Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah, located in the Jerusalem neighborhood
of Talpiot, held its Annual Scholarship Dinner on the 14th of
Tammuz with the participation of the rosh hayeshiva,
HaRav Chaim Kreiswirth, chief rabbi of Antwerp, Belgium, who
has headed the Yeshiva and guided it since its founding.
The Yeshiva was founded in 1970 by the rosh hayeshiva
and his close talmid, HaRav Aryeh Rottman, menahel
ruchani, who has inspired hundreds of students with his
deep devotion. In its close to thirty years of existence the
Yeshiva has produced bnei Torah of the highest quality
from bochurim from the United States and Europe. These
bochurim who often only intended to stay for a year,
end up staying for many years, absorbing Torah, yiras
Shomayim and middos tovos.
The dinner was held at the Heichlei Tamir Hall for the many
friends of the Yeshiva, its supporters, graduates, and
rabbonim. The keynote address was given by the rosh
hayeshiva, HaRav Kreiswirth. He inspired the audience
with a lengthy exposition regarding kovod haTorah
being the secret of the survival of true Judaism
throughout the generations. Basing himself on the subject as
presented in the Ya'aros Devash by HaRav Yonoson
Eibeschitz, zt"l, HaRav Kreiswirth pointed out that
great and well- known communities declined and disappeared
only because they did not honor the Torah properly. This is
what the Novi said: "Why was the land destroyed? Because they
left My Torah," which the Sages explained to mean that they
did not make the blessing on the Torah first, namely, they
did not honor the Torah properly, and did not recite the
blessing on the mitzvah of learning Torah with the proper
intensity.
The participants of the dinner had the further enjoyment of
watching a video of the celebration held for the siyum
of the completion of the study of the tractate
Kesuvos, learned last winter in the Yeshiva. At the
siyum, the Yeshiva students received prizes for having
learned the tractate by heart, and for passing the test on
the entire tractate which was given by the rosh
hayeshiva. Also, present at the siyum was the
famous Mashgiach, the foremost mussar
personality of our times, HaRav Shlomo Wolbe. In his
address to the students he was very moved, and noted that he
is strengthened by the siyum, which shows the
dedication of the students of Mercaz HaTorah.
The dinner ended leaving everyone feeling uplifted and full
of ambition for a future of even greater achievements.
