HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, and HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Give Comprehensive Addresses

One could feel it in the air. The yiras hakavod, anticipation and tension as the Gedolei Roshei Yeshivos, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, and HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron entered the cavernous hall to address the bachurim.

Indeed, it was an unforgettable scene. Thousands of bachurim, all the same age, converged on the Armanot Chen Halls in Bnei Brak to hear guidance from senior Gedolim at Dirshu’s annual “Seder Hachana” event. The upstairs floor of the hall, the downstairs floor of the hall, the streets and all the hall’s environs were full of bachurim. Those who could not get in watched on screens. The bachurim, who are concluding yeshiva ketana (high school) and will be attending yeshiva gedolah (beis medrash) this coming Elul, came in droves anxious to quench their thirst for guidance at this pivotal stage in their lives.

In addition to being addressed by the Gedolei Roshei Yeshiva, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and Rav Dovid Cohen, they were treated to speeches by Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi of Dirshu, and Rav Yaakov Shternshus, shlita, Mashgiach of Yeshiva Shaarei Shmuos.

There was also a unique shailos and teshuvos session wherein many questions about how to be successful in yeshiva gedolah were posed to the three panel members, HaGaon HaRav Yehoshua Eichenstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Yad Aharon, HaGaon HaRav Bunim Schreiber, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Nesiv Daas, and HaGaon HaRav Chaim Peretz Berman, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva at the Ponevezh Yeshiva.

There was also a video presentation of the guidance provided in previous years by HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Ponevezh. In addition, although HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, was unable to attend, he sent a letter full of chizuk and admiration for the Dirshu Seder Hachana and the role it plays in empowering bachurim to succeed in yeshiva gedolah. The letter was read by the chairman of the event, Rabbi Yisrael Layush. The event was also transmitted live to thousands of bachurim in Paris, Mexico City and Buenos Aires who gathered in halls in their respective cities to hear guidance from the Gedolei Hador.

The Importance of Preparation for Yeshiva Gedolah

What exactly is the Seder Hachana that Dirshu has been hosting annually for nearly two decades and why is it so important? Seder Hachana is a unique maamad specifically designed for one demographic, bachurim finishing yeshiva ketana and entering yeshiva gedolah. The transition from yeshiva ketana – a very regimented system – to yeshiva gedolah which offers much more independent learning can mean the difference between a lifetime of success in learning or challilah the opposite. It is a transition that requires much guidance.

Shmuel, a bachur who came to the event and sat towards the front awaiting the entry of the Roshei Yeshiva, explained, “My three older brothers have come to the Seder Hachana in past years. They consistently returned home full of inspiration, saying that the guidance tremendously helped them acclimate to the very different atmosphere and reality of yeshiva gedolah. Now it is my turn. I knew I wanted to be here.”

A Foundation for Life

Without a doubt, the very practical hadracha of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch was a game changer. In clear, concise language he underscored a number of major keys to success and outlined strategies to avoid pitfalls.

“The most important thing that a bachur should know,” Rav Hirsch began, “is that in just one month from now, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, you will be making what might be the most transformative change of your life! One’s entire life is built on the foundation that you make in yeshiva gedolah. I would therefore like to give you several pieces of advice on how best to succeed.”

“The first thing a bachur must realize is that he can unwittingly waste so much precious time in a yeshiva gedolah setting when there is less hashgacha than there was in yeshiva ketana. After a full day of learning, a bachur finally returns to the dormitory and wants to schmooze with his friends a bit. A bit of schmoozing is permitted. The problem begins when that twenty minutes of permissible and even necessary schmoozing can turn into two or three hours… one goes to sleep very late, and the next day is a disaster. The talmid sometimes feels so bad in hindsight, becoming broken and that leads to the next day not being good and the vicious cycle begins… all because he couldn’t control the bittul zeman of excessive schmoozing at night.

The second point Rav Moshe Hillel passionately made was that when one enters yeshiva gedolah one is also the recipient of a “new yetzer hara.”

“Until now, you were always under someone’s control. You slept at home, you were under your parents, the yeshiva ketanas are very regimented and you are under constant watch. In yeshiva gedolah there is much more ‘freedom’. When a person has more freedom, he likes to think, ‘I will now decide what is good for me and otherwise…’ That is a mistake! That is the yetzer hara talking!

“That yetzer hara talks in two ways,” said Rav Moshe Hillel. “Once, a bachur came to our yeshiva from the diaspora. He was brilliant! He knew how to learn. He was a very chashuve, Chassidishe bachur.

“During his first period in yeshiva, he fell tremendously. He frequented places at night where a yeshiva bachur doesn’t belong and we sadly came to the conclusion that we need to send him somewhere else… when he heard this, he cried and begged us to give him another chance. I felt that he really meant it and gave him another chance and indeed, from then on, he shteiged and became a very good bachur. Today, he is very distinguished yungerman, a true talmid chochom. Years later, I asked him, ‘What happened when you first came to yeshiva? Why did you fall?’

“He answered, ‘It was the first time in my life that I had “freedom.” No one was standing over me telling me what to do. I decided to sample the freedom…’

“This yetzer hara of ‘freedom’ is a great one and one must be vigilant!” Rav Moshe Hillel exclaimed.

“Also, when a bachur is ‘free’ he thinks, ‘I am older and mature. I can make my own decisions. I don’t need to ask anyone.’ This is absolutely false! A person must “make for himself a rav,” a guide. He cannot rely on his own seichel because often the yetzer hara is in charge of his seichel.”

Another important point Rav Hirsch made is that “Yeshiva gedolah is a clean slate! Even someone who was not so successful in yeshiva ketanah is empowered to make a fresh start and should come into yeshiva gedolah with great she’ifos. Some bachurim wrongly label themselves. ‘I am not such a masmid,’ ‘I am a bekius person’ or ‘I don’t like bekius.’ Don’t bring your deficiencies with you to yeshiva gedolah!” he thundered, “yeshiva gedolah is a clean, new slate! You are a yeshiva gedolah bachur now. Everything is new.”

“I have seen bachurim come to yeshiva gedolah and then become brokenhearted. Why?” Rav Moshe Hillel asked. “Because in yeshiva ketana they were the best or second best in the shiur and now, there are so many good bachurim and instead of being the best, they are number ten or twelve. I have seen bachurim who gave up because they couldn’t deal with the new reality. You should be ready for this. That is also part of the clean slate. Forget about what was in yeshiva ketana and let yourself adjust to the new reality.”

Rav Moshe Hillel concluded by imparting guidance from his own Rosh Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Kotler, zt”l. He would say, “Human nature is such that a person is afraid to accept upon himself the full yoke of Torah and yiras shomayim. He thinks that perhaps it will be too hard for him. However,” Rav Aharon Kotler continued, “he is making a mistake. He should not be afraid. He doesn’t realize that when he accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah without compromises, he will automatically begin to taste the sweetness of Torah.”

“What is a Yeshiva? A Factory that Produces the Greatest Thing in Humanity – a Ben Torah!”

An exceptional highlight of the event was the powerful, moving words of Rav Dovid Cohen. He said, “I have merited to participate in this event for several years already, and each year I am filled with emotion when I see the massive turnout of bachurim who are joining the ranks of Hashem’s army, yeshiva bachurim, bnei Torah.

“Entering yeshiva gedolah is not only a new chapter in life but perhaps the central chapter in your lives! I can still remember how I felt on the day I entered yeshiva gedolah. It was a new chapter in my life, the chapter of becoming a ben Torah, a ben yeshiva.

“Let us try to understand what defines a ben yeshiva and what defines a yeshiva. The yeshiva,” explained Rav Cohen, “is the ‘factory’ that produces the greatest thing that can be found in humanity. That great thing is called a ‘ben Torah!’”

“Now, we can try to encapsulate what that yeshiva, that factory is,” continued the Rosh Yeshiva. “Some say it is a place where we learn Gemara or learn how to learn Gemara. That is incorrect. Yes, what we primarily do in yeshiva is learn Gemara, but that does not define a yeshiva. When a person l’havdil wants to become a doctor or an accountant he goes to a college to learn that trade. A yeshiva is not a college, it is a factory, a factory that builds and produces the unique product called a ‘ben yeshiva’. So, what is a ben yeshiva? A ben yeshiva is one who becomes a child of the yeshiva. The yeshiva functions as his ‘father’ and his ‘mother.’ They enable him to grow and become the talmid chochom who will continue the mesorah of Klal Yisrael for the coming generation!”

Rav Dovid spoke about social standing in the yeshivos. “In more recent years, I have seen that a bachur’s social standing in the yeshiva has become a big deal. Everyone wants to be looked at as geshmak, normal, a person who others want to be around. I am not minimizing the importance of some social interaction, but not only doesn’t the incessant focus on social standing help, it ultimately hurts his social standing!”

“If a bachur focuses more on his learning and not on his place in the yeshiva social life, perhaps at the beginning he won’t be looked at with as much admiration. With time, however, the entire yeshiva will look at him with great admiration. He will be more socially accepted then the bachur who spent so much time in idle chatter in order to be ‘with it.’”

Rav Dovid explained, “One of the things that prevents a bachur from properly developing, even if he is diligently learning three sedarim per day is the idle, late-night chatter in the dorm that leads to very late bedtimes. This kind of ‘night life’ can destroy a bachur’s chances of true growth in yeshiva. Certainly, a bachur should be part of a social group. I am not telling anyone to completely detach socially from others. A person needs a chevra. But where should your prime investment be? Don’t invest your energy into social life. Your real investment of time and effort must be in learning and growing in Torah and yiras shamayim…”

The Importance of Simcha and Geshmak in Learning

Rav Dovid Hofstedter focused his remarks on the simcha that a bachur derives from accepting upon himself the ohl of Torah. “When one truly feels connected to what one is learning there is no greater simcha!”

Rav Dovid illustrated this lesson by sharing an experience he had with Rav Shach. “Many years ago I went to speak with Rav Elazar Shach, zt”l. They took me into his room, and he was learning. He sat and learned with such a geshmak, learning the Gemara, looking in the back of the Gemara at the commentary of the Rosh and the Korban Nesanel. There was such serenity in his world of total immersion. He didn’t even notice me! When his attendant finally got his attention and he looked up, he greeted me with such profound warmth, I was overwhelmed. Then we started talking about a public matter and I saw a different Rav Shach. He was transformed from the loving, eidel person who had been learning Torah with such simcha to ah shtick fire, the ‘boldness of a leopard and strength of a lion…’ He gave his guidance with strength. Then, when I was leaving, I looked back, and he was right back in the Gemara with deep serenity and simcha. At that moment,” Rav Dovid exclaimed, “I saw what it means to learn with simcha!”

Once on the topic of Rav Shach, Rav Hofstedter segued into urging the bachurim to connect with the Gedolim and Rabbanim from earlier generations. “When one connects with them, he connects with the unique light and simchas haTorah that emanates from them. Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz was our father. Throughout the years he gave us loving, fatherly guidance. When he was a bachur learning in Vilna, the Chofetz Chaim once came to Vilna. Everyone went to see him, but Rav Michel Yehuda was not sure what to do. If he were to go and see the Chofetz Chaim what would be with the Gemara?! Should he take time from his learning to see the Chofetz Chaim? He decided to stay and learn rather than go. Many years later, he was asked, ‘If the Chofetz Chaim were to come, would you go to see him?’ At that time, his unequivocal answer was, ‘Yes! I would certainly go.’ The person pressed further, ‘But what about the bittul Torah?’ Rav Michel Yehuda replied, ‘If I would have gone all those years ago, all the learning that I learned in subsequent years would have been different as a result of seeing the Chofetz Chaim!’ That,” Rav Dovid ended off, “is the koach of seeing zekeinim!”

The smiling, yet earnest faces of the bachurim as they exited after being infused with such divrei chizuk and hearing so many real-life scenarios played out in the question-and-answer session said it all. Their shining countenances displayed how glad they were to have heard practical guidance from the Gedolei Hador on the most important period of growth in their lives!

Fortunate is the generation where the young listen to the elders!