On Sunday night erev rosh chodesh Elul, a magnificent
Hachnosas Sefer Torah celebration took place at the
Chayei Aharon Yeshiva of Mosdos Da'as Torah in
Yerushalayim.
"A truly joyous occasion!" many talmidei chachomim who
came to share in this simchah shel mitzvah exclaimed,
having joined the rosh yeshiva, HaRav Chaim Menachem
Heillbraun and the Yeshiva's rabbonim, its talmidim
and alumni, for the festivities.
The event was arranged by the Yeshiva's dedicated director,
Rabbi Michoel Bagad, who paid attention to each and every
detail. The sefer Torah was brought to the Rosh
Yeshiva's home by Rabbi Sholom Wilensky and the distinguished
Chefetz family, after completion of its writing at the home
of the generous sponsor, Mrs. Shapiro.
The large procession made its way with song and dance from
the Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood to the yeshiva building
nearby on Shimon Chacham Street.
After the Sefer Torah was brought into the shul and placed
inside the aron hakodesh, a se'udas mitzvah was
served at the Aperion Hall for hundreds of people. The Rosh
Yeshiva opened with divrei Torah and words of
congratulations on this momentous occasion, 13 years since
the establishment of the yeshiva. The Rosh Yeshiva also
mentioned the words of Ramchal in his sefer Derech
Hashem that even reading the Torah transmits its
kedushoh to the listeners.
In his remarks, Rabbi Wilensky mentioned the words of the
Alshich Hakodosh who says that the Luchos are called
"Eidus" (testimony) because of the letters that
miraculously stood in them. The Torah too, is called
eidus: "Eidus Hashem ne'emonoh." The Alshich Hakodosh
says, based on a medrash, that on the day of his
petiroh, Moshe Rabbeinu wrote 13 sifrei Torah
and gave one to each of the tribes. He put the 13th
sefer Torah in the Aron Hakodesh. Clearly, 13
sifrei Torah being written on one day was a miracle. Why was
this miracle performed? The answer is that the Sefer Torah is
an eidus for generations, that was fundamentally
written by a miracle.
The evening was tastefully and wisely conducted by Rabbi
Mordechai Neugroshel, whose son is one of the Yeshiva's
alumni.
Next, HaRav Don Segal spoke. His warm words emphasized the
importance of continuity in learning. He told of one of the
gedolim who wouldn't allow for interruptions in the
middle of learning, in spite of his great suffering due to a
grave illness. HaRav Segal also extolled the Yeshiva for its
warmth and loving attention to its talmidim, which
result in the graduates becoming great talmidei chachomim.
HaRav Segal said that HaRav Uri Weissblum, mashgiach of
Yeshiva Nachalas HaLevi'im, once posed a difficult question:
How can a person get married, when raising and educating
children is such an enormous responsibility? His answer was
that the basis for success in chinuch is nothing more
than the love showered on the child or talmid, and
since this is imprinted by Hashem in the parents' nature,
therefore they already hold in their hands the key to
educating the children.
The next speaker, HaRav Noach Chefetz, spoke passionately,
mentioning in his speech a young yeshiva bochur who
was unsuccessful in his learning. He went to a godol,
asking for help. When the godol found out that the
young man was not getting along with his friends, he realized
the reason for his lack of success. He explained to the
frustrated bochur that there are 600,000 letters in a
sefer Torah, and each Yid has his own letter.
Regarding that bochur, his friend's letter was missing
in his own sefer Torah, and a sefer Torah that
has even one letter missing is possul.
HaRav Aviezer Piltz, rosh yeshivas Tifrach, spoke of the
nisyonos that yeshiva talmidim are facing in
our generation, stating that in spite of everything, we
remain steadfast and do not change one iota from our
forefathers' traditions. He said that the custom to take out
the old sifrei Torah in honor of the new one, is as if
they are saying: True, you are indeed a new sefer Torah,
a new sheet of parchment and new ink. But with this you
are being tested: You must be a continuation of the old
sifrei Torah, those who have gone through three
thousand years of exile and decrees, thousands of years of
dispersion, with nothing having been changed in them. Exactly
the same sefer Torah is found in the entire Diaspora,
around the world.
The joyous event was concluded at midnight with enthusiastic
dancing and singing. Doubtless, the impression that it left
on its participants will stay with them for a long time, with
an intensification of the power of Torah and kedusha.
And in this merit, may we have a good year, with the
coming of Moshiach soon in our days.
