By COLlive reporter
A group of Anash and bochurim celebrated the end of the 29th daily learning cycle of Rambam at the courtyard of Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch, near the Rebbe‘s holy resting place.
“I am not comfortable speaking here,” admitted the main speaker Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, Chairman of the unbrella Agudas Chassidei Chabad International, who said he came on the insistence of bochurim.
Coming in from Philadelphia, the senior Shliach spoke about the greatness of learning Rambam “which connects the totality and essence of klal yisroel with the totality and essence of the Torah.”
He noted that the Rebbe’s innovative call in 1984 that every Jewish man, woman and child learn Rambam daily was embraced by the leading rabbis and leaders.
Among them was the great Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a master of Torah and halacha of the past generation who himself started learning Rambam every day.
Rabbi Shemtov pointed out that Adar 25 was the birthday of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson OBM.
“She was the one who brought out the essence of what a Rebbe is with her statement that the Rebbe and the seforim belong to the Chassidim,” he said, referring to the testimony given to the court at the “Seforim Case.”
“With that, the Rebbetzin brought to light a concept that was not mentioned before and restored the proper status and identity of the Rebbe’s seforim,” he concluded.
The MC was hatomim Kutty Kalmenson, with the Rebbe’s Choizer Rabbi Yoel Kahn opening the evening with explaining a sicha about the Rambam.
Completing the 29th cycle and beginning the 30th was Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Kalmenson, Rosh Yeshiva of the Chabad Yeshiva in New Haven, CT.
Other speakers included Oholei Torah Mashpia Rabbi Michoel Seligson who gave a review of the Siyum Harambam throughout the years and Thailand’s Head Shliach Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor who was later joined by Minnesota Head Shliach Rabbi Moshe Feller for a night-long Farbrengen.
kuti!