On Thursday, 42 married scholars from the Siret Vizhnitz Hasidic court marked the completion of more than five years of studying the laws of Shabbat at a celebratory “Tenu Shevach” event. The men, described as diligent Torah learners, also passed written and oral examinations before leading rabbis and halachic authorities with great success.
The ceremony was held in a festive atmosphere, attended by the graduates, their families, parents, grandparents, Hasidic rabbis, and rabbis from Haifa. It was hosted by Ben Zion Lifschitz, himself one of the graduates, while Moshe Dov Rosenberg spoke about the long process the group had undergone over the five years of study before reaching this milestone.
The patron of the program and ceremony, the philanthropist Yechezkel Fedder, praised the Torah institution network “Mivtzar HaTorah” and said he is often told by heads of kollels in Israel and abroad that books written by the kollel scholars help them understand the Shulchan Aruch. He cited “Cheshav HaHalacha” by Baruch Wieselbaum as an example, saying every kollel studying Shabbat law benefits from it.
The Siret Vizhnitz Rebbe attended and presented certificates of appreciation to the scholars. The event was also honored by the rebbes of Biala, Dzikov Vizhnitz, and Nadvorna Haifa, some of whose relatives were among the graduates. The Biala Rebbe spoke about the devotion of the kollel scholars, who study free from worldly distractions, and then danced for a long time. At the seudat hamitzvah, Chaim David Assaf recited Grace after Meals on the 10th yahrzeit of his father, David Assaf, after whom the “Mishnat Eliyahu” program was founded to study and review both parts of Shulchan Aruch. Certificates were later distributed to the scholars by the rabbis who had tested them on all the laws of Shabbat.
