[VIDEO & PHOTO LINKS BELOW] What is Agudas Yisroel’s Yarchei Kalla in Yerushalayim?

If you follow this 4-day ma’amad, you may be able to get an idea. Facts and impressions will have to suffice for those who are not here to witness this awesome display of ahavas HaTorah firsthand.

Facts: Close to 200 men (and over 60 women), almost all of them busy year-round in businesses and professions have recently touched down in Eretz Yisroel after breaking away from their full schedules, traveling to Eretz Yisroel, dedicating a solid week to in-depth Limud HaTorah in Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh.

“In-depth” means serious, intent preparations for shiurim given by Gedolei Yisroel; this was the scene yesterday at Jerusalem’s Ramada Hotel — where most participants, though still jet-lagged and fresh from the airport, were sitting at long rows of tables, poring intently over the sugya of Rav Eliezer d’mila.

After several hours of solid preparations, the shiurim began. A stranger peeking in on the scene would logically assume that a high-level Beis Medrash shiur was in progress, with hundreds of elite talmidim following intently, many writing notes, interrupting occasionally with questions; the subject matter anything but light drush — this was delving into gufei Torah.
Harav Asher Weiss, Av Beis Din, Darchei Horaha and Rosh Yeshivas Darchei Torah plunged straight into the major issues of bris mila, citing from sources throughout Shas Bavli, Yerushalmi, Rishonim and Acharonim for their answers:

What is the definition of bris? Is it a positive mitzvah based on a maaseh or a negative mitzvah of not being an areil? Is it a mitzvas asseh shehazman gerama, or is it ongoing? What is the extent of beis din’s responsibility and does it include the infant’s mother? Can proof of this be brought (as the Sefer Hamakneh does) from the bris done by Tzipora for Moshe Rabbeinu’s sons? If one is patur from the mitzvah and does it, is he a chovel? Would this be docheh Shabbos? And what about shelichus?

“You’ll need at least a month just to see all the sugyos that as much as touch on inyanei mila,” explained Harav Pinchos Friedman, Rosh Hakollelim, Belz, as he launched into a shiur iyun besugya d’kalla, making ample use of the fastidiously crafted sefer, thick as a phone book and mapped out to guide participants through the sugyos, directing the lomdim to the right line and kneitch of a Rishon or Acharon. He discussed the connection between dam mila and dam Pesach, as explained by the 2nd Belzer Rebbe, Reb Yehoshua. They both represent mesirus nefesh; dam Pesach represents the one-time extraordinary challenge that we often face, and dam mila represents the constant call for mesirus nefesh.

“Sos anoichi al imrosecha, k’motzei shalal rav – zu mitzvas mila.” Both Rav Gedaliah Weinberger and Rav Shlomo Gottesman, the co-chairmen of Agudas Yisroel’s Torah Projects Commission spoke on this theme, both noting the hard economic times that kept some frequent attendees away this year. That notwithstanding, with tremendous siyatta deShemaya, attendance has grown.

While all this was going on, the women participants at this year’s Yerushalayim Yarchei Kalla were at Kever Rachel, guided by the Kever Rachel Foundation’s director, Mrs. Miriam Adani, who prepared them beforehand with an inspirational audio-visual presentation on the history and significance of the site.

YWN VIDEO & PHOTO LINKS: (Credits: Refael Ovadia / Kuvien Images)

For photos click on the following link http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/photos.php?albumid=5428198568032568673

For a video click on the following link http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/video_viewer.php?clip=o_LoojEYj5w&player=y

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