ON JANUARY 3RD, 2022, MIKDASH ELIYAHU CONGREGATION CELEBRATED A SIYUM OF MASEKHET ROSH HASHANAH. OVER 20 PEOPLE (OUT OF THE CLOSE TO 40 PARTICIPANTS) CAME TO TRASTEVERE FOR WORDS OF TORAH, DELICIOUS FOOD AND A NIGHT TO BOND WITH ONE ANOTHER. THIS MARKED THE CULMINATION OF LEARNING GEMARA EVERY MORNING WITH RABBI AVI HARARI FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
The night began with a speech from Rabbi Avi Harari, about what Rosh Hashahah is really all about. “If you think about it, the words Rosh and Hashanah are an oxymoron,” he said. “Shanah, in the simplest sense of the word, means to repeat something. If something is repeating itself, it has neither a beginning nor an end. It’s cyclical in nature. If this is the case, how can it have a “Rosh,” a head? Instead of envisioning the year as time that just repeats itself, without any change—from the very first Mishnah in the book we learn that you must inject within the cyclical nature of life something different on a consistent basis.” Meaning, instead of just going to class, reading the words and going through the motions, one should try to find new Torah insights. His speech encouraged the attendees to think about how they can make their mark on Torah.
Following Rabbi Avi Harari, his father, Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari spoke, reflecting on the growth of the synagogue over the past year since his son (Rabbi Avi) had joined. “It’s remarkable to look around the room and see just how many people have joined our synagogue. It’s thrilling to know that our synagogue is really taking its place as a center of learning, which is always what our vision was.” He exclaimed, “This is what we dreamt about.”
Mikdash Eliyahu President Eli Dweck then spoke briefly about the impact this class has on the synagogue as a whole. “When Rabbi Avi Harari joined the Mikdash Eliyahu family, one of our goals was to build upon our daily learning and to establish a daily Gemara class. As the Rabbi said, we expected it to need time to take off, but all you have to do is look around the table to see how many congregants quickly joined the daily learning at Mikdash Eliyahu. It’s a testament to the success of Rabbi Avi Harari and his leadership.”
Jeffrey Gindi, who sponsored the night in memory of his father Ralph S. Gindi A”H, said he felt Hashem blessed Mikdash Eliyahu with both Rabbi Raymond Harari, and more recently, Rabbi Avi Harari. He also discussed the impact that they have had on his personal life, and the exciting future he sees for the congregation. He expressed his sincere gratitude to all the participants of the class and credited them for being an inspiration for him to learn each morning.
After a delicious dinner, Morris Catton taught the last passage of the Gemara and read the final prayers on behalf of all. The group then presented Rabbi Avi Harari and his wife Zahava with gifts as a token of their appreciation for everything they do for the class, the synagogue and the community as a whole. “We know how much time you put into preparing lessons for us every morning. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Use it in good health and success,” said one of the participants as the gift was being presented.
For those who would like to join this Gemara group, they recently began Masekhet Sanhedrin. Classes are Monday through Friday at 6:30 a.m. in the social hall of the synagogue located at 400 Avenue U, followed by Shahrit at 7:10 a.m. Congratulations to all those who finished and may we see many more siyumim in the future!
