“Rabbosai, THIS is the time!” said the venerable Rosh Yeshiva of Mir, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi, shlita, his voice shaking with passion and emotion. “We all have to make a decision, a decision that will impact the rest of our lives! We have to decide, now, at this exalted maamad that we will learn Torah EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY!”
“YES!” the crowd erupted in unison.
Rav Ezrachi, energized by the enthusiasm of the crowd, then exclaimed, “I want all of you to repeat after me and say: ‘I WANT TO LEARN TORAH!’”
The powerful response, three times, shook the rafters at the Les Dock De Paris Auditorium in downtown Paris.
Rav Ezrachi’s drasha was one of the emotional highlights in a night full of climaxes and crescendos at the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Siyum on the machzor sheini and the siyum on Seder Moed of Daf HaYomi held last week in Paris.
Not only was the gala siyum in France a manifestation of Chosson Torah, of celebrating the completion of a Torah milestone, but even more so, it was Chosson Bereishis, a celebration of the many thousands of Jews from all over France to accept upon themselves the ol Torah of daily learning whether it be halacha or Gemara. That was a constant theme, not only in Rav Ezrachi’s keynote address but also very prominently in that of Dirshu’s Nasi Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, and the many French Rabbanim who hailed from a multitude of communities including the larger communities of Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg and Nice.
Among the leading Rabbanim of France who addressed the event was Rav Yechieh Tubal, Av Beis Din of Lyon; Rav Michoel Schmerla, Av Beis Din of Strasbourg; Rav Yehuda Toledano, Rosh Yeshiva Chazon Baruch; Rav Yitzchok Katz, Rosh Yeshivas Yad Mordechai; Rav Dovid Benisho, Rosh Yeshivas Nishmas Yisroel; Rav Michoel Benita, Av Beis Din Kehal Yereim of Paris; Rav Boruch Pargi, Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Torah; and tens of other distinguished Rabbanim.
Although the siyum in France was the largest siyum in Europe it was by no means the only siyum. There were siyumim in London, Manchester and Gateshead in England, as well as a siyum in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Worldwide Siyumim also had ample representation on the other side of the equator with siyumim held in Australia and South Africa at the beginning of the week and a large siyum slated to be held in Argentina next month.
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