Siyum of Talmud Yerushalmi Held

A siyum on the eighth cycle of Daf Yomi of Talmud Yerushalmi took place at Agudath Israel Zichron Moshe in Boro Park Wednesday evening. The speakers included Harav Eliezer Horowitz, Rav of the host shul; Harav Chaim Elazar Friedman, the Tenke Rav; Harav Leibel Wulliger, Rosh Kollel of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath; and Rabbi Yisroel Forster, a longtime participant at the Talmud Yerushalmishiur given by the Tenke Rav. The event was chaired by Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Grossman of Yeshivah Siach Yitzchak in Far Rockaway.

The Tenke Rav discussed the many benefits in learning Talmud Yerushalmi, among them its enabling one to cover the topics discussed in Talmud Bavli in an accelerated manner and that one is introduced to concepts not mentioned in Talmud Bavli.

Harav Wulliger noted the significance of the siyum taking place the day after Pesach, the seven days of which are compared in sefarim hekedoshim to the shivas haminim, the seven types of fruits and grains for which Eretz Yisrael is praised in the Torah. The last of these is dvash, date-honey. Just as date-honey represents sweetness, lomdim who follow the daily limud of Talmud Yerushalmi are experiencing a special sense of sweetness in completing and starting anew their learning.

Harav Horowitz cited the concept mentioned in both Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi that Chassidim Harishonim devoted an hour to prepare before each tefillah, spent an hour davening and remained an hour afterwards. Drawing on a thought of the Rogatchover Gaon, zt”l, he noted that, while the Talmud Bavli notes that their Torah was mishtameres (preserved), and their work was misbareches (blessed and amplified), as a result, the Talmud Yerushalmi relates that both their Torah and their work were consequently blessed and magnified. Similarly, those who learn Talmud Yerushalmi experience a special sense of blessing in their learning.

The call for Klal Yisrael to learn Talmud Yerushalmi came on 18 Teves, 5740/1980 from the Lev Simchah, zy”a, at the sixth Knessiah Gedolah of Agudas Yisrael, similar to the system of Daf Yomi learning of the Talmud Bavli established by Harav Meir Shapiro of Lublin, zt”l. The actual limud began four weeks later, on Tu BiShvat of that year.

While Talmud Yerushalmi is one of the foundations of Torah Sheb’al Peh, in the past, the Yerushalmi, with its terse, difficult-to-understand language, problematic girsaos, and lack of classical commentaries, was viewed as the province of yechidei segulah — exceptional individuals, and inaccessible to the vast majority of lomdim. Talmud Yerushalmi remained, in a sense, a “sealed book” for generations.

Recent years have seen many commentaries produced that have made the Yerushalmi accessible to a larger audience.

The resurgence of the limud of Yerushalmi has brought about an increase in the kevodah shel Torah, noted a letter issued by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in conjunction with the siyum of this eighth cycle and the beginning of the ninth cycle.

An expanded report of this event is planned for the weekly edition of Hamodia.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the April 25th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.