PHOTO LINK BELOW: The Yarchei Kallah — some 200 baalebatim are now here at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem, which they’ve transformed into a yeshiva lechol davar, plunging straight into the sugiya of Tefillin — Gemara, Rishonim and Poskim.

“It’s striking, sometimes, when in the middle of explaining something to your chavrusa, you look up and see, to your surprise, that the people around you creating this boisterous learning atmosphere aren’t yeshiva bachurim but men who for the most part are well after their yeshiva years,” comments a participant.

“If you close your eyes,” adds his chaveir, “you’d think you were in one of the leading yeshiva gedolas.”

Indeed, the gedolei Yisrael have all commented on the earnestness of the baalebatim in this weeklong expression of where their hearts truly lie — in the daled amos of halacha. Moreover, the gedolim note the unique mesirus nefesh of this year’s Yarchei Kallah in particular, that despite war in Gaza and a recession back home, the attendance this year has only grown, and despite the news of Grad missiles reaching Beersheva (Hashem yishmor al amo) — no one cancelled.

Shiurim of Harav Asher Weiss and Harav Moshe Chodosh

Reb Shlomo Gottesman, co-chairman of Torah Projects of Agudath Israel, introduced the first speaker, Harav Asher Weiss, Av Beis Din, Darchei Horaah and Rosh Yeshivas Darchei Torah. This was a hakdama shiur to open up the sugiya of Tefillin, which Harav Weiss did by citing source after source of the Rambam, each adding an aspect of the essence of this mitzva — is the main part the placing, or the binding, or its being on the arm and head? He then went deeper into the question of the required time of this mitzva — all day (as in ancient times), every day, and how much of the day? This part of the shiur involved in-depth comparisons with other sections of Torah, and took us from Gemarra to Rishonim to the Rogatchover and Harav Weiss’ own chiddushim on the subject.

After introductory remarks by Reb Gedaliah Weinberger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Agudas Yisrael, Harav Moshe Chodosh, Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Elchonon gave a shiur on the famous machlokess Rashi-Rabbeinu Tam on the order of the parshiyos within the Tefillin. This isn’t the place to go into the intricacies, but he concluded with a fascinating chiddush: Our tefillin are arranged in a way that a “reader” standing opposite the wearer can see the parshiyos in the order the appear in Torah. So, too, Harav Chodosh suggested, the “Tefillin of Hakadosh Baruch Hu” serve the purpose of being “seen,” as it were, by Am Yisrael. And what do these tefillin say? Mi k’amcha Yisrael!

Shiurim of Harav Pinchos Friedman and Harav Dovid Cohen

Harav Pinchos Friedman, head of the Belz Kollelim gave a lomdisheh shiur on the essence of Tefillin that, as will be the case for almost all matters of iyun and halacha, goes beyond the purview of this article.

He noted that the Medrash states that a person’s left side is keneged the yetzer hora, which is particularly eager to convince us that our strength is what brings about our achievements — the idea of kochi ve’otzem yodi. This fundamental error is confronted head on by the tefillin shel yad, which bind the hand, and only after this binding, this reigning in of the yetzer hora’s approach of kochi ve’otzem yodi, can we begin now to elevate our thoughts and feelings, symbolized in placing the tefillin shel rosh.

There was much more, as of course there was to iyun shiur of Harav Cohen, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron, but for this, one can either look in the sefarim or wait until the participants come home and test them. The fury of questions his points raised and the intense iyun was quite a mental workout, yet after the shiur, as in all the other shiurim, the participants kept the Rabbonim busy with lively give-and-take on the material.

Harav Nisan Kaplan, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas Mir

In a halacha shiur brimming with tension and excitement, Harav Kaplan delved into the significance of “tying” tefillin, with important halachic ramifications concerning tying on Shabbos as well. Test participants when they come home by asking if they hold of the Avnei Nezer or the Mishna Berura concerning the kesher of tefillin, or ask about Rabbeinu Tam’s bringing down the neshama of Moshe Rabbeinu to settle a halachic dispute between himself and Rabbeinu Eliyahu (al pi Seder Hadoros).

Harav Shmuel Auerbach, Rosh Yeshivas Maalos HaTorah

One of the greatest benefits of the Yarchei Kalla, most would agree, is the close contact it offers with the Gedolei Yisrael. Just observing Harav Shmuel Auerbach was a lesson in emunas chachamim. His heartfelt words focused on how to deal with yissurim, great or small, and particularly with the dangers and financial crisis being faced today.
What is the connection between the verse “it is good for a man to bear a yoke in his youth” in Eichah? Harav Auerbach asked. He answered by offering a unique perspective on tragedy, particularly the churban beis Hamikdash: One may naturally view the churban as a remote tragedy in the history of Am Yisrael, but the challenge is to see in it the “youth,” as it were, of the next beis Hamikdash, meaning that yissurim should inspire us to make a still deeper cheshbon nefesh and propel us to higher level of perfection in avodas Hashem.
Afterwards followed an inspiring dinner by Shuvu, in which scores of children from Shuvu’s Rishon Letzion branch met, talked and danced with the baalebatim. Chinuch Atzmai Chairman Rabbi Avraham Yosef Leizerson spoke on the historic, miraculous work of Shuvu, in which children continuously bring their families closer to Yiddishkeit.

Harav Ahron Yehuda Leib Shteinman and Harav Nosson Tzvi Finkel

The excitement in the lobby was palpable at the Ramada last night as Yarchei Kalla participants and many others awaited the arrival of Harav Ahron Yehuda Leib Shteinman and Harav Nosson Tzvi Finkel.

Harav Finkel noted that the world is experiencing extraordinary trials and difficulties, and praised the baalebatim, who have merited to be marbeh shalom in the world through their limud HaTorah.

Harav Shteinman noted that one of the chassadim Hashem placed in the world is that things don’t always go well, and that the need to cope with hardships builds a person’s character.
Harav Shteinman noted that just as in material matters, one’s personal needs, such as nutrition and sleep, cannot be fulfilled vicariously, so, too, in ruchaniyus, one Jew cannot fulfill a mitzva for another. However, Hashem placed in creation the ability for a person to gain the reward of Torah study through supporting another’s learning, because Torah is the sole purpose for the world’s existence. He went on to question that while people may have lost tens of millions of dollars in recent financial upheavals, were these people who gave maaser? He added that the Steipler and others were careful to give chomesh — a fifth of their earnings to tzedaka.

In between the drashos of the Roshei Yeshiva, Reb Weinberger noted that yesterday marked the completion of Rabbi Shmuel Bloom’s 34-year career at Agudas Yisrael, and expressed appreciation on behalf of all present for his record of achievements in helping Klal Yisrael. Rabbi Bloom noted Agudah’s hakaras Hatov to Harav Shteinman in guiding the organization in the founding of the Yarchei Kalla.

PHOTO LINK BELOW: Click HERE for photos by Yehuda Boltshauser.

(By Leib Amdurski)