Daf Kehillah Siyum Celebration in Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok

Torah is the lifeblood of our people, and this was demonstrated and celebrated at the grand siyum of the Daf Kehillah learning program of the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok kehillah.

Founded eleven years ago by the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe, the goal of Daf Kehillah is to ensure that each member of the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok community learns daily and gains an understanding of every single mesechta in Shas over the course of eleven years. The Daf Kehillah program emphasizes chazarah, review, of the material learned. Each day of the week, the participants learn a new daf, and on Friday and Shabbos, they extensively review the five dafim that were learned during the week.

All Chassidim of Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, from Eretz Yisroel and across the globe, joined the Daf Kehillah program at its inception. When they first began eleven years ago, the journey ahead seemed overwhelming.

The first day of Sukkos was the day when Shas was finally completed by members of the program. An evening tish with the Rebbe was a preview of the coming grand siyum. The following day, the first day of Chol Hamoed in Eretz Yisroel, the Chassidim started the new learning cycle and were treated to a shiur on the first daf delivered by the Rebbe himself.

After Yom Tov, the plans for a grand siyum were set in motion. The large Kinor Dovid ballroom in Beit Shemesh was prepared for the siyum, sponsored by the esteemed R’ Leibel Oberlander, rosh hakohol of Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

At the siyum, the kehillah released a publication containing a historical review of the chaburos that learned Shas throughout the ages and other relevant material.

Rav Yitzchok Brand, rosh kollel of Kollel Shomrei Hachomos in Yerushalayim, opened the event.

When the Rebbe entered the hall, the entire gathering erupted in song. The Rebbe addressed the celebrants with divrei Torah.

After the Rebbe’s words, Rav Aharon Samet took the podium. Rav Samet has been the project coordinator of Daf Kehillah since its founding. At the conclusion of his address, the celebrants stood up to welcome the Gaon Av Bais Din of the Eidah Hachareidis of Yerushalayim, Rav Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss. Rav Weiss shared with the audience his personal experience when he tested a group of about thirty bochurim from Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok. “I have never before seen such young bochurim with such a deep and thorough understanding of the Gemara,” he declared.

Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz arrived soon after and he expressed his strong desire to be present at the siyum of an entire kehillah.

The crowd was also addressed by Rav Chaim Uri Freund, Rav Berel Povarsky, and the guest of honor, R’ Leibel Oberlander.

The guest speaker was Rav Shimon Zev Meisels of Monroe, New York, who kept the audience spellbound for almost an hour with his powerful drasha.

Warm divrei bracha from several gedolim were read out loud. Rav Yitzchok Dov Koppelman, senior rosh yeshiva of Lucerne, Switzerland, wrote that he would have liked to attend personally, but was unable to do so because of his trip to New York. A letter from Rav Shmuel Haleivi Wosner was read.

The concluding address was delivered by Rabbi Avrohom Meir Beerman, the coordinator of Daf Kehillah in America, who travelled from New York to attend.

An illustrated presentation of the Daf Kehillah program was demonstrated with beautiful accompanying songs.

This memorable event was a beautiful display of ahavas haTorah and highlighted the role that Torah learning has in the structure of the kehillah of Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok.

{Dovid Bernstein-Matzavcom Newscenter}