Emotional scenes unfolded at Beit Yahalom, a rehabilitation and housing center run by the Aaleh network in Bnei Brak, as residents, teenage boys with severe and complex disabilities who struggle to speak, celebrated their completion of Tractate Avot. The achievement followed a long period of steady effort and was described as a historic moment for the boys, their families, the staff, and Aaleh leadership.
The daily class was led by Beit Yahalom director and teacher Rabbi Ariel Nissel, who adapted the study of Mishnah to the students in a creative, accessible way. During the ceremony, the boys took part in a knowledge quiz on the material they had learned and then joined the formal completion, as the crowd sang “Ashreichem talmidei chachamim.”
The event was attended by families and by Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Stern, along with Aaleh founder and CEO Rabbi Yehuda Marmurstein, Aaleh network director Shlomo Marmurstein, and the center staff. Rabbi Nissel said, “We did not believe we would reach this special moment,” and thanked the staff and the Marmurstein family for their support.
Rabbi Stern, opening with the verse “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy,” said the students had completed a major task despite the enormous daily limitations they face, and urged continued support and study with them. Yehuda Marmurstein said the “chain of Torah transmission” continues there too and concluded, “The spirit defeats every physical limitation.” Shlomo Marmurstein said the center reveals the children’s extraordinary abilities every day. The musical part was led by keyboardist Eli Rosenfeld and singer Yair Papa, and the families ended the evening with praise for Aaleh and Beit Yahalom.
