Siyum Hashas of Mishnah Yomis this Shabbos

This Shabbos, Tammuz 23/July 3, thousands will be celebrating the completion of the 11th cycle of the Mishna Yomis – the daily study program of 2 Mishnayos. On Sunday, the 12th Cycle of Shas will commence.

This seder halimud was founded over 63 years ago, as a method to perpetuate not only the memories of those who were murdered in the Holocaust – but to perpetuate their way of life. Only through Torah study can there be a true memorial.

Immediately after Wold War II, when the rumors of the mass murder of European Jewry became tragically known as fact, Rabbi Yona Stencel zt”l of Tel-Aviv , himself a recent immigrant (in the 1930s) from Sosnoweic, Poland as well as a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Tel Aviv and the Rov of the Bais Medrash of Chasidei Radomsk in Tel Aviv, sought a method to eternalize the memory of our murdered brothers and sisters. Upon Rabbi Stencel’s consultation with and subsequent receiving the haskamas (recommendations) of Rabbis and Rebbes of then Palestine, as well as the Chief Rabbi and the Rishon Ltzion of Palestine, as well as the Badatz of the Eidah hachareidis of Yerushalayim, the daily study of 2 Mishnayos was chosen. Why Mishna? As the Arizal states, the Hebrew word for soul, neshama, has the same Hebrew letters as Mishnah – the study of one (Mishna) would eternalize the other (Soul).

On Shvuos 5707 (1947) the Mishna Yomis Program was formally launched. The Imrei Emes of Ger declared that the study of the Mishna Yomis should be done prior to studying the Daily Daf (the Daf Yomi), by spending a few minutes studying mishnayot prior to tackling that days Daf Yomi. The Imrei Emes ztl had joined the study of the Mishna Yomis as well as subsequent Rebbes of Ger. Many thousands also took the opportunity to join together in the study of Mishna. Yomis.

This Sunday, Tammuz 24 (July 4), the Siym Hashas of the Mishna Yomis will be celebrated at 2 locations in the New York area. There will be a Siyum in Monsey as well as in Brooklyn. The location in Monsey is at Bais Tefilla on Maplewood Lane where the program will commence at 930 AM and the location in Brooklyn will be the Agudath Israel of Ave L (Ave L between E29 St & Nostrand Ave) at 7pm.

{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}