Thousands of Lomdim led By Gedolei Yisroel Participate in Dirshu Convention

By Chaim Gold

“Every yeshiva leaves an indelible stamp upon its talmidim. You can tell what roshem the yeshiva makes by observing the talmidim of that Yeshiva. Dirshu is also a yeshiva! It does not have a brick-and-mortar building, but it is a yeshiva! What special imprint does the Dirshu Yeshiva leave on each of its talmidim? The answer is that a lomed Dirshu always has a Gemara in his hand! Wherever he is! Yes! The shtempel of a Dirshu yeshivaman, is the consistent Gemara in his hand. Whether he is visiting a doctor’s office or is at work; whether it is bein hasedorim or he is on a bus. A lomed Dirshu grabs every extra minute possible to learn more, to review more, to gain more clarity in his daily learning! That is the imprint of the Dirshu Yeshiva!” exclaimed HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah Tiferes Yerachmiel, during the shalosh seudos at the recent Dirshu Convention held on Shabbos Parshas Terumah.

In truth, shalosh seudos was but one highlight of a Shabbos full of remarkable spiritual delights and plateaus.

Over the course of Shabbos Kinnus Olam Hatorah, as the Dirshu convention is called, the many hundreds of participants had the tremendous zechus to hear Divrei Torah and guidance from luminaries such as HaGaon HaRav Hillel David, shlita, Rav Kehillas Yeshivas Shaarei Torah, HaGaon HaRav Yeruchem Olshin, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Telshe and Mesivta of Lakewood; HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras Yerachmiel; HaGaon,HaRav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz, shlita, the Skverer Dayan of Boro Park, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Mordechai Ausband, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo; HaGaon HaRav Dovid Goldberg, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Telshe, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi of Dirshu, among many other prominent Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva.

Dirshu’s Kinnus Olam Hatorah is a unique convention. At a Dirshu convention, outer appearances and outer trappings mean very little. The sight that meets your eye is a Yid with a  shtreimel in animated conversation with his Sephardic brother about a Tosafos in Masechta Pesachim in the Amud HaYomi, that he found difficult; one seat over is a Litvish Yid heatedly talking with a Bobover Chossid about an interesting Biur Halacha in Chelek Daled of Mishnah Berurah that they have both been learning in the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program.

This is the natural rhythm of a Shabbos Dirshu. It begins before licht bentschen and continues straight. At any time, in between the programming, whether it is at 1:00 in the morning or 6:00 a.m. mere hours after the beautiful oneg Shabbos ended, lomdei Dirshu were found learning, in the lobby, in the large beis medrash consecrated for limud haTorah! A resounding kol Torah reverberated throughout the hotel, throughout the Shabbos.

The Iyun Shiurim

Among the many highlights of every Dirshu Convention are the iyun shiurim delivered by Gedolei Torah. After the seudah on Friday night, Rav Shlomo Feivel Schustal delivered a shiur about the prohibition of making images. On Shabbos morning before Shacharis, Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter delivered an iyun shiur revolving around the arbah kossos on the night of the Seder.

Rav Chaim Mordechai Ausband, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, delivered an iyun shiur related to the chiyuv of hearing Parshas Zachor.

Watching Rav Ausband deliver the shiur while energetically and excitedly fending off many questions in a spirited give and-take by the lomdei Dirshu who were interjecting questions from all over Shas or obscure Tosafos in attempts to question his thesis, was an unbelievable sight. It was a clear rischa d’Oraysah as could be seen from the intent expressions on the faces of both Rav Ausband and the lomdim who were questioning him. Their faces did not reflect a sense of being upset or fighting! Rather, they were glowing with an ethereal joy gained from gaining clarity in the heiligeh words of the Torah.

Grand Melave Malka: A Celebration of Torah

It is almost impossible to imagine how a Shabbos full of climaxes could possibly conclude with the greatest climax of all! And yet, that is just what the melave malka was!

During the melava malka, the assemblage was treated to a breathtaking array of daas Torah espoused by some of today’s senior Gedolei Yisrael. The chairman of the evening, Reb Naftoli Friedman, introduced HaGaon HaRav Hillel David, shlita, who devoted his remarks to the chinuch impact made on one’s children when a person is a member of Dirshu.

Dirshu members were then treated to short remarks from Ambassador Mark Walker, President Trump’s personal envoy on combating antisemitism and religious intolerance throughout the world.

Rav Dovid Goldberg: The Dirshu Yungeleit Love Torah And Torah Loves Them Back!

Rav Dovid Goldberg’s remarks focused on the importance of chashivus haTorah. He quoted Rav Yisroel Eliyahu Weintraub in saying that greatness is not dependent on how much Torah one knows but on how much a person appreciates the Torah, how much he is machshiv the Torah, how much he makes Torah a priority of his life!

Rav Goldberg expressed his deep sense of admiration for the lomdei Dirshu. “Wherever I went throughout Shabbos, I saw bli ayin hara, 1,500 people sitting and learning! Wherever I went I saw mesikus haTorah! What I saw over the course of this Shabbos is that the Torah is a living organism! It pays back those who love it! When a person learns with mesiras nefesh there is no limit to what he can accomplish! The Dirshu yungeleit love Torah and Torah loves them back! Rav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz: Those Who Learn In Dirshu’s Programs Are The Happiest People

The Skverer Dayan, Rav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz, was introduced as a person who is part of the DNA of Dirshu.

In his remarks, Rav Steinmetz related a story about a wealthy man who came to Rav Aharon Kotler and asked him, “What is the difference between my Olam Habaah and your Olam Habaah? I get Olam Habaah because I support learning and the Rosh Yeshiva gets Olam Habaah because he learns Torah. So, what is the difference between us?”

Rav Aharon answered, “Perhaps there’s no difference between our Olam Habaah but there is a tremendous difference in our Olam Hazeh! I am the one who has the greatest Olam Hazeh! There is no greater pleasure in Olam Hazeh than being in Torah learning!”

“Those who learn in Dirshu’s programs,” Rav Steinmetz exclaimed, “are the happiest people in this world! Let’s not even talk about the Next World!”

The warm words of Rabbi Steinmetz were followed by the entire assemblage bursting into spirited song together with the orchestra led by Reb Hershy Weinberger and Avrumi Berko Productions. Palpable joy pulsated through the room as the nearly 2,000 people danced together celebrating their deep, abiding connection with accountable Torah learning.

Rav Dovid Hofstedter: “Only Mesiras Nefesh!”

A hush settled over the room as the Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter got up to address the assemblage. He looked around and emotionally referred to every member of the assemblage collectively as Mishpachas Dirshu, one big family of people dedicated with heart and soul to learning, to knowing Torah and to being connected with Torah.

“Rav Elchonon Wasserman explains that there are two types of gezeiros placed by Hashem upon the Yidden during difficult times. When it is a gezeirah on the guf, the answer is that we have to engage in teshuvah. When, however, there is a gezeirah on kiyum hamitzvos, that is a gezeirah that comes from Satan, and the only way to overcome such a gezeirah is through mesiras nefesh.

“From here we see that the primary response to a decree regarding ruchniyus is mesiras nefesh.

“Amalek was only able to have power over Klal Yisrael when they slacked off in their limud haTorah. The only way that the Bnei Yisrael were able to overcome Amalek was through the mesiras nefesh of Moshe Rabbeinu!”

With great sadness in his voice, Rav Hofstedter continued, “I don’t have to tell you that Amalek is attacking! Who would believe that in such a short time after the Holocaust, after the churban of Europe, when there are still among us a few of those precious shearis hapleitah with numbers on their arms, that in the highest echelons of society, in academia, there are those who shamelessly deny the existence of the Holocaust?! This is maaseh Amalek! The chutzpah, the sheker! Who would believe that a mere eighty years after the Holocaust, Jews across the world would feel unsafe?

“Shemiras hamitzvos is under attack in many places! We are under attack from without and within! In Eretz Yisrael, our precious Yeshiva bachurim are being thrown into jail!

In a voice full of pain, Rav Hofstedter exclaimed, “Sadly, Amalek is still among us! This generation’s weapon of mass destruction is social media. Tragically, on social media they cast aspersions on our wonderful yeshivos. I even found myself in the crosshairs! I was told that I am threatening the security of the State of Israel because I am taking boys who would be good soldiers and turning them into chareidim!

“The Olam HaTorah is under attack! Our response must be, ‘Lech kenos es kol haYehudim. Tzumu ailei sheloshim yom! Only mesiras nefesh will save us!”

“This Shabbos is called ‘Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah’. Only when we, the Olam HaTorah, come together and make all kinds of new initiatives to ensure the blossoming of Torah will we be able to overcome the Amalek of our times!

Only with mesiras nefesh! Only with going that extra mile for learning, adding that extra hour or two in our day to make sure that Torah is our life, ki heim chayeinu! We must avail ourselves of every opportunity to learn Torah, to seek Hashem day and night. Dirshu Hashem v’uzo, bakshu fanav tamid! We have to seek out Hashem tamid, at all times of the day and night. ‘Ma ahavti sorasecha kol hayom hi sichasi.’

“Just as Moshe Rabbeinu told Yehoshua, ‘bechar lanu anashim, v’tzei l’milchama – pick for yourself people and go to war,’ so too must we! This is not about ‘doing the daf’. It is not about ‘kol haTorah kulo in twenty minutes’! It is ki heim chayeinu! It is about availing ourselves of every opportunity that we have to learn Torah.

Let us leave here with a commitment. We will fight this battle b’lev venefesh, with mesiras nefesh until Hashem will look down on His children and say, ‘Enough! It is time to go home!’ He will finally say, ‘Kinderlach, kum shoin aheim. Bimheira biyameinu!”

Rav Yeruchem Olshin: Mishpachas Dirshu Goes Above And Beyond

When Rav Yeruchem Olshin, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, rose to speak, he looked around benevolently at the assemblage, his expression one of deep love and admiration. He began by saying, “When Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, Rosh Yeshiva of Kamenetz, would get up to address his yeshiva, he didn’t address them as talmidei or bnei hayeshiva. Rather, he addressed them as mevakshei Hashem. And I,” Rav Yeruchem continued, “I want to say a few  words to the chashuve mivakshei Hashem of Mishpachas Dirshu.”

“The Chovos Halevavos,” Rav Olshin explained, “says that this is the difference between a Yid who is doing just what he is able to do and a Yid who is going above and beyond his ability to push himself. A Yid must go above and beyond, must push himself. When he does, he is endowed with the ability and the intellect to do above and beyond what he originally thought he could do.”

With great passion Rav Olshin concluded, “I want to say something about my dear friend, Rav Dovid Hofstedter and the entire kehillah hakedoshah of Dirshu. They go above and beyond anything that could be considered the norm! Those participating in Dirshu’s programs come home after a difficult day in yeshiva or at work and that they still have to chazer and chazer over and over again. They have to master large amounts of Torah, understand it and be able to be tested on it. They are only able to do that because they go above and beyond their abilities. They are therefore endowed from Above with kochos and abilities that they may not have had until now.

Shabbos At The Dirshu Convention

As the kedusha of Shabbos slowly descended upon the Armon Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut, throngs of talmidei chachomim, made their way to the large-heated tent especially erected so that davening could be done in a hallowed atmosphere conducive to tefillah.

Following Mincha, a fascinating question and answer session was held with Rav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz, the Skverer Dayan of Boro Park. After a beautifully moving Kabbolas Shabbos led by the well-known chazzan, Reb Isaac Honig, and the Shira Choir, Rav Yitzchok Sorotzkin delivered a passionate address.

One of the most inspirational moments of the convention was the shalosh seudos where the men joined together to be treated to words of chizuk and hisorerus given by. Rav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, Rav Yehoshua Abba Busel, Rav of the High Street Shul in Lakewood and a R”M at Beth Medrash Govoha, Rav Yitzchok Zalman Gips Rav of Beis Medrash Birchas Avrohom of Boro Park and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Mivakshei Torah, and Rav Zev Smith.

Elevated Dancing Of Hakaras Hatov

The conclusion of the Melava Malka, the culmination of the Shabbos, cannot possibly be described in an article. One can give over the main message of each drasha in an article, but one simply cannot, with dry ink and paper, describe the dancing after the Melava Malka. The thousands who danced with such elevation, such dveikus, that lasted into the wee hours of the morning; the way they came to dance with Rav Dovid Hofstedter, the simcha that emanated from them and the contagious enthusiasm that permeated the hall was indescribable. It was a dancing of simcha, of dveikus and of deep hakaras hatov to Dirshu and for what it has done to their lives.