(Received via email) With much appreciation to Hashem Yisborach, the Passaic-Clifton Jewish community received a tremendous infusion of Ruchniyus on Memorial Day, as the Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute (PTI) welcomed a new Sefer Torah into its permanent home at 441 Passaic Avenue. 

The newly written Torah was donated by Mr. Bill Herman and family; in recognition of the longstanding Rebbi to Talmid kesher he has forged with Rabbi Shlomo Singer Shlita, the founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva PTI. We have a tremendous amount of Hakoras Hatov to Mr. Herman and to his entire family. We were also pleased to have present at the Kesiva and Parade; George Herman (father of Bill), Aaron Herman (son of Bill) and Aaron’s Kallah to be, Robin.

The weather threatened but stayed dry, allowing the event to proceed as planned. Children came together with adults, local Rabbonim, politicians, the members of Yeshiva P.T.I. as well as curious onlookers from the neighborhood. The people who had sponsored the day had the privilege of assisting the Soffer in writing a particular letter or word in the Sefer at Rabbi Singer’s home in Passaic from 10:00AM till about 1:00PM. At 1:00 p.m. a large, festive crowd (approximately 300 + people) had gathered outside, eager to begin escorting the new Sefer to its new Makom in the Yeshiva.

The Passaic police force was gracious enough to ban parking, block streets to traffic and insure control. Korns’ Hachnossas Sefer Torah truck was used to pull a float down Brook Avenue, then onto Passaic Avenue and into the Yeshiva at 441 Passaic Avenue. Torches flags and bags were distributed to the kids, balloons were a-flutter, music blared, and Michoel Pruzansky began to sing as the festive float came to life with a large rotating Torah crown. The festive crowd encircled and danced real Leibadik and with lots of Ruach around the float as it made its slow procession, gathering momentum as it neared the Yeshiva. Once there, dozens of people danced on the front lawn, spilling into the yeshiva itself for more dancing, until the penultimate moment, when the new Sefer was placed in the Aron.

We then all went to our spacious outdoor grounds where Rav Singer introduced Rabbi Meir Stern, Shlita the Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva Gedolah of Passaic. Rabbi Stern spoke about the importance of the Torah Shebichsav as a basis for the Torah ShebalPeh that we continue to learn and live by.  State Assemblyman and City Council President Gary Schaer had very nice words to say about the high quality of learning that takes place at Yeshiva PTI. The mayor, the Honorable Samuel Rivera, reminded us that he had been to the Yeshiva’s Chanukas Habayis five years previously and noted how his various constituencies were cooperating to make Passaic a great place to live.   Mr. Herman spoke last and related how it had been his childhood dream to be able to afford to buy his own Sefer Torah, and how gratified he was to be able to arrive at a time in his life when he was able to donate one to the Yeshiva.

Everyone who was there left the yeshiva drained by the heat but filled with a palpable sense of Achdus and purpose.   My we always be Zoche to celebrate many more Simchas amongst Kllal Yisroel.