Community Magazine July 2014

108 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Community Chest Hatzalah EMS of the Jersey Shore to Hold Fundraiser Hatzalah EMS of the Jersey Shore provides the Jersey Shore community with the best possible first-aid care and the quickest response times. Their average response time is less than three minutes, day or night. Hatzalah’s team of dedicated dispatchers and EMT members constantly keep up with the latest first-aid policies and procedures by taking continuing education courses on a monthly basis. In an effort to enlist the community’s support for its vital work, Hatzalah is pleased to announce the Hatzalah EMS Annual Golf Classic, which will take place on Wednesday, August 13, at the Trump National Golf Course in Colts Neck, NJ. There will be a 10:00 AM shotgun start. The fee of $500 per player includes: driving range, breakfast, golf and more. All proceeds go towards Hatzalah EMS of the Jersey Shore, which provides emergency medical assistance to our community. If you would like to play at this event, please contact Mitchell Gemal at mitchell@misco.us. To donate a sponsorship towards this event, please contact Steven Sitt at sittsh@hatzalahems.com. Dirshu Siyum on Seder Moed in Silver Spring A special siyum was held on Sunday, June 1, by the Dirshu Baalei Batim Kollel in Silver Spring, Maryland, which completed the Mo’ed section of the Talmud. The inspiring event demonstrated how even those who spend most of their day working to support their families can enjoy the thrill and satisfaction of intensive Torah learning. Silver Spring’s Dirshu Baalei Batim Kollel is one of the most remarkable and successful Torah study programs for laymen. The program, which now boasts over 40 participants, was established 12 years ago, and has since completed 17 Masechtot . The kollel runs early morning and evening programs in two different locations, and hundreds of people have participated in the programs over the last 12 years. The cornerstone of Kollel Dirshu Silver Spring is Rav Eliyahu Reingold, Rosh Kollel of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, who delivers the morning shiur at the yeshiva, writes the tests and gives the review shiurim . The deeply devoted administrative and spiritual driving force behind the kollel is Dr. Hirsh Komarow, who, together with Rav Reingold, has ensured the program’s phenomenal success. Members of the Silver Spring community packed the hall to be inspired by a special address by Rav Yissocher Frand, one of the preeminent speakers in the Jewish world. Appropriately enough, the event was held during the Sheloshet Yeme Hagbalah , the three days before Shavuot, as the Jewish nation prepared for the acceptance of the Torah. The Silver Spring kollel is just one small part of the Torah revolution brought by the Dirshu organization, which runs a wide variety of incentive programs through which thousands of men study and master complete Masechtot and other Torah texts. Participants of Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program, which began six years ago, are currently studying the final section of Mishnah Berurah , marching towards the historic siyum which is scheduled for April 2015. Hacham Yitzhak Yosef Welcomed at Yeshivat Or Hatorah To the tune of Yahid Kail Dagul Mervavah , a pizmon commonly sung to herald the arrival of a Torah giant, the students and rabbis of Yeshivat Or Hatorah welcomed Hacham Yitzhak Yosef. Sephardic Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, to the yeshiva. The Chief Rabbi was greeted by Rav Yaakov Marcus, Rosh Yeshivah and Menahal at the high school, Rabbi Eliezer Zeytouneh Principal of the Elementary Division, and all the other rabbis of Yeshivat Or Hatorah, and slowly made his way slowly to the front of the bet midrash . Rabbi Marcus introduced the hacham to the student body, noting that although he was meeting HachamYitzhakYosef for the first time, he considers himself his student. Since the founding of the yeshiva 17 years ago, Rabbi Marcus explained, he has been regularly learning from various works of halachah authored by Hacham Yitzhak and using them in his classes. Rabbi Marcus thus referred to Hacham Yitzchak as “ mori verabbi – my master and teacher.” Hacham Yitzchak spoke to the students for 20 minutes, encouraging them to strive to become Torah scholars. He urged the boys to aspire to gadlut (greatness), to complete Masechtot (Talmudic tractates), to use Shabbat as a time for additional learning, to study with havrutot (partners) rather than learn alone, and not to waste time. He also told several stories of his illustrious father, Hacham Ovadia Yosef, zt”l , that exemplify his love for Torah and the enjoyment he received from learning. The hacham concluded his address by offering a blessing to the Rosh Yeshivah and all the rabbis, wishing them success in their sacred work. He expressed privately to Rav Marcus how impressed he was with the boys, whom he saw were true bene Torah . As he left, Hacham Yitzhak offered personal blessings to numerous boys. Rav Yissocher Frand