Posted on 07/07/19
11th Siyum Hashas Highlights: One Cycle, Doubled Participation!
As preparations for the 11th Siyum Hashas in Adar 5765 (March 2005) took place, The Agudah leaders worked diligently to accommodate the fast-growing community of daily learners of The Daf.
11 - Dancing from Agudath Israel on Vimeo.
Two massive venues in the Northeast – Madison Square Garden in NYC and Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands – were reserved for the main program, in addition to dozens of large satellite locations around the world.
Still, tickets were sold out weeks in advance of The Siyum. Yidden from all around clamored for the opportunity to personally participate in this historic event. Ten days ahead of The Siyum, the Javits Center in Manhattan was reserved as a third New York area Siyum Hashas venue. Within days, 10,000 additional tickets were sold.
When approximately 100,000 yidden worldwide gathered at The Agudah Siyum – roughly double the participation of just one cycle earlier - the ruach of achdus and growth was palpable. The Novominsker Rebbe shlit”a utilized the moment to encourage learners of The Daf to devote at least one hour a week to learn with a fellow yid with a lesser Torah background.
Rabbi Yissocher Frand shlit”a marveled at the incredible growth pace of the worldwide learning and recited the inspiring story where HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l personally participated in the Siyum of a single Daf, the first Daf learned by an elderly assimilated yid. The Mesayem passed away that evening, and HaRav Moshe observed that he acquired olam habbah with that Siyum alone.
Rabbi Frand implored every yid to commit- and recommit – to complete Shas. “It is never too late; and it is never too little; and it is never enough!,” he exclaimed.