“It’s a revolution!” exclaimed Rabbi Eliezer Feuer, a Learning Director and Rebbi at Camp Agudah in Ferndale, New York. “When I see young bachurim asking the rebbi a shailah on hilchos Yom Kippur in the middle of a major trip, I realize how effective and powerful being part of Dirshu is for these young talmidim.”
Rabbi Menachem Schmelczer, Learning Director and Rebbi at Camp Toras Chaim Tashbar, said, “I can’t believe the impact Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Program for bochrim is making on these kids. After we finish learning that day’s daf, I am surrounded by 13, 14, and 15- year-old bachurim asking, kvetching over every word in the Mishna Berurah. …I had to pinch myself and ask, ‘Is this camp?’”
Rabbi Feuer’s and Rabbi Schmelczer’s enthusiasm for Dirshu’s newest program, the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Camp Program is contagious. Veteran mechanchim and rabbeim in camps admit that they had not anticipated the tremendous success and colossal impact that being part of a Dirshu program would have on the young, impressionable bachurim.
Rav Dovid,Hofstedter visited both Camp Agudah and Camp Toras Chaim Tashbar. It was campers taking the initiative to go over and thank him for enriching their ruchniyus throughout the summer. At Camp Toras Chaim over 170 bachurim from the mesivta division gathered in the Bais Medrash where Rav Hofstedter imparted words of chizuk.
According to Dirshu U.S. Director, Rabbi Ahron Gobioff, “The Daf HaYomi B’Halacha daily Mishna Berurah program is now in the middle of Chelek Vav that delves into the halachos of Yom Tov. The inception of the summer coincided with the program schedule of learning hilchos Rosh Hashanah. Over the course of the summer, Rosh Hashanah was completed, followed by the halachos of Yom Kippur and most recently the program embarked on the halachos of Sukkos.
“The program began this year with five camps: Camp Agudah, Camp Toras Chaim-Tashbar, Camp Degel HaTorah, Camp Rayim Mesivta, and Camp Rayim Junior Staff. “The response,” explains Rabbi Gobioff, “has been nothing short of amazing.”
Dirshu published a special booklet with all of the required learning material and distributed it to the hundreds of bochrim in the program. In addition, Dirshu gives the bochrim weekly chazarah questions with multiple choice answers to assist in their chazarah. The bachurim have enthusiastically taken to the fairly demanding program despite the requisite commitment to learn approximately one page of Mishna Berurah daily, five days a week, with the other two days set aside for chazarah.
The Follow-Up: A Sukkos Bein Hazemanim Program!
In light of the tremendous success of Dirshu’s camp program, Dirshu will be sponsoring a special program for bachurim this coming Sukkos bein hazemanim. The program will feature the learning of hilchos yeshivas (sitting in a) Sukkah. Shiurim with prominent maggidei shiur will be held in the larger communities. The program will run for three weeks, beginning the day following Yom Kippur until the end of bein hazemanim. The exciting program with incentives will be tailor-made for bachurim who, even more than wanting to learn the halachos of Sukkah, want to know them!
Bochrim wishing to join should contact Dirshu at 1-888-5Dirshu
