On Sunday close to 200 parents, grandparents and friends looked on as a record-breaking 78 Lubavitcher Yeshiva students were honored for their achievements in learning Tanya by heart.
Students who had memorized an entire chapter or more of Tanya received an award. More than 13,500 lines were learned and tested during this year.
The event opened with the inspiring words of Rabbi Shmuli Turk, who spoke of the importance of learning Tanya, now, in these final moments of golus.
Principal Rabbi Yosef Simpson enlightened the crowd with details of the program and how precious the study of Tanya is to the Rebbe.
Rabbi Mordechai Kanelsky, a Shliach in New Jersey who is sponsoring the awards in memory of his late daughter Batsheva, said: “Parents buy all types of gifts for their children, but for my daughter, the only thing I can buy her is the merit of children studying Tanya in her memory.”
Kanelsky also spoke of how it was for him to learn Tanya by heart, as a child, in communist Russia.
Special mention was made of one class, in which every single student has memorized at least 3 chapters, and some who are already in the 5th, with the encouragement and hard work of their teacher Rabbi Y. Zwiebel.
The children then each were called up to receive their awards: a beautifully decorated certificate declaring the amount of Tanya they’ve memorized Ba’al Peh.
A Tanya, as was given out by the Rebbe in 5751, still in its original plastic, was also given out. Remarkably, these are the last of what was still left over from what the Rebbe gave out. And finally, each child received a brand new, crisp $5 bill.
Awards were followed by a large group picture, after which many parents were seen standing around saying L’Chaim in honor of this momentous occasion.
There will be a huge raffle at the end of the year for all the new lines of Tanya learned by heart from now onwards.
“This is not the end of the program for this year,” staff at the Yeshiva say. “We will keep on giving out the same awards to every child who finishes an entire Perek from now until the end of the school year.”
Photos by YossiPercia@COLlive.com
My son is in this school and I am very pleased. Have you ever read Hayom Yom? How many times do you read in there about the importance of being M’Tahor the Avir by saying Mishnayos, Tanya and words of Torah Bal Peh? There is absolutley nothing wrong with these children being challanged to study Tanya Bal Peh versus playing the Will, Nintendo DS or surfing the internet. Now while you are sipping your koolaid are you aware that ULY crown street does have English subject classes for the boys after they turn 9 years old? You can get both… Read more »
to #5: can’t breathe life into thin air. yes tanya baal[peh is wonderful, but trumpetting its excellers while there’s a void of basics, is frosting without a cake. and my last sentence is good enough. but even if it wasn’t , it wouldn’t remove an iota of logic from my position about what schools should offer. sounds like you were struggling for something to snipe at. to #9: please focus. they need to TEACH basics. do you have a male child in any school in this neighborhood? in this tanya shebal peh school? if yes, please tell me which language… Read more »
R u saying that they should put up evry time a kid gets a 100 on his test this is something extra which they do somethig which makes the rebbe pround and yes maybe if u would learn a couple Of lines of tanya u wouldn’t be writing such a comment.
great job 🙂 so proud of you two!!
sorry for you who fails to appreciate that it is a program as this one the BREATHE LIFE into the rest of the school curriculum – reading, writing, comprehension…
while your at it, polish up your writing… your last paragraph is a bit difficult on the eyes…
as well, how about just leaving a positive comment in the future. sickos like you, who have to throw in a sour note… get a life!
well done to all the talmidim
altz gut un fine.
What universal educational tools – like reading, writing, comprehension – have the majority of the students learned?
That some have learned Tanya by heart is not something for which they need to go to school.
To the two cutest kids Avremy, and Avremy:
Keep up the good work and keep coming over shabbos mornings to learn with zaidy!We are so proud of you!(The smart genes help too:).
Congratulations!
Shlichus in Kan Tziva is just as important , as in Any town, USA, Belgium, S.A., or Brazil ….
May the succeses continue with much chassidisher naches from all of unzerer kinder
We are so proud of you! May you continue to grow m’choyal el choyal and make us all proud!
Your uncle, aunt & cousins in CA
very impressed!!
Special thanks to the Lubavitcher Yeshivah and Rabbi Kanelsky for organizing this, and for Rabbi Zwiebel for all his hard work as a teacher….