The 19th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev is celebrated as the “Rosh Hashanah of Chasidism.” It was on this date in the year 1798 that the founder of Chabad Chasidism, the Alter Rebbe Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), was freed from his imprisonment in Czarist Russia. Following his liberation, he disseminated his teachings on a far broader scale, and with more detailed and “down-to-earth” explanations than before.
In addition to this day being a day of tremendous joy and celebration, The Alter Rebbe established the custom of every community completing the learning of the entire Talmud every year. This is done by dividing the Talmud, each mesechta to be studied by another individual. This past year, for the first time, Teaneck Chabad House spearheaded this project and arranged for the entire Talmud to be learned by members of our community.
To celebrate the momentous occasion of the first yud tet Kislev Siyum HaShas in our community, Friends of Lubavitch of Bergen County is sponsoring an evening of inspiration and joy. In addition to the actual siyum, there will be a full buffet dinner served, live music from Mordy Kurtz of Rogers Park band, and a guest speaker, Rabbi Naftali Silberberg. Rabbi Silberberg is an author, lecturer and writer for Chabad.org. There will also be a signup sheet for those who would like to participate in this coming year’s siyum.
The event will take place Monday, November 22 at 8 p.m. in the Heichal HaTorah ballroom, 70 Sterling Place, Teaneck. The event is dedicated l’ilui nishmat Avraham Shmuel ben Aryeh Leib (Alex Klein) z”l and Aryeh ben Leib z”l. The entire community, men and women, are invited and the event is free of charge. To RSVP, please email [email protected]
