Although just a few short days into the school year, the enthusiasm to learn Torah is as strong as ever. While the threat of Hurricane Dorian and its powerful winds forced the closure of Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes along with other local yeshivos and schools, it couldn’t diminish the ruach of excitement as children gathered together in the various South Florida communities to voluntarily learn on their unanticipated days off.
In Miami Beach, the Kollel hosted two days of learning, sponsored by YTCTE board member Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Summer. One of YTCTE’s newest rabbeim, Rabbi Shmueli Stein helped organize the learning with close to 70 children participating.
In Hollywood, YTCTE assistant principal, Rabbi Gavriel Grossman, along with Aish and the Kollel organized a father and son learning program at the Kollel and a girls program at Aish. Once again attendance exceeded expectations with over 60 children participating on their day off.
And in North Miami Beach, YTCTE, in conjunction with YES, Pirchei Agudas Yisroel and the local shuls, organized a learning program for boys in grades 1-8. Arranged and supervised by YTCTE rebbe, Rabbi Shaya Dovid Kaganoff, over 160 boys joined together in three different shuls to learn with rabbeim from YTCTE and YES. Additionally, the Blejer family graciously hosted a program for girls in grades 4 and 5.
YTCTE’s Dr. Abe Chames High School didn’t let a hurricane threat disrupt its Torah learning and hosted voluntary learning on Monday morning with its rabbeim as well as regular limudei kodesh classes on Tuesday morning. And of course the Bais Medrash Zichron Ezra of YTCTE, which was already in full swing, continued its regular daily three sedarim with its over 30 talmidim even as the windows were boarded up and the Yeshiva and community braced itself for the potential storm.
We would like to express our hakaras hatov to all the rabbeim who volunteered their time to organize and participate in these programs and the parents and children who attended. How truly fitting it is that as the month of Elul begins, South Florida can proudly say that neither rain, nor winds, nor even hurricane threats can diminish the Kol Torah reverberating in our communities.
