A large crowd gathered on Sunday at the Ohr Temimim school in Buffalo, NY, for a community-wide Siyum Harambam, bringing together members from the various shuls and all parts of the community.
Rabbi Mendel Braun opened the event by noting the significance of the day of the actual Siyum, Rosh Chodesh Adar and elaborated on the great joy and simcha the Siyum brings to klal yisroel.
Rabbi Braun then invited Motty Okonov, who had celebrated his Bar Mitzvah the day before, to lead the crowd in reciting the Rebbe’s kappitel.
The audience then turned their attention to the screens, watching as the Rebbe publicly concluded the Rambam for the first time in 5745, reading from the text printed just days earlier for the Buffalo Siyum. The emcee shared the history of that first Siyum forty years ago, highlighting how Buffalo was the first community in the world to hold a Siyum and how the Rebbe accorded that Siyum special recognition.
Rabbi Moshe Gurary, Shliach to Buffalo, concluded the Rambam, followed by Shliach Rabbi Shmaryahu Charitonow, rabbi of Kneset Center who began the new cycle of Rambam. This was followed by a Siyum on Sefer hamitzvos, led by Menachem Mendel Cohen.
The crowd was then treated to a special performance as the boys of Ohr Temimim, who put on a dramatic and humorous reenactment of a story about the Rambam.
The children then went to a separate room for a special program, where they said the pesukim, heard a story and won prizes, while the adults stayed in the main room for a fascinating and informative panel on the Rambam, led by Rabbi Mendel Gurary.
Each panellist offered a unique perspective on the Rambam. Rabbi Shlomo Schachter, Rabbi of congregation Ohr Tzion, began by examining the “eight perokim” of the Rambam and focusing on the guidance the Rambam gives on moral medicine.
Rabbi Avi Okin, Rabbi of Young Israel of Buffalo, delved into hilchos teshuva of the Rambam emphasizing the highest form of serving Hashem through a connection rooted in pure love.
Finally, Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, Rabbi of the JDC of Buffalo, spoke about the unifying power of learning Rambam, how it brings Jews together and hastens the arrival of Moshiach.
The crowd also enjoyed a short film produced for the International Siyum Harambam of 5783, featuring Rabbi Yitzchok Schmukler and Reb Lipa Lieberman, who shared their incredible experiences after committing to strengthen their learning of the Rambam.
The event concluded with joyous music and dancing, led by musician Ben Cohen, in honor of the siyum and the beginning of the month of Adar.
The Siyum Harambam was held in memory of Rabbi Shmuel Butman a”h, the chairman of the International Siyum Harambam.
