“Everybody has to know that we [as baalei teshuvah] stand here and we make teshuvah relevant”
Last Tuesday night saw a historic moment as five major baal teshuvah yeshivos gathered in unity to hear divrei chizuk from several rabbanim and roshei yeshivah. Though each yeshivah has its own philosophy and hashkafah, differences were of little import in face of the common goal of bringing Jews closer to the Torah, each other, and the Ribbono shel Olam.
Yeshivos Ohr Somayach, Aish HaTorah, Machon Shlomo, Machon Yaakov, and Darchei Noam assembled in Ohr Somayach’s beautiful new beis medrash for the event, titled “V’kabtzeinu mei’arba kanfos ha’aretz.” Rabbi Yehoshua Steyn, mashgiach of Yeshivas Machon Shlomo, opened the evening with the following thought:
“Baalei teshuvah themselves,” he said, “represent the theme of ‘gathering from the four corners of the world.’ Present are students from Scotland, South Africa, England, and all across North America. All come together to Yerushalayim, where they dedicate themselves to Torah study. This is a microcosm of what will transpire in Yemos HaMashiach, when all Jews, from all places, will gather in Eretz Yisrael and devote themselves to limud haTorah.’ ”
Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz, rav of Kehillas Ohr Somayach, spoke about the power of Torah and the power of achdus. When Torah and achdus are celebrated together, it will surely elicit an awesome merit for the sake of Klal Yisrael during this eis tzarah.
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