(Click HERE for photos) This past week, scores of tourists, snowbirds and Miami Beach residents partook in the Miami Beach Community Kollel’s second annual Yarchei Kallah. The Yarchei Kallah brought together Ballei Battim and Rabbonim from around the country to spend up to a week of intensive learning together with the local Kollel yungerleit.

For much of the world, winter is the time when people stay at home, things tend slow down and many dream of a warm vacation. But in Miami, winter is the busy season. It is the time when locals have to contend with lots of visiting friends and relatives, when the streets and stores are filled with tourist and retirees. It is also the time of the year when many Rabbonim, Roshei Yeshivos, and Rebbes from around the world come to visit. Miami offers a warm vacation with all the amenities needed by frum people. It has hundreds of daily minyanim, dozens of Kosher restaurants and groceries and a Yiddishe environment. The winter is also the time when the Miami Beach Community Kollel offers its annual Yarchei Kallah.

All too often, throughout the year, people find themselves just too busy to take the extra time for serious learning. It is with this in mind that Miami Beach Community Kollel offers the opportunity to incorporate intense learning into an otherwise regular winter vacation.. The events are set up in a way to maximize opportunities for the many vacationers in Miami. Each day had its own sugya so that even someone who is unable to attend the entire program can still participate. The schedule combines active sedorim, intense shiurim and inspiring drashos with plenty of free recreation time to enjoy the relaxing Miami weather. Inspiring evening and Shabbos afternoon drashos were also offered for local residents, both men and women, who are not on vacation.

The Yarchei Kallah program consisted of daily, in-depth morning learning seder followed by a pilpul shiur and evening drashos. Each morning Shacharis was followed by a hot breakfast supplied by Shemtovs Restaurant. The breakfast served as a pleasant opportunity for the participants, whom hailed from all over the United States and Canada, to shmooze and get to  know eachother and the Kollel yungerleit, thereby leaving the sedorim for uninterrupted learning. The two hour  morning seder consisted of learning the sugya with the Ma’are Mikomos for each day’s shiur. Ballei Battim learned bichavrusa with Kollel yungerleit or amongst themselves. The morning pilpul shiurim on a variety of sugyos relating to the Melachos of Shabbos were given by local or visiting Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva.  Magidei Shiur included Rav Shmuel Yeshaya Keller of Telshe Chicago, Rav Tzvi Elyahu Meir Schmelczer of North Miami Beach Community Kollel, Rav Binyomin Luban Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Chiam in North Miami Beach, Rav Moshe Tuvia Leiff from Minneapolis, MN and Telshe Rosh Hayeshiva Rav Yitzchok Sorotzkin Shlita. The hasmadah and Ruach Hatorah during the morning seder and shiurim was a unique experience for the many men  involved it was a reminder of their days spent in Yeshiva. 

The Rosh Kollel’s weekly Wednesday morning woman’s teffilah shiur was attended by dozens of the women whose husbands were attending the morning learning seder.

On Monday evening the world acclaimed speaker Rav Ephriam Shapiro shlita gave a powerful and inspiring drosha entitled ‘Extending Kedushas Shabbos Throughout the Week’. He spoke about the aura and Kedusha of Shabbos as the epitome of both the previous week and the following week. Thursday evening Rav Moshe Tuia Leiff shlita spoke about the beauty that is so often missed in our rush to be ready for Shabbos. These evening drashos attracted many local residents and even many additional vacationers.

The Rosh Hayeshiva,  Rav Yitzchok Sorotzkin Shlita joined the Kollel for Shabbos. He delivered the pilpul shiur on Friday morning. Friday night he davened at the Ahavas Torah Shteible to give hadracha to the shul whose Rav was an Avreich of the Miami Beach Community Kollel for many years. He spoke to the Mispallim about the importance of Achdus and the need for communities to  work together for the betterment of the whole. On Shabbos morning, the Rosh Hayeshiva spoke passionately about the Kollel’s fire and its rebuilding effort. On Shabbos afternoon before mincha he gave a shmooze to men and women about the Seudas Achashverosh and the importance of not being taken in by all the materialism in today’s world.

Sunday morning the Yarchei Kallah ended with a siyum Hakallah breakfast. Again the Rosh Hayeshiva inspired all with his drasha. He spoke about Ahavas HaShem and the importance for yungerleit to be concerned with the spiritual growth of the community at large.

The Kiddush Hashem and inspirations created by the week of extra in-depth learning had a tremendous effect on all who participated. The good will and friendships forged by all involved also serve as a chizzuk fo the Miami Beach Community Kollel and its Yungerleit who spend winter and summer learning and teaching Torah in Miami. The Yarchei Kallah has become the highlight of the winters of so many participants.