The Rosh Hayeshiva, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, and Rosh Yeshiva Rav Binyomin Carlebach visited Toronto on Sunday, June 11th for a Yom Simchas Libeinu – a special community-wide Day of Learning and Celebration in honor of the Yeshiva’s Bicentennial Year. They were joined by veteran Maggidei Shiur of the Mir, Rav Nissan Kaplan and Rav Shmuel Friedman. A large crowd – including some with no affiliation with the Mir – attended the Yarchei Kallah learning session in the morning; everyone was quickly drawn into the especially selected sugya of eid echad ne’eman be’issurin. After a delicious breakfast, Rav Shmuel Friedman gave the opening shiur, which was followed by a spirited learning seder, and Rav Nissan Kaplan’s iyun shiur. Both rebbeim were very moved with the audience’s involvement in the shiurim. The spent many hours during and after the seder discussing the sugya as well as meeting with many talmidim the rest of the day.

“Our Shul was Yeshivas Mir for a day”, said Rabbi Kalman Ochs of the Viewmount shul, where the events took place; the ruach could even be felt in the hallways. The evening reception, which took place in the shul’s Simcha Hall, drew a large crowd, and was graced by the presence of all of the town’s rabbonim, including Harav Rav Shlomo Miller. The guest speaker was Harav Binyomin Eisenberger, Rav of Bais Medrash Heichal Hatefillah in Boro Park, a Mir alumnus who has many alumni among his devoted mispallelim. The crowd listened attentively as he described the unique way the Mir provides each talmid with a sense of individuality and an opportunity to find his chelek in Torah. The Rosh Hayeshiva, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel spoke about the Yeshiva’s warm and vibrant connection with Toronto. Quite emotionally, he described his feelings during the time he spent at the Yarchei Kallah in the morning. The large number of participants, continued the Rosh Hayeshiva, along with the mesiras nefesh and achrayus of the Toronto community on behalf of the Mir reflect the very same values upon which the Yeshiva is built.