The Vision, the Voices, the Victory of the Dirshu Movement

Outside or Inside?

Yisroel Besser

Last Thursday night, Montreal was hit by blinding snow, the sort that makes you walk bent over against its assault. Even the hardy drivers of a city used to such weather stayed home, the roads nearly empty against what would end up being a 40-centimeter snowfall.

But outside a small shul, an old building holding worn benches and bronzed yahrtzeit plaques and siddurim that feel right in your hands, clusters of cars were parked at haphazard angles to avoid the snowdrifts.

Three nights before Dirshu’s grand North American Siyum HaShas — the final event capping a month of celebrations around the world — this group of men had driven to shul to take a test on the first 30 blatt of Brachos. They’d be coming to the massive celebration not just with dreams, but with a gift: 30 blatt in their pockets.

Dirshu’s final Siyum was the last celebration in this wave of celebrations. This Sunday night, it wrapped up weeks of festive siyumim with its final clarion call of Hadran Alach in a season of nearly uninterrupted simchah. And, really, it couldn’t be any other way.