Siyum Harambam of Los Angeles Held at Beverly Hills Hotel

By COLlive reporter
Photos: BH Studio

This past Wednesday night, on the eve of Lag Baomer, the central Siyum Harambam of Chabad of the West Coast took place in the ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

The evening began with the viewing of a sicha of the Rebbe about the completion of the learning of Rambam, and the recital of the Rebbe’s kapital in Tehillim by Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, Head Shliach of the West Coast.

The program was emceed by Rabbi Yossi Gordon, who interspersed his introductions of each of the prestigious speakers with memories of his father Rabbi Josh Gordon OBM, famous for his online classes on the daily Rambam.

Rabbi Ezra Schochet, Rosh Yeshiva Ohr Elchanan Chabad of Los Angeles, completed the year-long cycle of learning with the reading of the last Halacha of the Rambam, continuing with an explanation of the time period of Moshiach discussed in the Halacha.

Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn, Dean of Yeshivat Yavneh in Los Angeles, delivered the guest address on the topic of the “middle path” discussed in the Rambam. Rabbi Einhorn pointed out how this balance is reserved for worldly matters, but in spiritual matters a Jew’s devotion to Hashem must be total and complete, illustrating this from multiple examples throughout the fourteen Sifrei Yad Hachazaka of the Rambam.

The keynote was given by Rabbi Avraham Zajac, Director of Chabad of SOLA (South La Cienega), who enlivened the crowd with his passionate words and great excitement for the learning of the daily Rambam. Rabbi Zajac encouraged the crowd that “instead of working Rambam into your schedule, you should work your schedule around the Rambam.”

Throughout the event, a special multimedia presentation was shown, with personal testimony from individuals who gave it their all to successfully complete the entire Rambam.

Rabbi Yosef Shusterman, the posek and rov of Chabad of Beverly Hills in California, started the new cycle of learning Rambam, with the reading and explanation of the first Halacha of Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah.

The night concluded with thank you’s to all the participating Shuls and Mosdos, to Rabbi Yossi Cunin for arranging the venue, to Rabbi Kesselman and Rabbi Zajac for their work behind the scenes, and the Shluchim of Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad for putting together this inspirational and uplifting event.

The hundreds of participants left uplifted and with renewed vigor, dedicated to another year of learning Rambam.

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