Unique, a word that pales when describing a triple siyum.

It was a siyum not on one, not on two but on all three “Bavas” - Bava Kama, Bava Metziah and Bava Basra that have recently been completed in the Dirshu Chaburas Shas Iyun Program. The siyum was held at the home of the venerated Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, and was attended by choice maggidei shiur in the program.

“Once a person gains a comprehensive knowledge of Bava Kama, Bava Metziah and Bava Basra,” Rav Cohen said, “he comes with a hekef of the entire Seder Nezikin at his fingertips. All the foundational sugyos in Nezikin are contained in the three Bavas: kinyanim, nizkei mammon, geneiva, gezeilah, yerushos, it is all there. When someone learns iyun and says a sevara with all three Bavas at his fingertips, it is a different chiddush, a different iyun. The Torah is one big puzzle,” Rav Cohen continued, “You can’t just learn one small part and figure out how everything fits in. You must have knowledge of sugyos throughout Shas. Not just by learning them quickly and perfunctorily, but through learning them the way this wonderful Chaburas Shas program learns, day in and day out, Gemara, Rashi, Tosafos, and the main rishonim. That is the true tzurah of a talmid chacham.”

The Power of a Tzibbur Learning Together

The siyum at Rav Dovid Cohen’s home was not the only siyum held on the three Bavas.

In Bnei Brak, there is a large shul called Beis Medrash Beis Hashem led by its distinguished Rav, HaGaon HaRav, Rav Yitzchok Kolodetzky, shlita, a son-in-law of the Sar HaTorah, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l. It is a large shul with hundreds of members. Under the direction of Rav Kolodestzky, the members of the shul have adopted the Chaburas Shas program as one of their daily limudim.

Hundreds of shul members learned all three Bavas and took tests on them. Their accomplishments were also celebrated with a beautiful siyum attended by the Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedster, shlita.

Rav Menachem Kessler, shlita, a maggid shiur in the kehillah, opened the evening by pointing out that there was a common denominator between Beis Medrash Beis Hashem and Dirshu: both of them never stop coming up with new ideas and ways to enrich the spiritual lives of their members. Beis Medrash Beis Hashem is always adding new spiritual initiatives and the Dirshu Chaburas HaShas has been a game changer for all the participants.

In Rav Dovid Hofstedter’s address, he spoke about the ketores. “There are seeming contradictions regarding the ketores,” he began, “We know that when Korach and his men brought the ketores, they died as a result. On the other hand, we know that that very ketores is what stopped the plague. What then is the ketores, a killer or a savior?

After putting forth a brilliant explanation based on the words of the Shem M’Shmuel, the essence of Rav Hofstedter’s answer was that when there is unity, when the entire Klal Yisrael is together as one, the ketores can stop a plague. When it is each man for himself, such as by Korach and his people, however, then the ketores causes death and destruction.

Focusing his full gaze on the members of Kehillas Beis Hashem, Rav Dovid exclaimed, “In this elevated, wonderful tzibbur of talmidei chachamim there is the special quality of the learning that each of you do on your own. What you should know, however, is that you are not individuals who happen to be learning. You are a part of a tzibbur. When you are part of Chaburas Shas or any of Dirshu’s learning programs, you are not alone. You are joined together collectively by thousands of fellow lomdim all over the world. What you do doesn’t just positively impact you, your chavrusah and your own families. Rather your learning goes far beyond the yachid effecting a positive impact on the entire Olam HaTorah thereby elevating all of Klal Yisrael!”

The Antidote to Galus

Rav Yosef Rosenblum, one of the maggidei shiur in the kehillah, cited the frightening words of the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh in Parshas Vayechi. The Ohr Hachaim says that Am Yisrael merited to be redeemed from the first galus, the galus of Mitzrayim in the zechus of Avrohom Avinu. We were redeemed from the second galus in the zechus of Yitzchok and from the third galus in the merit of Yaakov Avinu.

Now we are in the last and final galus, the galus of Edom. In whose zechus will be redeemed from this last galus? In the merit of Moshe Rabbeinu, who brought down the Torah from Har Sinai. The Ohr Hachaim then says something truly frightening. He said the main reason we have not yet been redeemed from this galus, the main reason why it is taking so long is because Moshe Rabbeinu does not want to redeem those who are beteilim min haTorah, those who don’t learn Torah!

Standing here at Kehillas Beis Hashem with Dirshu, we can say that we are not beteilim min haTorah. We are immersed in Torah, in Chaburas Shas, in other programs… Let us come together and beg Moshe Rabbeinu that he should come and redeem us, bimheirah b’yameinu!

The Simcha of True Yedias HaTorah

At the siyum in the home of the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, Rav Dovid Cohen, Rav Cohen echoed this theme.

“What a zechus!” he proclaimed, “What a zechus it is for a talmid chacham who has learned all three Bavas and really knows the foundational sugyos of them all! This kinyan, this acquisition that they have made puts them into a totally different category of talmid chacham. This is the simcha that we feel today, the simcha of true yedias haTorah.”

“On the one hand,” Rav Cohen continued with a sigh, “we are living in a time of great hester panim. Yeshiva bachurim and kollel yungeleit are being thrown into jail for the ‘sin’ of learning Torah! Talmidei chachamim are suffering due to monetary sanctions as well.

“When I see how despite all this, we are producing true talmidei chachamim, it brings me simcha! When I see the geshmak in learning of those people who have completed masechtos with iyun in a way that they truly know it, it fills me with light and hope!”