Last night, the students of Yeshivat Mitchabrim entered the inner sanctum for a Siyum (completion ceremony) of Masechet Berachos and a lesson from our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

The students of Yeshivat 'Mitchabrim L'Avodat Hashem' (Connecting to the Service of Hashem) led by Rabbi Binyamin Machlev, may Hashem protect and sustain him, merited for several months to study Masechet Berachos (Tractate Berachot) thoroughly. Even though some of them found the study and diligence difficult, the students persisted with "holy stubbornness" to complete the tractate. As befitting the students' efforts, they merited to enter the inner sanctum for a special Siyum in the presence of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, yesterday, Wednesday, the 5th of Adar I, 5784. It should be noted that in honor of the Siyum, the students prepared special "first fruits" (spiritual offerings) for our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, as a gift of gratitude for the "great tree" that stands and waters all the members of the community.

Even before the Siyum, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, delivered a lesson to the students for about half an hour, in which he spoke about the terrible war taking place in Gaza. The Rav shlit"a added a profound statement: "If we had danced on the night of Simchat Torah until four in the morning, we would have sweetened this (the harsh decrees)!!!" The Rav strengthened the students regarding the greatness of Shmiras Shabbos (observing the Sabbath) and related that during the war, the only settlements that were not harmed were those that merited to take upon themselves the observance of Shabbat, as is known. Of course, during the lesson, the Rav spoke extensively on many topics from all the treasures of the holy Torah. After the lesson, the students completed the tractate with great excitement together with our teacher, the Rav shlit"a. Our teacher, the Rav, encouraged the students to continue studying and completing other tractates, to observe and to perform—may it be His will!