“There is no other option. There are no shortcuts. The ONLY option is a true bond with the Torah, a neshama bond with the Torah.”

These words of Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi of Dirshu were said during a visit to Yeshivas Acheinu in Kiryat Sefer last month. 

On his trip to Eretz Yisrael, Rav Hofstedter visited many mosdos of Acheinu, Dirshu’s kiruv arm, where hundreds of talmidim learn. During the course of his trip, he visited and gave chizuk to various kehillos that have been living under the scepter of war and constant fear of attack since the terrible events of Simchas Torah 5784/October 7, 2023. 

Rav Hofstedter visited and gave chizuk to the communities in the Gaza envelope that were attacked and overrun by the bloodthirsty Hamas terrorists. He also met with members of those communities, some of whom are slowly undergoing a religious transformation. Most notably he met with community leaders and individuals from the yishuv of Nir Oz, currently home to a small community of new baalei teshuva. 

In addition, he visited and spoke at Yeshivah L’Tze’irim, of mosdos Mayan Chaim V’Shalom in Ashkelon, a city that endured much terror and indiscriminate bombing in the aftermath of October 7. The Yeshiva is an exceptional yeshiva that caters to second generation children of baalei teshuva. 

Without a doubt, his visits to the Yeshivos of Acheinu in Kiryat Sefer and Petach Tikva were deeply inspiring. During his visits, Rav Hofstedter had the privilege of meeting both the talmidim of the Yeshivos and the staff, the devoted avreichim who accompany these young men on their journey not just to observance but to becoming true bnei Torah in every sense of the word. Besides paying tribute to them and their avodas hakodesh, Rav Hofstedter recognized that what these special avreichim do for these boys from such diverse backgrounds is far more than a job. He stressed that they are performing a labor of love as they act as role models and mentors, helping the boys navigate the often-complex journey from families that are not observant or minimally so, to becoming mainstream bnei Torah who learn in some of the most elite yeshivos in Eretz Yisrael. 

The most important thing that Rav Hofstedter stressed is that a bachur should truly feel a bond with the Torah, a true satisfaction from learning. When he truly feels that he is special, that Torah is special, his neshama will feel it. At that point, he will feel the same connection with the Torah that a child feels to his mother, a truly unbreakable bond!