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NEWS
Friends of the Mirrer Yeshiva Gather in Paris
by S. Fried
"If even one word of Torah study protects the entire
generation when calamity occurs, how immense is the
protection affected by the Torah studied by the Mirrer
Yeshiva's 5000 talmidim. Torah study takes place
twenty hours a day in the Mir, under all circumstances: in
the main study hall, on the stairs, and in every corner of
this illustrious edifice in which students cling to the
Borei Olom," said HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi, one of the
roshei yeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva, in his opening
remarks at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Mirrer
Yeshiva held after Shavuos in Paris.
The Beit Yisroel hall in Paris was filled to capacity.
Throughout the evening, photographs of the packed Mirrer
Yeshiva beis medrash were projected onto a screen,
with the sounds of the Torah study in the background:
Continuous Torah study under all circumstances. This year's
gathering was held in the shadow of the current difficult
situation in Israel and prevailing antisemitic tension and
incitement in France.
HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi has been going to France every
Shavuos for the past thirty years, delivering shiurim
to the Jewish community of the town of Saracelle, which is
today a focal point of Arab and other antisemitic incidents.
Scores of Jews from Saracelle and the environs stream to his
shiurim on Shavuos night and to droshos in the
local synagogues. On erev Shavuos, HaRav Ezrachi, who
was the guest of Yeshivas Yad Mordechai, spoke about
kabolas haTorah.
"The solution," he said, "is neither with the Right nor the
Left. There is only one genuine solution. We have reached a
situation in which we have no one on whom to rely, except
for Ovinu shebaShomayim. We are obligated to study
Torah, to do mitzvos and to be yirei Shomayim. We are
connected to the Borei Olom and have nothing to fear.
Every year, when I come here, I tell everyone that he must
study Torah every day. The Torah protects us and the entire
generation."
The dais was graced by the following roshei yeshiva
and rabbonim: HaRav Yitzchok Katz, head of the institutions
and yeshivos of Yad Mordechai; HaRav Mordechai Rottenberg,
the moro de'asra; heads of the chareidi community and
of the Federation of the Kehillos of Paris; Chief Rabbi of
France, HaRav Yosef Sitruk; and Chief Rabbi of Paris, HaRav
David Mashash.
HaRav Avraham Elchadad of Saracelle delivered an address in
which he described the Mirrer Yeshiva where more than a
hundred French students and avreichim study.
HaRav Sitruk said, "The Jews of France live under the
pressure generated by public opinion. No one has a solution.
Hakodosh Boruch Hu created the world with middas
hadin, which means that logically, he who is strongest
will prevail. However, this conception applies to non-Jews.
In respect to the Jewish Nation, middas horachamim
prevails. We are a nation that arouses middas
horachamim above, and if we behave with rachamim,
we shall draw forth rachamim from above. We must help
the yeshiva with middas horachamim in a manner that
defies all logical considerations."
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