Tens of Thousands of Yeshiva Students Gather in Beit Shemesh for 'Talmudo Beyado' Event

A massive gathering of tens of thousands of yeshiva students from across Israel took place on the evening of September 3, 2023, at the municipal amphitheater park in Beit Shemesh. The event, titled "Talmudo Beyado" (His Torah in His Hand), was organized by the Union of Yeshiva Students under Rabbi Yehuda Weispish, in cooperation with the Beit Shemesh municipality and Mayor Shmuel Greenberg. Attendees arrived by dozens of buses and were divided into sections according to their yeshivas.

The evening opened with a special musical production called "Adira Ozo," featuring legendary composer Rabbi Hillel Paley and Rabbi Mordechai Orlansky, focusing on prayer melodies and tunes from the yeshiva world in preparation for the High Holy Days. This was followed by singing performances by Mordechai Ben David, Yidel Verdiger, Bentzi Stein, and maestro Yoeli Dikman.

The highlight of the event was the arrival of prominent rabbinic leaders including Rabbi Dovid Lando, Rabbi Matzliach Bergman, Rabbi David Poverksy, Rabbi Meir Hirsch, Rabbi Yitzchak Kar, and Rabbi David Cohen. The crowd of yeshiva students stood and greeted their rabbis with powerful songs honoring the Torah. The senior rabbis delivered speeches encouraging Torah study ahead of the month of Elul, urging students to remain steadfast in their learning despite the ongoing challenges related to military conscription.

Local Beit Shemesh rabbis, yeshiva heads, supervisors, neighborhood rabbis, judges, and teachers also participated. Members of Knesset Rabbi Moshe Gafni and Rabbi Uri Maklev, Mayor Greenberg, city council members, and other public figures attended as well. The event concluded with a performance by singer Yidel Verdiger and ended after hours of Torah study, inspiration, and song, as the students departed to return to their communities for the Elul season and the upcoming High Holy Days.