Rain Date for Siyum Hashas at MetLife Stadium is in the Contract

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metlife-stadiumFollowing Matzav.com‘s report this past week regarding the signing of a contract at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey, for the 12th Siyum Hashas of Daf Yomi to be held at the stadium on Wednesday, 13 Av, 5772/August 1, 2012, this summer, we were inundated with emails asking what arrangements would be made if the weather forecast for the  day of the Siyum Hashas called for rain, as the stadium does not have a roof.

Matzav.com reached out to the organizers of the Siyum Hashas for clarification. We were told by a member of the organizing committee that the contract, which was signed by representatives of Agudas Yisroel of America and MetLife stadium CEO Mark Lamping, states clearly that the following day, Thursday, August 2, has been reserved as a rain date in case inclement weather is forecast for Wednesday.

“Obviously, if a sudden, unexpected rainstorm occurs during the Siyum Hashas, without prior warning, the attendees will grin and bear it,” a second askan told Matzav.com. “But any expected inclement forecast will have the Siyum held the next day at the same venue.”

As reported here on Matzav.com last week, with 92,000 seats, the recently constructed MetLife stadium is by far the largest single venue ever to host the national Torah gathering.

As we mentioned last week, at the contract-signing, special guest speaker Rabbi Nosson Scherman, general editor at ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, noted that the ultimate purpose of everything in the world – including the MetLife Stadium – is to create kevod Shomayim. He illustrated his point by recounting a conversation with Thomas M. Steinberg, president of Tisch Family Interests and one of the guests at the signing event. For 12 long years, he was involved in the planning, design and construction of the new stadium, Mr. Steinberg told Rabbi Scherman, and it is only now that he understands why: so that tens of thousands of Yidden would have a place to gather for an unprecedented demonstration of kavod haTorah.

Siyum Hashas chairman Elly Kleinman, who was introduced by well-known askan Shmuel Yosef Rieder, observed how the size of each succeeding Siyum inspired thousands more around the world to join the Daf Yomi movement.

Chaired by Agudath Israel executive vice president for finance and administration Rabbi Shlomo Gertzulin, who, together with a committee of dedicated baalei batim, is overseeing the Siyum preparations, the evening’s program also included remarks by community leader Shlomo Werdiger and a tour of the stadium facilities organized by Rabbi Yosef Golding.

{Shmiel Gellman-Matzav.com Newscenter}


28 COMMENTS

  1. Wow, that’s just silly. There will be siyumim all over the country in various venues. Should they also cancel if New York folds?

    There’s no way that the other siyumim will do all of the work (and pay!) twice.

  2. And if someone plans on coming from out of town, nd tehy’re only in NY/NJ for the one day, will they get a refund? Or will the airlines’ “Act of G-d” policy kick in?

  3. It used to be there was a siyum and everyone came and that was that noone speculated a year in advance about it! Just go back to your daf and do what you got to do and show up when its called for! Enough of this rain stuff!!!

  4. Why is everyone so worried about the forcast? We have 10 months to agonize what will be. Like Rav Sherman said the main purpose of this event is kovod shamayim thats what everyone should be anamored by not by a forecast. When football games take place nobody cares about the weather, rain, freezing cold sometimes there playing in the snow and were worried about kevod shem shamayim?

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