spoke with Rabbi Handler about his new book. He and encouraged me to pick up a copy, to gain a clearer insight into the world of berachot. After starting the book, the very next day I realized that I paid much more attention to how I was saying my daily tefilot and Tehillim.

The preface (Day One and Day Two) introduces the reader to the daily 100-day learning schedule. This immediately raises our awareness of the special connection that we have with Hashem and how to build that special connection. As Rabbi Handler explains, “We recite, on average, three million berachot in a lifetime. It is certainly worthwhile to take the time to learn what the words really mean.”

Rabbi Hander raises thought-provoking points such as: How does one bless Hashem, Who is already blessed? Why is it necessary to mention in every berachah that Hashem is Melech HaOlam, the King of the World? Why can’t we just say, “Thank you Hashem for the fruit or the coffee” etc.? When you think about how many hundreds of people from the four corners of the globe are involved in producing the materials that enable you to enjoy a cup of coffee, or a delicious fruit, you will understand how all of that requires coordination from the Melech HaOlam.

The Hafetz Haim says that it is worth it to come into this world and live seventy years just in order to address Hashem even once as “Atah – You.” Hashem loves us so much that He puts aside the rules of etiquette and does not require us to address Him in the formal third person, but rather allows us to address Him in second person Atah – You, as one who is close to Him.

The book also discusses the blessings we give one another, such as greetings and wishes of mazal tov, and berachot of tsaddikim and Kohanim. How does that work?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Our relationship with Hashem depends on speaking to Him.

Here is an excerpt from Part Three, Day 23 and 24 pages 113-116:

“Baruch” is a descriptive title, declaring that Hashem is the Source of all blessings.

“Baruch” is a form of praise and thanks.

“Baruch” is a form of request and prayer.

“Baruch” means drawing forth from the Source of all blessings.

“Baruch” is a term of increase.

The above is a thumbnail sketch, as each concept of the word “Baruch” is followed by explanations from our rabbis.

This is a book geared for adult readers on any level, who want to learn how to truly make their blessings more meaningful, to recognize the Divine Providence in their lives, to and to change their attitude and understanding of tefillah. The appendices end with something we all hope to need to know in our lifetimes – Seven Berachos When Greeting Mashiach.

I strongly recommend that each one of you read Make Your BERACHOS Meaningful. It will change your berachot forever and will help to bring more berachah into your life.

Sponsored in loving memory of the Sassoon children, a”h, to help promote berachah in our lives.

Thousands Celebrate Completion of Second Cycle of Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha

Chaim Gold

The masses who congregated in the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton burst into a frenzy of euphoria upon hearing the announcement of the arrival of an unexpected, distinguished guest.

They had come to celebrate the completion of the second cycle of the daily Daf Yomi B’Halacha study regimen, one of numerous Torah learning programs run by the international Dirshu organization. During the event, which was held on March 4, Rosh Hodesh Adar Sheni, Rabbi Leibish Lish, the chairman of the evening, announced – his voice trembling with emotion – that the venerated Rachmastrivka Rebbe of Boro Park was about to enter the arena. In an instant, every one of the thousands of attendees – who hailed from throughout the Tri-State area and well beyond – craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the Rebbe’s holy countenance as he slowly entered the stadium and was brought to the middle of the dais, where he joined other of our generation’s leading sages. The nonagenarian Rebbe is the eldest hassidic Rebbe in America, and he rarely leaves Boro Park or travels. Despite his physical frailty, he decided to make the long trip to Trenton, New Jersey in order to encourage the participants of Dirshu’s programs, and to give them his heartfelt blessing.

An Evening of Unity

Like all major Dirshu events, this siyum was characterized by a profound sense of ahdut (unity), its bringing together students spanning the entire spectrum of Torah Jewry, unified through their shared commitment to Torah study. This ahdut was signified by the diverse, inspiring assembly of Torah sages representing vastly different groups, who came together in unity to encourage, strengthen and express their admiration for the dedicated students of Dirshu’s programs.

Addresses were delivered by the leading Rosheh Yeshiva of the Lithuanian Torah world, including: HaGaon HaRav Aharon Feldman, shelita, Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisrael, Baltimore; HaGaon HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, shelita, Rosh Yeshiva of South Fallsburg; HaGaon HaPosek, HaRav Hillel David, shelita, Rav of Shaarei Torah; HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, Rosh Yeshiva of Tiferes Yerachmiel; Hagaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, shelita, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood; and others.

Hassidic leaders who graced the event included: the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, shelita; the Skulener Rebbe, shelita, who made the siyum and delivered beautiful words of inspiration; the Chernobyler Rebbe, shelita; the Kossover Rebbe, shelita; the Vienner Rav, shelita; HaGaon

HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shelita, Skverer Dayan and senior posek of Boro Park; and HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zalman Gips, Rav of Khal Birchas Avrohom of Boro Park.

Prominent Sephardic Torah sages in attendance included Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Choueka, shelita, Rav of Khal Ohel Simcha; HaGaon HaRav David Ozeri, shelita; and others.

In truth, while the crowd may have externally appeared diverse, there was no actual diversity. As everyone in attendance joined hands and danced together after the siyum, there were no hasidim and no Lithuanian yeshiva students; there were no Ashkenazim and no Sepharadim. They were all Torah Jews, united in their passion for, and commitment to, Torah study generally, and, in particular, to the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha that they all learn and observe.

Praying for Our Brethren in Ukraine

The evening was opened by Rav Shmuel Choueka, the distinguished Rav of Congregation Ohel Simcha of Long Branch who delivers a Daf HaYomi B’Halacha class and has also just completed the entire cycle including all the exams. He began with a heartfelt recitation of Tehillim and prayer for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and all over the world who are enduring suffering and hardship, followed by a beautiful address in honor of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha students.

Rav Yair Adler, Rav of Khal Shoavei Mayim of Toronto, pronounced that “without a doubt,” Gd and His entire “heavenly entourage” (“pamalia shel maalah”) was celebrating together with the crowd that had assembled in Trenton that evening.

“Hashem loves this gathering,” Rav Adler affirmed. “As Hazal [the Sages] teach us, Hashem loves the ‘gates of halachah.’ Hashem loves those who learn Mishnah Berurah.” Rav Adler proceeded to speak about the father of Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Dirshu’s founder and Nasi (Chairman) – Reb Nosson Nota Yitzchok Hofstedter, who was himself a visionary Torah builder in Toronto, who implanted within his son the drive, foresight and sense of responsibility to create a Torah revolution in Am Yisrael.

Achieving the Ideal

In his address to the crowd, Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, Rosh Yeshiva of South Fallsburg, cited the well-known passage in the Midrash that tells of an argument between Yitzhak Avinu and his half-brother, Yishmael. Yishmael claimed that he was greater because he underwent berit milah at the age of thirteen, when he had the possibility to refuse, whereas Yitzhak was circumcised as an eight-day-old infant, without being given a choice. Yitzhak countered that his circumcision was more beloved to Gd because it constituted a “mitzvah bizmanah” – a mitzvah performed at the proper time.

The Midrash here makes the startling statement that a mitzvah performed at its proper time is more precious than a mitzvah performed with great mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice). Rav Wachtfogel explained that performing a mitzvah with mesirut nefesh is undoubtedly precious, and brings great reward, but is not an ideal in and of itself. The ideal is “mitzvah bizmanah” –

performing a mitzvah the way the mitzvah is meant to be performed. This is what Hashem considers dearest.

“This is the simcha [joy] that we are celebrating tonight,” the Rosh Yeshiva exclaimed. He said that when a person learns the Orah Haim section of the Shulhan Aruch, he learns how to perform mitzvot “lechatehilah,” the way they are supposed to be performed. And the difference between performing a mitzvah “lechatehilah” and performing it “bedi’avad” – in a less preferred manner – is, in Rav Wachtfogel’s words, “like the difference between 100 billion dollars and $1,000!” The siyum celebrated the fact that Jews are learning halachah and are thus able to achieve the ultimate ideal, the performance of mitzvot the way Hashem wants.

“It is Obligatory!”

A hush permeated the stadium as the venerated senior Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, made his way to the podium. Rav Schustal eloquently impressed upon the large crowd, and upon those who were listening via livestream, the importance of learning halachah. He stated that attaining proficiency in the Orah Haim section of the Shulhan Aruch, which covers the halachot relevant to day-to-day conduct, is not optional – it is obligatory, an absolute necessity. Without knowing halachah, the Rosh Yeshiva said, one is, in a sense, paralyzed, unable to move his hands or feet, because he does not know what he is and is not allowed to do.

“Some people say it is so hard to learn large amounts, to chazer [review] and be tested,” Rav Schustal noted. “It is indeed difficult, but if you really want to, you can get everything done, you can find the time that you never thought you had to learn, to review and to know!”

“I Have No Time”

The Skulener Rebbe, shelita, was then called upon to teach the final passage of the six-volume Mishnah Berurah, the completion of which was being celebrated that evening.

The Rebbe related that a person once came to his father, the previous Rebbe, for a blessing. The Rebbe asked him whether he attends a regular Torah class, or makes time to learn each day.

“I would love to,” the man said, “but I just don’t have the time. I am so busy. I have no time.”

“You are right,” the Rebbe exclaimed. “You have no time – because no time is your own. It is the Ribbono Shel Olam’s [Master of the world’s] time!”

The Skulener Rebbe observed that most people think that those who learn in Dirshu programs, engaging in Torah and reviewing the material, are working to earn olam haba – the next world. “But,” the Rebbe said, “the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, zt”l, once told me that this is a mistake. These yungeleit [young scholars] have a much better olam hazeh [‘this world’]!” A Jew who spends his time learning, reviewing, and being tested on what he learns receives not only a beautiful share in the next world, but also immense joy and satisfaction in this world.

“A Tremendous Gift!”

The venerated posek, HaGaon HaRav Hillel David, Rav of Khal Shaarei Orah of Flatbush, was honored with reciting the traditional Hadran text.

Rav David encouraged the thousands gathered in the arena and the tens of thousands who joined by livestream to recognize the great gifts of life and of time, and to utilize the time that Hashem has given them. He shared a story told by a grandson of the Hafetz Haim (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1839-1933), author of the Mishnah Berurah. This grandson once asked the Hafetz Haim how old he was. The grandfather smiled without answering the question.

Later, the Hafetz Haim saw the grandson playing in front of the house. He called him in and gave me a fistful of coins as a present. Just as the child was about to run to show his mother, the Hafetz Haim asked, “I gave you so many coins – why didn’t you count them?”

The boy explained that it would be impolite to count a cash gift in front of the person who had given it.

“Remember when you asked me how old I am this morning?” the Hafetz Haim replied. “I want you to know that at my age, every single day and every year, is a gift from Hashem. It is not nice for me to count this gift…”

Speaking with fierce emotion, Rav Hillel cried, “We must appreciate every single day that we have! Every day that we are able to learn Hashem’s Torah is a tremendous gift!”

Living in This World With an Eye to the Next

After Rav Hillel David completed the Hadran, Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, was called upon to recite Kaddish.

Before the recitation of Kaddish, Rav Kotler noted the Talmud’s teaching that one who learns halachah every day is assured a place in in the next world.

“This does not only mean that after his lifetime he will go to olam haba [the next world],” the Rosh Yeshiva explained, but rather that “a person who learns halachah every day, lives his life ‘olam habadig’” – in a “next-world” manner; he lives his life in this world with an eye to the next world.

Nothing could have prepared the crowd for the eruption – or, more precisely, explosion – of joy throughout the cavernous stadium upon the completion of the Kaddish. The orchestra began to play…but it was the people in the audience who set the tone, creating so much ruach (spirit) that it almost seemed like the roof was about to come off. Thousands upon thousands of men danced feverishly, with a feeling of deep satisfaction, their faces radiating genuine simcha.

“An Inner Bond with Torah”

The electric dancing continued for over half an hour, with the crowd barely able to contain their excitement. Finally, the chairman of the evening, Rabbi Lish, called upon Rav Dovid Hofstedter to address the siyum.

Rav Hofstedter observed that the event was being held during the week following Shabbat Shekalim, when we read about the mahatzit hashekel (half-shekel) tax, through which the Jewish Nation was counted. The Torah forbids counting the nation directly, and it is told that when this prohibition was violated, a plague struck.

“Perhaps,” Rav Hofstedter suggested, “the reason is because counting people is a form of separation. Each person is counted alone, separated from others by his individual number.” He explained that when a person is drawn apart from the nation, he is exposed to an “ayin hara” (“evil eye”) which can empower the forces of death and destruction. Without unity, when we are not attached to one another, then the “malach hamavet” (“angel of death”) receives the strength to inflict harm, Heaven forbid.

Rav Hofstedter proceeded to speak about his recent trip to Vilna and Kovno, which were once great centers of Torah learning, and where, 80 years ago, the Jewish nation was almost eradicated.

“Sadly,” he lamented, “the world is once again in turmoil. There is sinat Yisrael [hatred of Jews] and sinat haTorah [hatred of Torah] everywhere, even, sadly, in Eretz Yisrael, where there are designs to make so many gezeirot [decrees] against Torah learning and Torah observance.” The only proper response, Rav Hofstedter said, is for us to join together in unity, a unity “defined by a shared spiritual goal and bond, a true ‘chibbur penimi,’ a spiritual bond…”

Rav Hofstedter cited the verse in Tehillim (105:4), “Dirshu Hashem ve’uzo bakshu fanav tamid – Seek out Gd and His strength; always beseech His countenance.” We must join in this effort, he said, “though learning the holy Torah together and building Torah together.

“If they want to close ten yeshivas, we will open 100 new yeshivas! If they want to close 100 kollelim, we will open a thousand new kollelim, if they want to push Yidden [Jews] away from Torah, we will bring close thousands of new baaleh teshuva [newly observant Jews] to Torah!”

Testifying That Hashem Created the World

Rav Aharon Feldman, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Ner Yisroel of Baltimore, was honored with beginning the study of the third cycle of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program.

Rav Feldman said that the ultimate goal of mankind is to attest to the existence of a Creator, but also “that our daily conduct, from the minute we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, should attest to the fact that there is a Boreh olam [Creator of the world].”

Speaking with palpable emotion, Rav Feldman said, “We do not have to wait until Mashiah comes for this goal to be realized, and to show all that Hashem runs the world. We can show it right now! How? By keeping halachah, by showing that how we go to sleep is dictated by Hashem, and how we wake up is dictated by Hashem. By showing that how we do business is dictated by Hashem, and how we raise our families is all dictated by halachah… When we keep halachah, we are testifying that Hashem created the world and runs the world!”

The Promise of a Share in the Next World

The final speaker of the evening was the senior Skverer Dayan of Boro Park, HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shelita.

Rav Steinmetz cited the Gemara’s famous teaching that one who learns halachah every day is guaranteed a share in the next world. With his comprehensive knowledge of the entire Talmud, Rav Steinmetz noted that the Gemara never makes any such promise in any other context.

“Only with regard to [the study of] halachah,” Rav Steinmetz emotionally exclaimed, “is Hashem giving you an absolute guarantee, a guarantee that you can take to the bank, that you are assured a place in olam haba [the next world]. What a zechut [privilege]! What an obligation!”

As the massive crowd exited the Cure Insurance Arena, it was clear to all that they had been part of a historic experience. They left with the feeling that they participated in not simply a siyum on the entire Mishnah Berurah, but a demonstration, a testimony by the Jewish People that they deeply want to bring Hashem into their daily lives.