Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi and Rav Raphael Abuchatzeirah address Amud HaYomi siyum in Buenos Aires.

The floodgates opened!

It happened during the drasha of HaGaon HaTzaddik, HaRav Raphael Abuchatzeirah, shlita. Some 7,000 yidden from Argentina packed into the Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires. The standing room only crowd, both the more than 5,000 men and the nearly 2,000 women in the ezras noshim, were listening as the venerated mekubel began talking about what is happening in shomayim. He said, “Chazal teach that when a large group of Jews gather in honor of Torah to make a siyum on Torah, the power of Torah coupled with the power of so many Jews coming together creates a tremendous, powerful eis ratzon, opportune time for tefillos to be answered.

“There are so many things that we need from Hashem. Our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael are involved in a war against a cruel, implacable enemy. The Jewish people all over the world are in danger. So, so many people have their own personal difficulties. Even since arriving here in Buenos Aires, so many wonderful Jews have come to me begging me to pray for them. This one needs a child, the other needs parnasa, the third needs nachas from the children, the fourth needs a shidduch and the fifth needs shalom bayis. We all have so many things to ask from Hashem. NOW is the time to daven. It is an eis ratzon…”

At that moment, R’ Shlomo Cohen began to sing Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael and was joined by thousands as the tears began to flow from both the men’s side and especially from the women’s side. Rabbi Daniel Cohen-Talgam, Dirshu’s Director in Argentina, related, “So many people came to me afterwards to tell me that they have never before davened like that in their lives! They felt as if the gates of Heaven were open!”

This was one highlight during a night of highlights on a scale never previously experienced by South American Jewry. Earlier this month, the South American Jewish Community celebrated its largest Torah event in history with the inaugural siyum on Masechta Brachos in the Amud HaYomi. The event was graced by HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Ezrachi, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim, HaGaon HaRav Raphael Abuchatzeirah, shlita, and Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita Nasi of Dirshu.

Wall-to-wall achdus permeated the siyum through the enthusiastic participation of Rabbanim and members of virtually every Torah observant kehillah of Argentina along with a large contingent from Brazil led by the Rav of Kehillas Mekor Chaim of Brazil, Rav Yitzchak Dishi, shlita.

Later that week, a well attended Amud HaYomi siyum was held at the large Safra shul in Sao Paulo Brazil.

The powerful, pervasive message at the siyum, said Rabbi Cohen-Talgam was that Dirshu is here for every person at every level. “We want to help YOU learn Torah! If you are someone who learned in yeshiva and have a background in learning, we have a program for you! If you are a beginner, we have a shiur and a program for you. If you want to learn halacha, we have a program for you at multiple levels. If you want to learn Gemara, we have a program that fits. If you want to learn the works of mussar and ethics, we have a program and a shiur for you. And if not, we will make one!”

Indeed, that was one of the main themes of the evening, encouragement for increased limud haTorah at all levels. This was especially evident when the venerated senior Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi, rose to address the crowd. The adulation was palpable. Everyone understood that this nonagenarian Rosh Yeshiva had traveled literally across the world and the hemisphere at his advanced age just to give them chizuk. Why? Because of his deep feelings of love and responsibility to his fellow yidden.

Gazing at the massive crowd with love, Rav Ezrachi said with great emotion, “Every day we say ‘Asher bachar banu,’ that Hashem chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah. The reason we are chosen and the reason we are special is because we have the Torah.” Rav Ezrachi’s voice shook as he thundered, “Without Torah there is no life! There is nothing without Torah. Torah is our life. A person who does not learn Torah is NOT ALIVE! He thinks he is alive, but he really isn’t.

“Now it is time for the next step. Baruch Hashem there is Torah here, but Dirshu adds a unique framework. Everyone should join a program and learn Torah. There should be no Jew, not even one Jew from this community who does not have a daily learning seder.”

The power of Rav Ezrachi’s drasha and call to action was further reinforced by the inspirational music that followed. Singers R’ Motti Steinmetz and R’ Shlomo Cohen not only inspired the massive crowd, but drew the crowd in, arousing feelings of deep kirvas Hashem, closeness to Hashem.

Rav Hofstedter’s words rang through the large hall, “Baruch she’asa lanu nes b’makom hazeh—praised be Hashem for granting us a miracle in this place! How did we merit to see this unique love of Torah and dedication to limud haTorah,” he asked, “in a locale so distant from the main Jewish centers?!”

He explained by citing pesukim and ideas from the weekly parshah. “The Torah tells us that Bezalel was selected to build the mishkan. What were his qualifications? The Jewish people until then had been slaves in Egypt, an oppressed people who barely had time to breathe, let alone to become expert craftsmen.

“The Ramban says that the greatest miracle was the very fact that an entire nation who for centuries had been oppressed slaves were somehow able to turn around and build a mishkan with the most detailed craftsmanship, gold, silver. How? How were they able? Hashem endowed them with this ability,” Rav Hofstedter said, “because He saw that they had such a deep visceral desire to do Hashem’s will. Yes, even a slave who has no talent but expresses a total ratzon, an absolute dedication to serving Hashem, Hashem endows him with abilities above and beyond the laws of nature.

“What I see in this community is the tremendous teshuka, desire to come close to Hashem, to engage in limud haTorah and cling to Hashem through Torah! When there is a deep ratzon even miracles are possible!

During the visit to Argentina, Rav Hofstedter and other members of the hanhala of Dirshu also had the opportunity to visit numerous mosdos of Torah in Argentina and witness the thriving resurgence of Yiddishkeit that is transpiring there. Rav Hofstedter visited Kehillat Ohr Torah, a historic shul that is led by Rav Raphael Preva. The delegation also went on to the yeshiva and the Kollel, where Rav Hofstedter met with the Rav, and was given a detailed update about the kehilla and the various mosdos. During the visit, Rav Dovid also visited the mosdos of Shuva Yisrael where hundreds of boys and girls in separate mosdos receive an authentic Jewish education.

The aftermath of the siyum, more than anything else, has attested to the fact that Dirshu has succeeded! There has been an exponential increase in limud haTorah, in new participants throughout South America. “Indeed,” said Rav Cohen-Talgam, “the ultimate purpose of the siyum wasn’t just to celebrate the past, the fact that we had completed Masechta Brachos with the Amud HaYomi or Masechta Bava Kama with the Daf HaYomi. It was about the future. It was about how many more people are going to incorporate meaningful and consistent limud haTorah into their lives.”