by COLlive reporter
Rabbi Zalman Shneur, Director of the Menachem Education Foundation (MEF) and a resident of Crown Heights, recently marked his 40th birthday with a special Siyum.
The husband and father who has dedicated himself to bettering the educational standards of Chabad schools around the world, marked the day with a Siyum on the entire Shas.
At an event held in Crown Heights, family and friends gathered for a festive dinner to mark the occasion.
Addressing the evening were Rabbi Leibel Kaplan – Rosh Yeshiva of Montreal Yeshiva, and 770 Mashpiim Rabbi Shloime Zarchi and Rabbi Kuti Feldman.
During the event, Rabbi Shneur told the story of his completing the entire Shas, a journey that took 6 years.
“6 years ago on 4 Sivan, just before Shavuos, I was at the Ohel,” he said. “It’s a special day, because it says in Hayom Yom on that day that if you take on a hachlota to learn Torah, the satan cannot mix in, and the hachlota will be fulfilled,” he said.
Rabbi Shneur related that he asked for a bracha from the Rebbe to be able learn Gemara in a proper way on a steady basis.
“One hour later, as I was davening mincha, my phone rang,” he said. After davening, he called back, and it was a friend of his whom he had not spoken to in 10 years.
“My friend said that he’s looking for a chavrusa to learn with, and I couldn’t believe it,” Shneur said. “We agreed to learn every morning at 6 AM, and for 2 years we learned every day.”
Shneur has continued learning every day since then, and now, in honor of his birthday, he made this special siyum.
Truly an inspiration that hopefully we can all emulate.
Let us know when u have finished it a second time.
I BH have finished it 3 times
It took you each time?
L’arichas yomim veshonim toivos!!
Mazel Tov!!