Think big …
really big!

That is just one of the many trademarks Heichal HaTorah has come to expect from its rosh hayeshiva and dean, Rav Aryeh Stechler. Launching Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck in 2013 with 17 talmidim required thinking big, and he’s never looked back. Everyone knows that Rav Stechler thinks big. So it was no surprise when this year’s campaign emerged as stage one of a two-year plan to raise $5 million to refurbish and renovate the yeshiva’s beit midrash, transforming it into a glorious Heichal Mikdash m’at. Funds will also be used to provide scholarships. The campaign donations were generously matched five times over by 48 key donors.

The evening featured a video dedicated to the influence and accomplishments of Rabbi Avi Oberlander, z”l, followed by Rav Stechler’s personal tribute. The event was held at the Brightstone in Passaic, which was quietly yet magnificently lit and arranged to facilitate the dual atmosphere of honoring the memory of Rabbi Oberlander and anticipating the festive arrival of Lag B’Omer after sunset. Each table was dressed with copies of the recently launched hardback sefer, “Heichal Zemiros Avraham,” a resplendent tribute to the musically spiritual influence of Rabbi Oberlander. Also on each table were custom boxed flash drives by the Heichal choir of their new album, “Shabbos with Rebbe.”

While the talmidim enjoyed a dinner buffet outside with a kumzitz style a capella performance by vocalist Beri Weber, dinner guests inside were wowed with a lavish buffet of sushi and salads, carving stations, Asian cuisine, American “picnic” cuisine, soups and more. Dessert included lava cookie cakes, decadent and delicious loaf cakes, fresh seasonal, continental and exotic fruit, a sundae station, and the always welcome fresh hot cookie station complete with take-home baggies.

The evening was short on speeches and long on reverence, laced in elegance. Rav Stechler spoke with heartfelt appreciation and great eloquence, blending the loss and sadness with the special influence and unique contributions of Rabbi Oberlander, who was the Judaic studies principal as well as rebbe extraordinaire. Expounding on many of those special attributes, Rav Stechler stated that “He was what a rebbe should be, someone a talmid can speak to for the rest of his life.”

Continuing, he gave testament to the fact that the rebbe’s overarching objective was to provide “Everything that the talmidim need to be successful men, a life of being the greatest they can be, to experience inner peace and to feel shlaimus (wholeness of self) by inspiring and elevating each one. Exemplifying this concept in their vocal tribute were the words of the Heichal choir, “He saw me for the person within.”

With 1,700 donors and almost 8oo guests in attendance, Rav Stechler expressed profound appreciation for the amazing response to “Building Our Bais.” Referencing Hashem as being the “greatest artist,” he explained the purpose of the splendor we see in the Torah’s description of the first Mishkan.

The parallel to this splendor is what drives the motivation for Heichal HaTorah: thinking big and designing a beautiful and welcoming place for the talmidim, and ultimately the community, to perpetuate their learning and growth. Through this concept, concluded Rav Stechler, “We need to know that each of us is ‘Hashem’s most cherished work of art.’” The mizrach wall décor surrounding the Aron Kodesh in the renovated Heichal beit midrash will be a visual replica of the Kotel, internalizing the message that “Torah matters.”

The evening concluded outdoors with the traditional bonfire, ignited by Rav Reuven Tzvi Schechter, Heichal mashgiach, and spirited dancing to the vocals of Weber.

To “add your brick” to the Heichal beit midrash, donations can be made to “Raising Our Bais” by visiting the donation website at raisingourbais.org.

Ellie Wolf is a longtime staff writer with The Jewish Link. She frequently writes about health and health-related business topics, with a lifetime career history as a healthcare provider herself. She also provides specialized training for adults who are afraid of the water, as well as for local and international mikvah associations in the training of mikvah attendants on the compassionate and effective management of this issue with clients.