Tremendous Kiddush Hashem At Ohr Natan

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Over 100 Men Collectively Complete Mishnayot Seder Moed Four Times

Members of the Ohr Natan Youth Minyan gathered this past Sunday evening, July 9 in their stunning Rego Park beit midrash for a grand siyum celebrating the accomplishments of more than 100 men who valiantly concluded Mishnayot Seder Moed collectively an astonishing four times!

This past Shavuot Rabbi Natan Kaziev, event organizer and Youth Minyan coordinator at Ohr Natan where his father Rav Nachum Kaziev is mara d’atra, set out on a mission to uplift the learning amongst the members of his minyan. It was decided that everyone would take upon themselves something extra to study. Since not every member had a yeshivah background, Mishnayot Seder Moed was chosen as an appropriate portion of Torah for the men to comprehend easiest. The program worked that the perakim were split up amongst the budding scholars. Pocket size Artscroll Mishnayot were purchased for the participants, and Kehati Mishnayot were obtained for the Israeli participants to help them grasp the material best. The learning took place in many sessions, some learning in groups, and other b’chavruta. “Many of the men learning were so inspired by the achdus and camaraderie in the room that they took upon themselves additional mishnayot than originally required,” explained Rabbi Kaziev. “One individual that was assigned the first three perakim of Mesechet Shabbat ended up completing the entire Mesechta, and now graduated onto Mesechet Eruvin. This man hopes to make his own siyum on Seder Moed in the coming weeks. Wow!”

Rabbi Kaziev took me through an extraordinary eye-opener. The siyum on Seder Moed was conducted on Sunday evening the 21st of Taamuz the day after reading Parshat Pinchas in shul. As we all know, the parshah talks about the various karbanot of the holidays, 21 in total. Shabbat Rosh Chodesh occurs once, seven days of Pesach, one day of Shavuot, two days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and eight days of Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret. Coincidentally, the grand siyum took place during the tragic time of the Three Weeks, also equivalent to 21 days. Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apt, popularly known as the Apter Rebbe, pointed out that really the Three Weeks is supposed to include the time of the chagim and be 21 days of joyous times for the Jewish people, but because of our sins these days have a tragic association. Still, the Three Weeks are infused with much kedushah, and one day this holiness will be revealed, and these days will miraculously transform into days of celebration, moadim, with the peak being Tishah B’Av.

Rabbi Kaziev detailed the narrative of another talmid to the Bukharian Jewish Link. “I gave a young man several perakim in Mesechet Taanit to complete. He not only finished those perakim but went on to complete the entire Mesechet Taanit! Not only that, but this man also went further to begin Mesechet Megilah. I am just speechless. This event is full of inspiration and chizuk!”

Men and women dressed to the nines participated in a grand banquet that included lively music, and inspirational words of encouragement. The women were also acknowledged at the program for giving their spouses encouragement to go out and delve into the learning.

“When we learn mishnayot we have the strength to stand up to the evil that the yetzer hara puts up against us,” declared the Kalever Rav, Rabbi Berel Taub shlit”a, son of the Kalever Rebbe, Rav Moshe Taub shlit”a in his divrei brachah, adding in the name of a famed tzadik, “Learning mishnayot makes a home.” During the evening, Rabbi Yaakov Rahimi amazed the audience with a riveting keynote address. Additional words of chizuk were delivered by Reb Ari Hamer, a mainstay in Ohr Natan’s programming.

Guests enjoyed a charming sushi bar, courtesy of Sushi Kingdom & Asian Fusion, and a beautifully catered meal with steak, chicken, kebabs, and of course shah plov prepared by Colbeh Kosher Mediterranean Grill of Great Neck.

The gathering was graced with the presence of the community’s leading rabbinical figures including Rav Anshel Blum, mara d’atra of Jewish Community Center of Queens; Rav Aharon Chein, mara d’atra of Chabad of Georgian Jews; Rav Daniel Cohen, mara d’atra of Shaar HaEmet; Rabbi Binyamin Lavian, mara d’atra of Kehilat Shaarei Tshuva and the Persian community of Roslyn Heights; Rav Yaniv Meirov, mara d’atra of Congregation of Charm Circle; Rav Naftali Rosenbaum, founder of Dorot; Rav Asher Vaknin, mara d’atra of the Youth Minyan at the Bukharian Jewish Community Center; Rabbi Emanuel Yelizarov; and Rav Avner Yunayev, mara d’atra of Ohel Yosef and Brukho Toxsur.

Each program participant, 105 in total, received a unique parting gift, a glimmering certificate signed by three Torah sages representing the Litvish, Sephardic, and Chassidish communities: HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, Rosh HaYeshivah, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, N.J.; HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, Rosh HaYeshivah, Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia; and the Kalever Rebbe shlit”a.

The Bukharian Jewish Link joins Ohr Natan in wishing each participant a hearty mazal tov. It is our blessing that the Bukharian community, and Jewish community at large, continue to grow and develop into inspiring bnei and bnot Torah.

By Shabsie Saphirstein