Just a few days before Shavuos, over 300 MTA students, parents, and rebbeim got together for a special Torah celebration of their own, marking the fifth annual YUHSB yeshiva-wide Siyum in Yeshiva University’s Furst Hall. The complete massechtos learned by the various talmidim included Ta’anis, Sotah, and Shabbos.
The festive evening began with a keynote speech by YU/RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Mayer Twersky, who spoke about the relationship between parents who bring a child into the world physically and rebbeim, who help bring that same child into another kind of world through the teaching of Torah. Student speakers representing their classmates included Yisrael Ben Porat, who completed Masseches Sotah; Aryeh Burg and Ezra Epstein, who concluded Masseches Ta’anis, and Yitzchak Shama, who recited the Kaddish following the Hadrans. Yehoshua Szafranski, who finished all of Masseches Shabbos, was unable to be present due to a last-minute scheduling conflict.
Rabbi Steven Burg, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, himself an MTA alumnus and now the parent of an 11th grader, shared personal comments about the importance of such Torah events as well as the nachas they generate
The program concluded with a Dvar Torah by Yoni Kornblau, followed by closing remarks from MTA Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Michael Taubes, who stressed the importance of associating Torah study with enjoyable experiences which will enable students to radiate joy and happiness when achieving success in their learning.
