Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva Concludes Year with Major Torah Learning Event on Temple Destruction and Rebuilding
The Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva recently held a large conference titled "Veha'arev Na: Yirchei Kallah - Knowledge, Halacha, Faith," focusing on the destruction and rebuilding of the Temple in contemporary times. The event attracted hundreds of participants from across Israel, including prominent Religious Zionist rabbis, students, alumni, and youth who dedicated their vacation days to Torah study.
Among the notable attendees were Major General Rabbi Eyal Karim, IDF Chief Rabbi; Rabbi Dror Twil, Chief Rabbi of Sderot; Rabbi Tzion Luz, Dayan of the Great Rabbinical Court and head of Yeshivat Tiferet Yisrael; Rabbi Micha Halevi, Chief Rabbi of Petah Tikva and head of Yeshivat Atarat Nehemia; Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, President of Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva and former Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan; Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, head of Beit El Yeshiva; Rabbi Ami Sternberg, head of Har Hamor Yeshiva; and Yeshiva heads Rabbis Yehoshua Shapira and Ben Zion Elgazi.
The organizers were particularly moved by the wide range of participants and their dedication, including one participant who traveled from the Golan Heights at 4 a.m. to join morning prayers and study sessions. Dozens of teenagers, including a group of about twenty from Beersheba, also devoted two summer vacation days to Torah learning. The yeshiva emphasized that these scenes reflected a strong thirst for Torah study and a communal desire to engage with themes of destruction, redemption, and rebuilding from within the study hall.
Rabbi Elgazi, who initiated the learning days, expressed excitement over the turnout and the collective commitment to Torah, citing a teaching from the sages that destruction came because "they abandoned My Torah." He said, "We showed the Holy One, blessed be He, that we do not abandon but rather increase our efforts, with the public coming in droves. I once told a Jew that the secret to loving Torah is a new vitamin, Vitamin V, the 'V' of 'Veha'arev Na.' If you learn well, you have love for Torah."
Rabbi Ariel spoke about the spiritual significance of the "Bein HaMetzarim" period, explaining that while destruction brings pain, it also initiates the process of rebuilding. He described the fire starting on Tisha B’Av and continuing on the tenth day as not only destructive but also the beginning of the fire of redemption, quoting, "I will be a wall of fire around her." He expressed hope that through joint learning and strengthening, all would merit to participate in the renewed building of the people of Israel and the Temple.
Deputy Yeshiva Director Aharon Saadon highlighted that the year ended not with a somber mood but with the strength of Torah shared with the entire public. He praised the yeshiva’s students and staff for their wholehearted and joyful efforts in hosting the large crowd with warmth and hospitality.
