The Light is the Torah • A Ceremony Honoring the Torah

On Monday, the 10th of Adar, Parshas Tetzaveh, a ceremony honoring the Torah took place. Certificates were distributed to hundreds of students who were tested on thousands of pages of Gemara (Talmud) as part of the 'Natzor Torasi' (Guard My Torah) project at Yeshivat 'Chachma V'Daas' under the "Shuvu Banim - Nechamat Zion" institutions.

The event was held with the participation of great Rabbis, led by the crown of our heads, the Rav, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), in the Cultural Center in Ramot A, in the Holy City of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and established speedily in our days. The conference opened with the entrance of the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, amidst the uplifting singing of hundreds of pure students crying out, "Rescue us from Haman-Amalek...!"

After several minutes of soulful songs, the moderator, the veteran Maggid Shiur (Torah lecturer), the Chassid Rabbi Eliyahu Weiss shlit"a, opened the ceremony with feelings of gratitude. He spoke about the importance of studying Gemara specifically during these exalted days, and the great merit of being a student in Yeshivat Chachma V'Daas, who studies and reviews thousands of pages of Gemara and is tested on them by heart until they are sharp in his mouth. At the end of his remarks, he called upon the Mashpiah (spiritual mentor) Rabbi Eliyahu Plesser, one of the heads of Yeshivat Sfas Emes and Rosh Kollel (head of a post-graduate institute) of 'Beis Yisrael.' He delivered his address and explained what he heard many years ago from the Rav shlit"a regarding the concept of "He overturned the mountain over them like a tub" (a Talmudic metaphor for Sinai). He explained that they saw such miracles that their free choice was taken from them, which is considered as if the mountain was forced upon them. Afterward, Rabbi Itamar Raphael shlit"a spoke to strengthen the students regarding the true meaning of studying the Holy Torah.

Following these uplifting words, the singer Rabbi Eliyahu Marian began to play the holy melody of the "Four Stanzas" and the song "My Soul Thirsts for You" as a great preparation for hearing the words of the Living God emanating from the mouth of the "Angel of Hashem Tzevaot" (a reference to the Rav) before the hundreds of students.

At the conclusion of the melodies, silence fell over the hall, and the Rav shlit"a delivered his holy address with "voices and lightning" (with great intensity). Here is a summary of the words delivered during the lesson:

"We have merited to have such a Yeshiva where students study Ketzos HaChoshen (a complex legal commentary) and Shas (the entire Talmud). The Gemara in Bava Metzia ends with the topic of 'two gardens.' The Semichas Chachamim explains that 'vegetable' (Yerek) refers to the 310 (Shai) worlds, and 'two gardens' refer to the Upper Tzaddik and the Lower Tzaddik. Every student who studies in Chachma V'Daas and receives 'spit' (insults/hardships) merits the 310 worlds. Chachma V'Daas is the Holy of Holies of our generation. 'The mountain like a tub' was not coercion, but rather that a person could not say 'no' due to the abundance of miracles during the Exodus from Egypt. Purim is a miracle the likes of which never was and never will be, like with King Hezekiah where [the enemy army] reached a billion minus one. The kings of the earth and all inhabitants of the world did not believe—no one believed that [the Temple] would be destroyed. The Jewish people should have risen up against the killing of the Kohanim (priests). A decree had already been made, but Hezekiah drove a sword into the Beis Medrash (study hall) and said, 'Anyone who leaves will be stabbed by the sword.' This is the meaning of Rehoboam saying 'scorpions' and the 'children' who advised him. These are the Roshei Yeshiva (heads of academies), and they are called 'children' because even at age 80, one is called a child if he puts his shoe on only one foot. 'My spikenard gave forth its fragrance'—there were such miracles; what reward will they receive? Rabbi Eliezer the Great said, 'I thought I had received my reward.' Because the greatest pleasure is to study Gemara; since the age of 13, I have not left the Gemara. Moses insisted on not going [to Egypt], and it is not understood why, since the Jewish people were suffering. If a person reads the Megillah from the end, he does not fulfill his obligation, because a person must go in order to see what they went through until they reached 'they confirmed and accepted' (the Torah). So the Jewish people saw the miracles; there was the Well of Miriam and the Manna. 'We remember the fish, the watermelons, the cucumbers'—what fish did they get for free? They got beatings for free! Rather, this was the miracle of the women, that fish jumped into their jars. This was because they did not lose their Emunah (faith). They did not agree to divorce. The Chesed L'Avraham says that every baby born is already a 'son of the World to Come' because he needs to rectify. 'One silver bowl'—one needs to rectify the entire sin of Adam HaRishon (the first man). Today there is no Amalek; there are only the 11 klipot (evil forces) of Amalek that waited 11 days until they made the Golden Calf, and it is impossible to escape this except through the study of Torah. On Purim, we rectify the Golden Calf because that [the Torah at Sinai] was under coercion. Today, people aren't even willing to put on Tefillin (phylacteries), but this only created such an awakening that all of Israel put on Tefillin. 'How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel'—this is Chachma V'Daas today, which are 'like flowing brooks, like gardens by a river,' and in this merit, there will be thousands of students."

After about half an hour, the Rav shlit"a finished his holy words, and the pure students came up one after another to receive a certificate signed by the Rav shlit"a. This certificate testifies ten-fold to the level of their diligence and their great knowledge of the hundreds of pages of Gemara studied by each individual within the framework of the 'Natzor Torasi' project of the 'Breslov - Chachma V'Daas' Yeshiva. In the background, the orchestra played Purim songs in the spirit of the holy days that are coming and approaching.

Shortly after 7:30 PM, the Rav shlit"a rose from his holy chair and left the hall to the sound of the singing of hundreds of pure students. They were deeply impressed by the uplifting ceremony, which was well-etched into their hearts that burn with diligence for Torah study. With one voice, they all offered a prayer to merit to fulfill what is said: "They confirmed and accepted it again out of love!"