Community Magazine July 2012

Those were the words of Hacham Yehuda Cohen, shelita , Rosh Yeshiva of the prestigious Sephardic Yeshiva, Yeshiva Yakirei Yerushalayim, to Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi (head) of Dirshu, an organization which promotes intensive study through a wide range of structured programs and exams. The hacham made these remarks during a recent meeting in his office, where he hosted Rav Hofstedter and other senior members of Dirshu’s leadership Hacham Yehuda hailed the profound contribution that Dirshu has made to his yeshiva, noting that the 65 young men in his yeshiva who participate in Dirshu’s special program that encourages yeshiva students to complete the entire tractate they are studying in the yeshiva, has infused the entire Yeshiva with newfound energy. “The Dirshu participants who take the tests and are rewarded for exemplary scores are boys who forge a lifelong connection with Torah learning, even years after they leave the yeshiva,” the hacham said. “They will never cease learning Torah for the rest of their lives.” Structure and Accountability Thousands of people from all over the world participate in Dirshu’s Torah study programs that encourage achievement by adding structure to their learning. Every month, participants in Dirshu’s Gemara and Halacha programs take tests on the material learned the previous month and are awarded cash stipends for their efforts. This summer, Dirshu will be making a massive World Siyum, featuring 48 hours of siyumim on Talmud and Halacha, celebrating its participants’ dedication to Torah learning. Hacham Cohen, in his meeting with Dirshu’s leadership, echoed the recent outpouring of praise for Dirshu expressed by the venerated Rosh Yeshiva, Harav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita , and numerous other rabbis from a wide spectrum of Orthodox Jewry around the world. Rav Shteinman was especially gratified over the special sense of unity that will permeate this year’s summer of siyumim in Israel. Four Grand Celebrations of Torah On July 30-31 (11-12 Av), Dirshu will be hosting four massive siyum celebrations, with a combined crowd of nearly 60,000 men and many thousands of women and children watching the events via live audio-visual hookup. The festivities begin with a siyum for Dirshu participants at the Nokia Yad Eliyahu Stadium in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon, honoring the thousands of Dirshu participants in Israel and the throngs of guests from throughout the world. Several venerated Torah giants will be in attendance to honor Dirshu’s scholars. Following the celebration, hundreds of buses will transport the crowd from Yad Eliyahu to the Eim Hamoshavot Stadium in Petach Tikvah for a colossal Siyum HaShas (celebration of the completion of the Talmud) for the general community Chaim Gold Excitement Builds Ahead of World Siyumim Dirshu Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi of Dirshu (left), greeting Hacham Yehuda Cohen, shelita , Rosh Yeshiva of the well-known Sephardic Yeshiva, Yeshiva Yakirei Yerushalayim “You are asking me for a blessing? You yourself are the source of all blessing, because you are responsible for hundreds of thousands of extra hours spent in Torah study. You are responsible for facilitating the completion of untold numbers of Masechtot (tractates) of Talmud.” 24 Community Magazine