“The main teshuva is Torah!” That is what Rav Aharon Kotler teaches us. On Rosh Hashanah we will say, “Teshuva, tefillah, and tzedakah removed the evil decree.” What is teshuva? We say every day in davening Hashiveinu Avinu L’Sorasecha,” the primary teshuva is upgrading our limud Hatorah. The Chofetz Chaim’s sefarim are full of this. We must especially remember this in our times when Klal Yisrael needs so much rachamei shomayim!”

These powerful words were said while overlooking the Kosel by HaGaon HaRav Nissan Kaplan, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Nesiv Daas, at Dirshu’s 10th Annual International Yom Limud and Tefillah, held on 24 Elul/September 27, the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrtzeit. 

Following the asifas tefillah, a gathering held at the hall of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah was addressed by Rav Kaplan and Rav Hofstedter. 

The outpouring of emotion just days before Rosh Hashanah highlighted the difficult matzav and uncertainty about the future that Klal Yisrael is facing. 

The Yom Limud and Tefillah was established by Dirshu to bring all of Klal Yisrael together specifically on the auspicious occasion of the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrzeit just before Rosh Hashanah in unified tefilla on behalf of Klal Yisrael and to encourage the continued learning of the Chofetz Chaim’s sefarim that have such power to invoke rachmei shamayim. 

This year, perhaps more than in any previous year, the Yom Limud and Tefillah resonated in a more profound way – as the world is in real danger. In Eretz Yisrael the danger is obvious, but in America and Europe, the rise of antisemitism and unapologetic Jew hatred in the mainstream is affecting the physical, spiritual and economic health of our community in an unprecedented way. 

This year’s Yom Limud and Tefillah featured a special videocast that began this past Motzoei Shabbos, 25 Elul, and ran throughout Monday. The videocast featured unique chizuk by leading Gedolei Yisrael including, Rav David Ozeri, Rav of Congregation Yad Yosef of Brooklyn, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi Dirshu, Rav Daniel Glatstein, Rav of Kehillas Tiferes Mordechai of Cedarhurst, and Rav Zev Smith, Maggid Shiur Dirshu, Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and Irgun Shiurei Torah. One of the highlights of the videocast was the historical footage of HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, zt”l, wherein he gives detailed hadracha for Bnei Torah on how to succeed in learning. 

In addition to the Yom Tefillah and videocast, the special programing for schools on the Chofetz Chaim was a resounding success.  

Throughout diverse communities across the United States and Canada, a wide range of some 200 schools that represented the entire panoply of Orthodox Jewry, participated in the Yom Limud and Tefillah school programs. Whether it was Ashkenazim, Sefardim, Chassidim, Yeshiva types, Day Schools, Chadarim, Bais Yaakovs; all of them were represented at Dirshu’s Yom Limud and Tefillah.  They include schools hailing from communities such as Monsey, NY; Lakewood, NJ; Brooklyn, NY; Manhattan, NY; Toronto, Canada; Houston, TX; Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Waterbury, CN; Phoenix, AZ; Passaic, NJ; Denver, CO; Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; and Providence, RI and so many more. 

In Johannesburg, South Africa, a citywide tefillah rally for children was held, where all of the children in the various Torah schools in the city gathered together at the Shaarei Chaim shul to storm the gates of Heaven on behalf of Acheinu Bnei Yisrael. “It was a deeply inspiring event permeated by remarkable achdus,” said Rabbi Ari Taback, Dirshu’s South African Director.

May the zechus of the Chofetz Chaim and all of the tefillos and Torah learned on his yartzeit protect Klal Yisrael and be a zechus for Jews the world over.