Community Magazine December 2019

48 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE I have had the great privilege of being involved in the planning of each Siyum HaShas of the Daf Yomi since the eighth Siyum in 1982 – making the upcoming Siyum next month the sixth Siyum in which I’ve had this special privilege. While many people deservedly receive credit for the resounding success of these events, which are, each and every time, an unforgettable and inspirational experience for all participants, we sometimes fail to give credit to the One who deserves it the most – Hashem, whose involvement and assistance in every Siyum was unmistakable and clearly discernible. 1982: 8th Siyum HaShas, Felt Forum The hall looked absolutely cavernous. Rabbi Chaskel Besser, founding chairman of the Daf Yomi Commission, and Rabbi Baruch Borchardt, long-time Executive Director of Agudath Israel of America, were visiting the Felt Forum theater in Madison Square Garden to determine its suitability as a location for the Siyum HaShas. As a recently hired staff member at the Agudah, I had the extraordinary privilege of accompanying them. As we looked out at the Felt Forum, which contained approximately 5,600 seats, we felt intimidated by the prospect of having to fill such a large arena. The previous Siyum had taken place in the Manhattan Center, which had half the capacity of the Felt Forum. We had serious doubts about taking such a leap of faith. We returned to the office to report back to Rabbi Moshe Sherer, the legendary leader of Agudath Israel for more than 55 years. We sat there and brainstormed, trying to think of ways to fill the vast hall, which would be a beautiful demonstration of ahdut (unity) and ahavat haTorah (love for Torah) in honor of the eighth Siyum HaShas of Daf Yomi. Finally, Rabbi Sherer came up with a great idea. He noted that people like to feel assured that they will have a seat when they go to such a venue. And so he suggested printing tickets that say, “Admit One” and distributing them to the public. Perhaps that would work. We went ahead and printed ten thousand tickets. The plan worked magnificently. Baruch Hashem , the Siyum was a resounding success, and it featured some of that generation’s most prominent Torah sages, including Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, Rav Shimon Schwab, Rav Mordechai Gifter, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, and the Bluzhever Rebbe. It was an experience that every single participant would remember for the rest of their lives. 1990: 9th Siyum HaShas, Madison Square Garden For the next Siyum, another leap of faith was taken to quadruple the attendance. The bold planwas tomove upstairs, to theentireMadison Square Garden, a venue with some 20,000 seats. The organizers were once again biting their nails, nervous about whether the seats would be filled. This challenge was daunting enough, but then a new challenge surfaced, in the form of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus. The Siyum was scheduled during the annual circus at Madison Square Garden. Would the circus be willing to give it up for a Jewish celebration? Providence stepped in once again. One of the owners of Madison Square Garden at that time was a prominent and generous Jewish philanthropist, and he arranged for the circus – for a fee – to give up one day so the Siyum HaShas could be celebrated in grand style. The 9 th Siyum marked the first time that women were present at the event. The decision was inspired by an article published in the Jewish Observer by the wife of a maggid shiur (man who taught a daily Daf Yomi class) noting the tremendous mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) displayed by the wives of those who teach and participate inDaf Yomi classes. A subsequent letter noted, “If he gets The Not-So-Hidden Secret to the Siyum’s Success RABBI LABISH BECKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA An insider’s look into Gd’s overt role in the success of the Siyum HaShas celebration, time after time