A massive crowd joined the Skulener Rebbe, shlita, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, shlita, and other prominent Admorim and Rabbanim to celebrate the Dirshu siyum on Seder Nashim in the Daf Yomi cycle at the Ateres Chynka Hall in Brooklyn.
When the Skulener Rebbe—who rarely leaves his home and beis medrash—slowly entered the hall, there was a palpable hush and electricity in the room. The fact that the Rebbe made the tremendous effort to come infused the many hundreds of Dirshu lomdim and test-takers with profound chizuk at the realization of how much the senior gedolim of our generation value their accomplishments and what their efforts and those of their wives are doing for the entire Klal Yisrael.
The joyous, impulsive dancing was made even more inspiring by the shining countenance of the Skulener Rebbe, who, despite his age and infirmity, enthusiastically danced accompanied by the seemingly endless rows of people dancing and clapping their hands. The simchas haTorah of the mesaymim filled the air.
Esteemed rebbeim included the Klausenberger Rebbe; HaRav Moshe Weinberger, shlita; HaRav Dovid Olewski, shlita; Dovid Hofstedter, shlita; and HaRav Shlomo Cynamon, shlita.
One of the moving, very personal moments of the evening was when the chairman, Rav Leibish Langer, related how the sefarim teach that when a person makes a simcha, his parents come from the next world to participate in the simcha. “I am sure that at this siyum, a true simcha shel mitzvah, both my mother and the mother of Rav Hofstedter are present.” He explained that the two women were cousins who suffered through the horrors of Auschwitz together. At the very end of the war, during the death march when they were informed that they were headed straight to the gas chambers, Rav Langer’s mother pulled Rav Hofstedter’s mother out of the line. Together, they ran to the forest and were liberated by the Americans two days later.
Rav Hofstedter, in his remarks, continued by saying that the girls were only able to remain alive due to his mother’s mesiras nefesh not to eat chametz on Pesach. “She was forced to hide her Pesach rations. It was that bread that kept the girls alive on the death march as they awaited their liberation. Thus,” Rav Hofstedter exclaimed, “We are only here tonight at this siyum in the zechus of the mesiras nefesh of these two women.”
By Chaim Gold
